Week 3’s Pittsburgh Steelers Z-Factor
Another week, another Steelers win on the horizon, we hope. Pittsburgh has advanced to 2-0 after last Sunday’s meeting with the Minnesota Vikings, and travel this week to a different NFC North opponent, the Chicago Bears. I won’t sugarcoat this, the Bears look abysmal right now. There is little to no reason why a powerhouse team like the Steelers should not win this game. This is a game where you expect to see the better team perform better, and make a statement.
But as a fan of this team for as long as I can remember now, I know that these games continuously give the Steelers problems. There is just something about “playing down to the level of their opponent” that comes with these Steelers teams over the past few seasons. Hopefully, Coach Tomlin and the rest of the staff have worked diligently to resolve such a silly issue for this season. We should all have a great idea as to whether or not the Steelers have overcome their demons versus bad teams this weekend in Chicago.
All of Pittsburgh’s roster will be asked to bring their A-game, but I believe there is one player, in particular, who can sway things in Pittsburgh’s favor. This week’s Z-factor is none other than cornerback Mike Hilton.
I thought about this week’s Z-factor for a while, and the choice of Hilton came down to the fact that the Bears will be attempting a lot of short, quick passes. New Bears quarterback, Mike Glennon, has had a rough go of things to start the 2017 campaign. Most Chicago fans (even other teams’ fans) are calling for Glennon to get the hook already, largely because rookie Mitchell Trubisky is waiting in the wings.
That and Glennon is not very good.
Unfortunately, despite Glennon’s lack of overall talent, he handed the Steelers a big fat L (for loss) at Heinz Field when he was still with Tampa Bay. So anything can happen.
Mike Glennon is at his best when he gets the ball out of his hand quickly. Slant routes, screens, speed outs, hitches, curls, and comebacks could all fall under this category. Add in the fact that the Steelers front seven has looked great this season, and the Bears offensive line is already banged up, I imagine the Bears won’t be taking many five-step drops with Glennon. The short passing game may be Mike Glennon’s plan of attack, but it’s also where Mike Hilton can make his money.
Hilton has all but entirely taken over the starting nickel corner duties for the veteran, William Gay. The new fan favorite won the hearts of Steelers Nation, and the coaches’ trust, and locked himself onto Pittsburgh’s final 53 man roster as a former undrafted free agent. Hilton made splash plays throughout the whole preseason and was arguably the Steelers most effective defensive player during those games.
It was last Sunday though, that Mike Hilton got to make his mark during real time. The defensive back led the team in tackles and was very good in coverage. If Mike Glennon and the Bears offense want to attack Pittsburgh through the short game, they’re going to have to get around Hilton. This game should provide ample opportunity for Mike Hilton to try his hand at jumping some routes.
So far the young corner has tallied 11 tackles in two games and has shown he can blitz in an impressive fashion.
I’m calling it now, Mike Hilton records his first interception this week, and helps propel Pittsburgh to 3-0.
