5 Steelers to watch as Pittsburgh goes head-to-head with the New York Jets
Remember MySpace and the “Top 8” friends? This is kind of the same thing! Each week an SCU contributor chooses five specific Pittsburgh Steelers every fan should keep their eye on in the upcoming game. Yes, the choices are just as difficult as choosing those friends on MySpace too! (Except we aren’t forced to keep Tom as one of them!)
Devlin Hodges
With much ado over the loss to the Buffalo Bills and the four-interception performance the rookie quarterback had following Week 15’s game, head coach Mike Tomlin made no qualms about the fact that he was sticking with Hodges as the starter in the game with the New York Jets. “I look forward to giving him an opportunity to rebound. I think it’s reasonable to expect growth from young players as they get exposure,” Tomlin said this week of Hodges. “Mason (Rudolph) had a tough game on the road against Cleveland, and we gave him an opportunity to respond and rebound from that performance… So we’ll proceed with Duck. We’ll give him an opportunity to respond, and there needs to be growth and development from that.”
“For 24 hours, it was definitely kind of a tough pill to swallow but it’s over with, now I’ve gotta let it go. Now I’m just focused on this week…” Hodges responded when asked about last week’s performance. “Coach Tomlin told us, ‘Hey, we’re not going to blink’… I’m looking forward to coming out there and showing that we’ve gotten better [as a team] and that we’re going to have more fun and play football and, hopefully, get a win.”
Hodges has faced adversity before – in college – and last week was a big primetime stage. Keep an eye on the young signal-caller in Week 16 as he is primed for a rebound as he rallies his teammates on offense around him.
“He was ready to go… He was happy to be there,” receiver James Washington said of Hodges. “As long as he’s feeling good and confident, we are, too.”
James Conner and the run game
There were plenty of questions about why the Steelers seemed to give up on the run game against the Bills, to their detriment. This week Tomlin clarified some of the reasoning by saying that due to the way injuries affected preparation in practice ahead of the Bills game (Conner still ‘iffy’ after a shoulder injury, Jaylen Samuels dealing with a groin injury) most of the practice snaps were given to Benny Snell, Kerrith Whyte, and Trey Edmunds. With a mixed distribution of snaps as preparation was underway, it led to a less-than-clear picture of who should be utilized in-game.
“We have to divide the labor up among the running backs a little more decisively,” Tomlin said. “I think we had some issues from a blitz pickup standpoint… I think with a more stable division of labor… at running back that we can anticipate, will allow us to be stout in that area.”
To clarify what he feels should be seen, Tomlin added, “I’m talking about having a defined division of labor so the things they are doing in the stadium are reflected in practice prep.” That works vice versa as well. “It’s important we give the guys the work during the week [in practice] they are going to get in the game.”
All five of the Steelers running backs were missing from this week’s injury report. If they have the option to utilize a full corps, Pittsburgh has an opportunity to get the rushing game into high gear despite the Jets defense being relatively stout against the run. This is one group on offense that everyone should keep an eye on as rushing the ball should open up the passing game more effectively and help in the offensive backfield should give Hodges more time to work through his progressions to find open targets.
Justin Layne
With Joe Haden dealing with a non-specified foot injury and having not practiced as of yet this week (although he carries no game-day designation currently) and Artie Burns being ill (like many players on the roster this week), Week 16 may see cornerback Justin Layne getting more time on the field. The rookie cornerback has played limited snaps in eight games this season which accounts for his low stats. With the Steelers, it’s always “next man up”, and this may be the week that the Steelers ask another young player to show what he’s learned from the experiences he’s been exposed to throughout the season and apply that in an important game.
The Steelers run defense
While it is clear that Cameron Heyward‘s veteran experience is a positive influence on the Steelers defense as a whole, his play has certainly helped bolster the defensive front in limiting the run game of opposing offenses. This week, Heyward, the defensive line, Devin Bush, and Mark Barron will be asked to contain Le’Veon Bell. He’s a player that Heyward is well-acquainted with and the Jets offensive line has not been providing Bell with well-developed running lanes to the inside. If the Jets decide to have Bell go wide on screens or runs off-tackle, Bush and Barron will be key in sideline-to-sideline coverage while T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree apply pressure on Sam Darnold.
Randy Fichtner and the offensive coaching staff
Fichtner has taken heat all season for calls that made Steelers fans scratch their heads or want to take up drinking. One thing that needs to be put on the back page of the playbook is running the ‘wildcat’ in the worst possible situations and then not running it correctly due to poor communication with the players executing it on the field.
Outside of the playcalling, Fichtner and the offensive coaching staff will be under the microscope to see how they adjust after playing a playoff-caliber Buffalo Bills team to managing the clock and getting the Steelers offense moving in the right direction this week against the Jets. Hopefully, the wrinkles have been ironed out in this week’s practice and with a possible return of JuJu Smith-Schuster to the lineup, Fichtner and company will have a gameplan that plays to Hodges’ strengths and capitalizes on all opportunities to put points on the scoreboard.
