If anyone thinks the Pittsburgh Steelers can breath easier this week because of the Baltimore Ravens resting multiple starters, you need to stop thinking like that right now. The Pittsburgh Steelers need this win to have a decent shot at the playoffs and despite the fact the Ravens are locked in as the No. 1 seed in the AFC, they would still love to end the Steelers season.
The Steelers are beat up all over the field and these four guys need to step up and play their best this week when the team needs them the most. And there’s no coincidence these guys all play offense.
QB Devlin Hodges
This one might be obvious but the reality is with Mason Rudolph on IR there is zero hope if Hodges doesn’t play better. He must take fewer shots downfield and make better use of the skill talent on the roster. We still want to see Hodges do more tot take what the defense gives him even if it means using his feet to get extra years and move the chains.
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
If there was ever a time for a comeback story for Smith-Schuster, this is it. When the Ravens and Steelers last played, Smith-Schuster had a costly fumble and last week he had a key drop. Smith-Schuster took that hard and should be focused on making some big plays this week.
TE Vance McDonald
Forgive me if I still carry a torch for the tight end position even if the Steelers do not. The fact offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner cannot recognize how much McDonald could help Hodges is puzzling to me. But I’ll continue to keep the faith that this week we finally see a big game from McDonald when they need him most.
RB Jaylen Samuels
There was a time very early in the season when a case could be made that Samuels was a better option than James Conner. But despite Conner’s inability to stay healthy, Samuels has done nothing to seize the opportunity. If there was ever a time to convince everyone the Steelers don’t need to draft another running back in 2020, this week is it when he should get plenty of touches.
