Pittsburgh Steelers: Studs and duds vs. Bengals in Week 12

Stud: T.J. Watt, OLB

The third-year pass rusher is pushing to become the second All-Pro Watt the NFL has seen in recent years. Entering the week, Watt, who has 20 sacks over the past two seasons, was third in sacks this season. He added another sack on Sunday.

While Watt isn’t as involved in the run game as Heyward, he’s a more dominant pass-rushing force. Think of James Harrison minus the iconic shaded visor. Maybe that’s not a great comparison, but Watt is still the best edge rusher Pittsburgh has seen since No. 92 terrorized opposing quarterbacks.

This season, Bud Dupree has helped Watt and Heyward in the pass rush. Dupree was an average pass rusher in past seasons, but he’s threatening to break double digits this year. A late-game sack on Sunday took Dupree to seven on the year.

Dud: Mason Rudolph, QB

In two pass attempts, Hodges racked up more passing yards than Rudolph did in the entire first half. That sums up Rudolph’s entire season in one sentence. He’s unremarkable and completely replaceable in an offense that fans are learning to expect very little from.

Did Mike Tomlin make the right move by benching the second-year quarterback? Absolutely. His confidence may be shot now, but the Steelers were trying to compete for a playoff spot. A young player’s feelings come secondary, especially when that player is holding your team back.

There are some Rudolph apologists among the Steel City faithful, but he has been a hindrance in the last two games. Maybe he had a positive game in Week 4 when Pittsburgh faced Cincinnati for the first time, but he’s been below average ever since.

It might seem like my expectations for Rudolph are too high. However, it’s fair to wish for a quarterback better than Mitchell Trubisky. Rudolph falls into the same category as Chicago’s struggling starter. He misses open targets and relies on skill players for yards after the catch. Maybe Hodges will give the offense some identity moving forward.