5 Steelers to Watch: Pittsburgh opens at New England
In this edition of “5 Steelers to Watch” Joe Kuzma selects those players every fan should keep an eye on as Pittsburgh hits the road to take on the New England Patriots.
JuJu Smith-Schuster
The moment Antonio Brown was jettisoned from the Steelers roster the spotlight shined on Smith-Schuster: maybe even before that.
However, his star is shining brighter than ever with the potential to burst into a supernova. This opening weekend matchup will do just that, as I anticipate JuJu to have a big game, no matter what the Patriots try to do to limit his involvement.
Ben Roethlisberger
Big Ben is 0-5 in his career against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in games played at Gillette Stadium.
Furthermore, his only win in Foxboro came way back in 2008: when Brady was injured and backup QB Matt Cassel stepped in as New England’s starting quarterback.
That’s more than enough motivation for Roethlisberger, who is certainly looking to silence any critics who feel he was the reason for turmoil during last season’s playoff miss.
Kameron Kelly
With an injury to Sean Davis jeopardizing his availability for this weekend, the AAF turned preseason phenom may jump into the Steelers starting free safety role.
That’s a heck of a lot to ask for someone matching up against Tom Brady in their first start, and certainly a matchup everyone’s eyes will be focused on.
James Conner
Conner was smoking hot right before he got injured and missed several games near the end of the 2018 season, including the big showdown with the Patriots.
In his place, backup RB Jaylen Samuels had a career day, racking up 142 rushing yards and another 30 receiving.
Will Conner match or exceed those totals? To be continued…
Devin Bush
Despite not being named a “starter” only a fool would think Bush won’t be involved in the Steelers game plan to slowdown Brady and company.
However, he is still a rookie and as such, will there be growing pains as the veteran quarterback finds ways to exploit his inexperience?
Or will Bush rise to the occasion, putting everyone on notice that the Steelers defense will be a force to be reckoned with in 2019?
