Good Tuesday to you Steelers fans.
It took three games but we finally got our first look at Steelers’ rookie running back Anthony McFarlane. “Antt Macc” as he’s known carried the ball six times for 42 yards and had seven yards on a single reception. Not too bad for a guy who had just ten total snaps. He showed the type of burst and speed the Steelers have sorely needed at the running back position. Moving forward however he’s going to have to show that he can be part of the offense and not always get the ball. Teams will start keying on him a little too much if he can’t block or run proper pass routes. I expect that Randy Fichtner and company will be working on other ways to both get him the ball and make teams think he’s getting the ball. It is after all just his first game so I’m not going to get to carried away with anything. It’s hard not to like the direction he’s heading though.
Day Off
Tuesday remains the players’ day off in Pittsburgh so there’s no practice for the Black and Gold. Mike Tomlin will update us on Derek Watt’s injury and will preview the Titans during his weekly presser at Noon.
Tweet of the Day… From yours truly.
The #Steelers find themselves in first place this morning. It's week four. Relax.
— Steel Dad (@SteelDad) September 29, 2020
Snap Count Comments
While Diontae Johnson’s injury had much to do with it, Chase Claypool had more snaps than any wide receiver did on Sunday. He was on the field for 61 offensive snaps (76%) while JuJu Smith-Schuster 58 (72%) and James Washington 49 (61%) saw less. Was this a sign of comfort with Claypool or just necessity? Minkah Fitzpatrick, Steven Nelson, Terrell Edmunds and Devin Bush were the only defenders to see every snap on defense.
The Chiefs and Everyone Else
The Steelers awake today to find themselves alone in first place. Baltimore dropped a home game last night to Kansas City 34-20 in a game that wasn’t that close. Lamar Jackson rushed for 82 yards on nine carries but he threw for just 97 yards and was sacked four times. Patrick Mahomes meanwhile looked every bit the best QB in the NFL last night throwing or 385 yards and four touchdowns. The Chiefs will make a lot of defenses look bad but the Ravens don’t seem to be as good as they were last year. No one wins the Super Bowl in September however and I suspect both of these teams will be in the hunt in January. Make no mistake though, the Chiefs are head and shoulders above everyone else right now.
In Praise of Conner
No one likes being proven wrong… Except me. I really thought James Conner was done after week one as exited with an ankle injury and a poor showing. Benny Snell rushed for 115 yards and it seemed he was destined for the starting role. Mike Tomlin stuck with Conner however and it has paid off. If he can continue this trend then the Steelers’ offense will grow and be even better. Honestly, should we expect anything less from Conner? He’s battled his entire life.
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Have a great day Steeler Nation!
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