Pittsburgh Steelers: Studs and duds vs. Chargers in Week 6

Stud: James Conner, RB

The Pro Bowl running back had the hot hand in the first half of Sunday night’s game. While he didn’t reach the 100-yard mark on the ground as I predicted, he recorded 119 yards from scrimmage and both of Pittsburgh’s offensive touchdowns.

Conner’s best run of the night came in the first quarter on a 12-yard touchdown run that extended Pittsburgh’s lead to two scores. While he was the Steelers’ best offensive player, he still only averaged 2.6 yards per carry on his 16 attempts. Of course, part of that can be contributed to Pittsburgh’s inability to throw the ball deep. Opponents can simply stack the box against the run.

While Conner’s 41 rushing yards weren’t very impressive, he caught seven passes for 78 yards and his second score of the game. This is the third week in 2019 where Conner has recorded more receiving than rushing yards.

Dud: All wide receivers

I suppose that the wide receivers can hardly be blamed here. Pittsburgh was starting an undrafted, former practice squad quarterback from Samford after all. It was a given that the Steelers would play it conservative on offense and not allow Hodges to mess up the game plan.

However, Pittsburgh’s wide receivers only caught five passes during the game. At the very least, they should have gotten to eight or ten catches. Hodges could take some blame here, but he is an undrafted rookie who was on the practice squad until a few weeks ago. Pointing the finger at him seems like missing the point. It would be like yelling at a little kid who didn’t know any better.

Whether it’s with Hodges or Mason Rudolph, the Steelers need to find a way to get JuJu Smith-Schuster and the other receivers more involved in the offense. It would go a long way if one of the team’s other receivers stood up and took over the No. 2 role next to Smith-Schuster. So far, no one has been up to the challenge.