Pittsburgh Steelers: Studs and duds vs. Bengals in Week 12
By Samuel Teets
Stud: Cameron Heyward, DT
Criminally underrated. That’s the best way to describe Heyward. He doesn’t have the nationwide following of other interior defensive linemen like Fletcher Cox or Gerald McCoy, but he has been just as good over the past three years. The former first-round pick is a late bloomer, but he’s arrived at his prime just in time to set the tempo for Pittsburgh’s defense.
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Heyward played some snaps on the interior in 2017 when he was a First-Team All-Pro. The move became permanent last season, and it dragged down some of Heyward’s production. He still made the Pro Bowl. Heyward has 20 sacks over the past two seasons. He’s chasing 30.
Heyward has 6.5 sacks this season. One of those came against the Bengals this week, along with four quarterback hits.
Dud: Jaylen Samuels, RB
What exactly is Samuels’ role on the Steelers? The second-year running back has become lost in Pittsburgh’s rotating backfield. With Conner out, Samuels looked like the top option. However, the team elected to go with Snell Jr. instead. The move paid off for Pittsburgh.
Against the Bengals, Samuels posted six rushing yards on two carries and 26 receiving yards on three receptions. In contrast, Snell Jr. racked up 103 yards from scrimmage. Even if Conner comes back next week, will Pittsburgh bench the rookie running backs? If Conner takes over as the starter again, where does Samuels land on the depth chart? I’d argue it’s time to promote Snell Jr. to the second option, behind Conner.