Little-used players add a big-time contribution
Benny Snell Jr. has played in every game this season, though solely as a special teams member who averaged 18.5 snaps per game. The last time he carried the football in a meaningful game was the 2021 season finale against the Baltimore Ravens.
Anthony McFarland hadn’t played in any game in exactly a year since he had two carries for 2 yards in a lopsided loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 28, 2021. He has spent the entire season on the practice squad.
James Pierre has been a parttime player in the Steelers defense this year, mostly because of injuries. But he hadn’t taken a defensive snap in six of the previous 10 games, including each of the past two.
All that changed for each player Monday night in Indianapolis, and it changed in a big and contributing way. Each was largely responsible for the Steelers beating the Colts 24-17, something coach Mike Tomlin said he realized even more after watching the film early Tuesday morning.
“They were guys that had elevated roles and really delivered for us in a really positive way,” Tomlin said at his weekly news conference, little more than 12 hours after the Steelers ran their record to 4- 7 with the victory against the Colts.
Snell got his chance when Najee Harris left the game in the second quarter with an abdominal injury, and he responded with a team-high 62 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown. It was the most yards he has had in a game since he had 84 against the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 21, 2020.
McFarland was activated to the 53-man roster before the game because backup running back Jaylen Warren was out with a hamstring injury. It had been a year since McFarland even touched a football in a game. All he did was rush for 30 yards on six carries and catch two passes for 11 yards, the most combined yards he’s had since the first game he played with the Steelers on Sept, 27, 2020.
It was a big reason why the Steelers rushed for 172 yards, their second-largest total of the season and third time in the past four games they have run for more than 140 yards — something they did only three times all of last season.
“That has to happen at this point of the journey,” Tomlin said. “People get an opportunity to put their hands in the pile and be reasons why we’re successful.”
Pierre played 110 defensive snaps in a four-game stretch that began in Buffalo and ended in Philadelphia,
but he did not appear in games against the New Orleans Saints and Cincinnati Bengals other than on special teams.
But because the Steelers wanted to use cornerback Cam Sutton in the slot more against the Colts, Pierre played 30 snaps Monday night — 12 more than nickelback Arthur Maulet. He made an instant contribution with a diving interception at the Colts’ 38 in the first quarter.
Tomlin also pointed out the contribution of kicker Matthew Wright, who has made five consecutive field goals as a replacement for the injured Chris Boswell after missing two in his first game against the Saints. Wright connected on attempts of 45, 52 and 25 yards against the Colts.
“I think we always acknowledge that roles never stay the same,” Tomlin said. “They’re ever- changing. Sometimes it’s positive, sometimes it’s negative. This is football at its highest level. I think all guys know and understand that. That’s why they walk in the building with the spirit that they do every day.
“You’ve got to earn it daily, and those guys continue to walk in with that spirit, regardless of what the division of labor might be because they need to be ready for their next opportunity.”
Playing it safe
Kenny Pickett said he wanted to do a better job protecting the football after throwing seven interceptions in his first five games, including costly ones against the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins. And he has done just that. Pickett has not thrown an interception in each of the past three games and just one in his past 138 attempts. Surprisingly, he has thrown just one touchdown in that stretch.
Pickett was especially sharp against the Colts, completing 20-of-28 passes that included four drops — two by Diontae Johnson. And, after a sluggish third quarter in which the Steelers ran just eight plays for 18 yards, Pickett came back to orchestrate his first fourth-quarter, game-winning drive.
He completed 5-of-7 passes for 35 yards, including two third- down conversions with passes to rookie George Pickens and tight end Pat Freiermuth. The two incompletions were drops by Johnson and Pickens.
“There are a lot of positives to take from it,” Pickett said. “It’s really hard to win in this league. Right now we’re a four-win team. We have to own that and chip away and get back to winning, and this definitely was a start. So, there are things we got to build from off this game and take a lot of positive from it.”