Pittsburgh Steelers: Studs and duds vs. Ravens in Week 5
By Samuel Teets
Despite injuries to two quarterbacks, the Pittsburgh Steelers took the Baltimore Ravens to overtime before losing 26-23.
If the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, the team would have re-entered contention in the AFC North. The Steelers came close, but Baltimore prevailed in overtime thanks to a fumble by JuJu Smith-Schuster.
The game will ultimately be remembered for the hit Mason Rudolph took that knocked the second-year quarterback out of the game. Rudolph took a hit in the third quarter and his head banged against the turf. The young quarterback was unconscious for a while and he had to be helped off of the field once he woke up. The medical cart broke down on the field, so Rudolph’s teammates took him to the locker room.
Pittsburgh is already without future Hall of Fame quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. Without Rudolph, the team turned to undrafted rookie, Devlin Hodges. Hodges was on the team’s practice squad before the Steelers traded Joshua Dobbs to the Jacksonville Jaguars, a move they might now regret.
Despite the disappointing outcome, some Steelers had good games on Sunday. At the same time, there were several who only contributed to the eventual loss.
Stud: Devin Bush, LB
It hasn’t been a smooth trial by fire per se for Bush, but his play has gotten better every week. At the very least, Bush is always around the ball. Even if he gives up plays now and then, he’s showing why the Steelers traded up to take him in the 2019 NFL Draft.
The rookie linebacker recorded the second-most combined tackles in the game with eight. He also knocked a pass away and intercepted another. There’s still a lot of room for Bush to improve, especially in coverage, but he’s on the right path five weeks into the season.
Dud: Diontae Johnson, WR
At some point, one of Pittsburgh’s wide receivers needs to step up as a clear second option behind Smith-Schuster. James Washington played well against the Ravens, catching three balls for 52 yards. Ideally, a true second receiver would produce more.
Johnson made five receptions but gained only 27 yards. With his speed, Johnson should be able to carve out more than 5.4 yards per catch. With Rudolph out, it will be even more difficult for Johnson to find a rhythm in Pittsburgh’s offense.