Facing the blitz:The Rams defensive line is one filled with talent, armed with five former number one picks. And that means one thing this week. Look out for the blitzing.
"That's the first thing that sticks out, the pressure," said quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. "Four guys, three guys, sometimes they add a fifth to get on the quarterback. Even if it's not necessarily a sack, it's a hurry, a rush to get out of the pocket.
"When I say pressure, I mean blitzing. That's what you have to prepare for. You can't just assume they will only rush four. We have to assume they are going to rush five, six guys. We have to be ready to pick it up. So, we have our work cut out for us."
Stacking wins: Getting on a streak early is something players have talked about, especially after opening last season winning one week and losing the next for the first six games. With a win over the 49ers under their belt, building on that this week is a key.
"You want to pick up some momentum, get it going," said Roethlisberger. "You don't want to have a rollercoaster going up and down. You want to try to keep the arrow pointed up and keep getting better. It doesn't need to go straight up, it just need to keep going up.
"It's important, especially when you're going into a hostile environment with a great football team, a great defense. It's going to be a big challenge for us."
Getting Bell back: The offense gets one of their best weapons back this week in running back Le'Veon Bell, but he isn't just a help in the run game, but also the passing game.
"He's got great hands," said Roethlisberger. "I think that's first and foremost. And he runs routes like he's running the ball. He's really quick and hard to cover. He's shifty and makes a lot of moves. So, we value him as a receiver just as much as a running back."
