Pittsburgh Steelers: Studs and duds vs. Bengals in Week 12
By Samuel Teets
The Pittsburgh Steelers were stagnant on offense against the Cincinnati Bengals, but Pittsburgh still snuck away with a 16-10 victory.
The Pittsburgh Steelers survived offensive struggles in a 16-10 Week 12 victory against the winless Cincinnati Bengals. The game was to close for comfort though. Who knows whether the Bengals wanted to win the game, but Pittsburgh almost gave it away down the stretch.
It took a quarterback change to energize Pittsburgh’s struggling offense. Even then, the Steelers only scored a touchdown on a deep strike that happened to go their way. At least the Steelers pulled off the win. Pittsburgh advanced to 6-5, getting up over .500 again. They now have the same record as the Indianapolis Colts and Oakland Raiders, both of whom are competing for the final Wild Card spot.
As usual, at this point, this list is dominated by defensive players in the stud category. The dud section features plenty of struggling offensive players. Even though the Bengals scored ten points, Pittsburgh’s defense looks playoff-caliber. It’s the offense that will hold this team back when it matters.
Stud: Benny Snell Jr., RB
The rookie fourth-round pick had a career game on Sunday. With James Conner out and other depth issues plaguing the backfield, Snell stepped up. The Kentucky product carried the ball 21 times for 98 yards against the Bengals. If only the Steelers could get a rushing performance like that every week.
James Washington, another young Steeler, had a big play on Sunday as well. While he only caught three passes, one of his plays went for 79 yards and a touchdown. Hopefully, Snell and Washington can breathe some life into Pittsburgh’s offense in the coming weeks.
Dud: Diontae Johnson, WR
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a wide receiver factory, but the team’s two most-recent selections are questionable. That includes Washington, a 2018 second-round pick, and Johnson, who is a rookie. Against the Bengals, Johnson made three receptions for 29 yards on six targets.
Granted, Johnson has walked into a difficult situation. Having Mason Rudolph or Devlin Hodges at quarterback isn’t conducive for a good rookie season. Still, Johnson has to do more for this offense. Especially with JuJu Smith-Schuster out, Pittsburgh needs massive help on offense.
Johnson showed flashes of potential in Weeks 4 and 8, but he needs to perform more consistently. Things will be better next year, but the Steelers still have playoff aspirations this season. They need all hands on deck.