5 Steelers to watch as Pittsburgh and Baltimore go head-to-head in final regular season showdown
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!)
B.J. Finney
With Steelers Pro Bowl Center Maurkice Pouncey a ‘DNP’ through practice this week (Friday practice had not taken place at the time of this article), it may be Finney who snaps the ball this weekend against the Baltimore Ravens. Finney stepped in for Pouncey in Week 16 after the former had to be helped to the sideline due to a knee injury and then carted into the locker room. Finney has shown toughness throughout the season playing in a sub situation and having time to spend snaps in practice with the first-team offense should prove valuable on the field. The offensive line could use a little boost and if Pouncey is unable to dress, Finney may be the anchor to hold the Steelers’ offensive front together.
Benny Snell, Jr.
Another question mark to dress or play against the Ravens in running back James Conner. Conner, who had been dealing with a shoulder issue, injured a quad during the game against the Jets. This opens the door for Snell and Kerrith Whyte to establish the ground game for the Steelers and take some of the pressure off of Devlin Hodges – or even Paxton Lynch should Hodges struggle in this game. Snell has shown an ability to step up in the “next man up” scenario this season and by sharing the load with Whyte and possibly Jaylen Samuels, the run game might be a critical factor in securing a win in the final regular-season game for Pittsburgh.
The ‘Raw Talent Crew’
No one has given the Steelers’ young receivers corps a moniker yet, but ‘raw talent crew’ seems to be one that fits. While JuJu Smith-Schuster has been in and out of the rotation due to injury, James Washington and Diontae Johnson have emerged as valuable targets no matter who has been in at quarterback. In Week 17’s game, the Steelers may need to count even more on that youthful, raw talent to help them score more points on offense in order to keep the Ravens from dominating the game. Their ability to hold on to critical catches and gain extra yards after the initial reception will definitely be something that everyone will be hoping has improved. There is no doubt that the trio is talented but this weekend will be a prove-it situation.
Bud Dupree
All eyes will already be on T.J. Watt as the potential 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year dials up plenty of pressure for Robert Griffin III. That leaves the door wide open for Dupree. The duo has been the perfect pair of bookends at outside linebacker this season for the Steelers. What Watt can’t produce, Dupree often has made up for on the opposite end of the defensive line. Dupree is in a contract year and he’s been playing like a man possessed (and obsessed to get a new contract in 2020).
Mike Tomlin
He may not be a player but as head coach, Tomlin should be dialed in for this final regular-season game. How much leeway he gives Randy Fichtner in calling the offense and Keith Butler in calling the defense will likely come into play as Tomlin would love to not only win on Sunday but keep the Steelers from falling to 8-8 this season and losing an opportunity to enter the playoffs. Tomlin has been under fire off and on all season but he has done at least one thing that has been spectacular: working with the personnel available and asking them to not only overcome adversity but be better for it. Key adjustments will come into factor in this Week 17 game and Tomlin will either come away as a dud or smelling like roses depending on the outcome and whether Pittsburgh punches their way into the post-season after what has been a real trial by fire in 2019.
