Steelers Finish It!

Not only did Duck Hodges not kill us, but he proved to be more than a game manager once the Steelers let up on the brakes to let him hunt downfield.  Duck was 14 for 21, gaining  212 yards with 1TD and 1 INT.  He found James Washington on passes of 44, 31, with a 30 yarder for a TD.

The Steelers defense was, once again, omnipotent, scoring 5 sacks, a strip sack fumble recovery and a game-sealing INT by Joe Haden.  The tandem of TJ Watt and Bud Dupree produced 2.5 sacks, while the indomitable interior defensive line led by Cam Heyward and supplemented by Javone Hargrave added 1.5 sacks.  Keith Butler & Company figured out Baker Mayfield, confining him between the tackles and subjecting him to a physical interrogation that suppressed his productivity.

Bennie Snell continued his pilgrimage to NFL productivity with 63 yards, followed by Jaylen Samuels’ 32 yards for a 4.6 yard/carry average.  

Randy Fichtner continued with his monotonous march to predictability, but perhaps...just perhaps,initiated enough chicanery to mask this team’s lack of playmakers.

 

Speaking of James Washington, he continues his march to enter the pantheon of Steeler glory, pulling in 4 of 4 targets for 11 yards and a TD. Note the battled receptions and ball-tracking execution of this precocious sophomore.

We cannot ignore the productivity of the kicking game with Jordan Berry’s continued field-flipping. We’ll just mention that Chris Boswell is still alive and well.