Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Thursday!
Brand new Pittsburgh Steelers Preston Smith and Mike Williams made their public debuts on Wednesday. Smith wearing 91 and Williams wearing 18. Both have significant opportunities to play this weekend in Washington. Also getting back on the field were Nick Herbig (limited), Tyler Matakevich, Zach Frazier and Cordarrelle Patterson. If those guys, along with the newly added guys mentioned previously can play on Sunday then the Steelers will be about as healthy as they’ve been in quite some time. Will that lead to positive results? We shall see.
The Podcast
Episode 394 of the SCB Steelers Podcast presented by DEK Roofing Inc airs LIVE tonight at 10pmET. We’ll share our thoughts on the two deadline day trades, plus we’ll look ahead to the last half of the season. Those items and much more!
Williams’ Impact
I think we’ll see a healthy dose of Mike Williams on Sunday but it won’t be one of those “he isn’t coming off the field” scenarios. Many have suggested that he still isn’t fully recovered from his ACL tear suffered in week three of last season. That’s fair; every player has a different timeline for these things. When he is on the field, I’ll be curious to see two things. First, will his route tree be rather limited? I’m guessing we will see a go route or two and perhaps some slants as well but I’m not expecting a ton this week. The other thing I’m looking for is how his presence affects George Pickens. Washington has been really good against the pass this year and I’m sure they don’t want Pickens to beat them.
Smith’s Impact
You can’t replace the veteran experience that Preston Smith brings with him. He’s literally seen it all now in his 10th NFL season. I suspect we’ll see him in some rotational situations especially if Nick Herbig still isn’t 100%. Either way, I feel that Teryl Austin and Mike Tomlin will have full faith in Smith both in pass rushing and in setting the edge against the run.
Random Reads
Obviously at 7-2 the Commanders are playing well. Their one Achilles’ heel seems to be stopping the run. They are currently ranked 30th in that department so therefore, I expect a large dose of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Hopefully some early success will lead to some play-action opportunities for Russell Wilson… Bengals at Ravens tonight. Cincinnati is literally playing to stay alive for a postseason berth. Baltimore bounced back from their loss at Cleveland by hammering the Broncos. I expect this one to go into the fourth quarter and wouldn’t be shocked to see the Bengals win. I think both defenses have flaws… I’m not totally surprised that Pat Freiermuth isn’t having the season many thought he would. 26 receptions through eight games is OK but there was speculation he was in line for a big year. Maybe that’s still coming… I don’t see anyone in the NFC stopping Detroit and that’s the scary part. Every time there’s a team this dominant there always seems to be a team that no one sees coming that knocks them out of the postseason.
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