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Le’Veon Bell the key for Steelers against Bengals

By Kevin Parvizi

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The Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, and Cleveland Browns remain one game behind the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North, and a maximum of two of these teams will make it into the playoffs. The Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, and Miami Dolphins are all prime competition and, realistically, only two teams in the AFC North will make it in.It’s a cutthroat battle, and the Steelers will have to face the Bengals twice in the final four games of the regular season. Their first matchup is this Sunday, and the Steelers will have to close out the season with an even more important battle against the Bengals. Since the Bengals are only one game ahead of the rest of the pack, their spot in the playoffs isn’t exactly punched in.

Steelers second-year running back Le’Veon Bell looked like a legit feature back in his rookie season, and most people weren’t surprised by this. He showed off a well-rounded game, as he has enough power to mix it up between the tackles, and he has more than enough speed to burn defenses off the edge. Throw in some excellent pass-catching ability, and you have a true three-down back. Bell was supposed to form a great tandem with LeGarrette Blount, but that tandem turned into a solo effort, culminating in Blount’s release from the team on the heels of some locker room issues.

Blount hasn’t played for the Steelers since Week 10, and Bell has exploded after averaging just 2.0 and 3.3 yards per carry, respectively in Weeks 10 and 11. He put up a monstrous 200-yard effort against the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football in Week 12, and he followed that up after the bye with 159 receiving yards on eight receptions and 21 carries for 95 yards and a TD.

It’s been a year to remember thus far for Bell, who is churning out 4.8 yards per pop, as he’s clearly benefiting from better blocking up front after averaging just 3.5 yards per carry last year. Those who were willing to look past the underwhelming YPC saw that Bell was an excellent rookie, and he’s blossomed into one of the NFL’s bona-fide feature backs. He’s putting up 87.2 rushing yards per game with over 50 receiving yards per game, and his offensive output makes him a vital part of the skill position trio that includes the QB-WR combo of Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown.

On Sunday, Bell could be the Steeler who has the biggest day, because the Bengals haven’t been as good at stopping the run as they are at stopping the pass with 4.2 yards per carry allowed. That is a league-average total allowed, but Bell has shown that he can make average run defenses look subpar. Per the Pro Football Focus, only Marshawn Lynch and DeMarco Murray are forcing more missed tackles this season, and Bell is forcing more missed tackles in the passing game than any other running back.

Bell’s impact as a rusher should be in line with his usual performances this season, and I think he will explode as a receiver against a Bengals linebackers corps that has disappointed in coverage. Furthermore, the Bengals have been one of the worst teams in the NFL against running backs in coverage, whereas they excel at covering wide receivers. With nine games with at least five receptions, Le’Veon Bell can certainly make things happen in the passing game, and he had over 150 receiving yards last week against the New Orleans Saints, who are the league’s worst team at covering RBs, to prove that point.

If the Bengals don’t watch out, then they could be in for a long day, and it just seems like Bell is hitting his stride even harder with Blount out of the way and back on the New England Patriots. Bell’s ability to take advantage of some of the mis-matches in front of him could be critical in leading the Steelers to a victory, and there’s no downplaying the importance of this game for Mike Tomlin’s squad.

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