5 Steelers to Watch: Can the Steelers make it three in a row against Indy?
In this edition of “5 Steelers to Watch” Joe Kuzma selects those players every fan should keep an eye on as Pittsburgh hosts the Indianapolis Colts.
Jaylen Samuels
Returning from a knee injury, Samuels was believed to be in full health for Monday’s game against the Dolphins but was held back for one week – which may have been a wise decision since James Conner’s status for Sunday is up in the air as we speak.
Whether Conner can go or not is irrelevant, as Samuels is a full participant in practice and will be utilized with, or in the absence of, the Steelers starter. (Let’s just hope we don’t see any more Wildcat plays!)
JuJu Smith-Schuster
Monday marked JuJu’s first 100-yard game of the season.
Let’s see if he can stack big performances as the Steelers finally shift him around the offense to create mismatches.
B.J. Finney
With Ramon Foster in concussion protocol it will be another “next man up” situation, but at least one the team is familiar with.
Finney has often filled in for Foster throughout his Steelers tenure, so there shouldn’t be a major drop off going from the veteran to the “veteran backup”. However, Pittsburgh’s offensive line started slow on Monday, and change is never always a guaranteed thing even with players who have been with the team for a long time.
Let’s see if Finney can make us forget he’s even playing by quietly filling in for Foster.
Chris Boswell
Anyone else notice that Mike Tomlin has zero hesitation in sending Boswell out to attempt a 54-yard field goal, into the open end of Heinz Field, Monday night?
Confidence has been restored in Boswell’s leg, and despite missing that long attempt (where nearly everyone else has, as the stadium record of 56 has only been made twice since its opening) we could be seeing a lot more of Boz in the future rather than Pittsburgh opting to punt because of a shaky kicking situation.
Mason Rudolph
Mason looked rusty to start on Monday, but settled in during the second half and starting to send passes all over the field; particularly downfield too.
Watch for another big play or two as Rudolph returns to form and gets more comfortable as each game goes on: the Steelers are going to need it in order to keep a formidable Colts pass rush off of their passer and from preventing their running game from getting off of the ground.
