Good Wednesday to you Steelers fans.
As of right now, the Pittsburgh Steelers are moving ahead towards Sunday’s game at the Los Angeles Chargers as if Mason Rudolph will start at quarterback. They know they will be without Minkah Fitzpatrick because of Covid-19 as well. Less known are the statuses of T.J. Watt, Joe Haden and a few more. Not to be outdone however are the Chargers. Late yesterday it was announced that edge rusher Joey Bosa and defensive tackle Jerry Tillery would both be out due to Covid. Like a famous Civil War battle, this game is shaping up to be on of attrition. Take a look at the latest NFL odds spread and you’ll see just how much movement this line has had in the last few days. If you aren’t familiar with the term, ‘attrition’ means that you wear down your opponent by having more numbers than they do. In other words, if you have better depth then you can withstand the losses. At this particular point, the Chargers have an advantage because they don’t have as many guys likely to be out. But this isn’t an actual battle in terms of warfare. It’s a game that can be dominated by just a few players and make all the difference.
Injury Updates
Mike Tomlin revealed yesterday that surprisingly, all of the following players “have a chance” to play this upcoming week. Joe Haden, T.J. Watt, Chase Claypool and Trai Turner (among others) could play on Sunday night in LA. Based on where we were on Sunday I would say this is significantly hopeful news.
Tweet of the Day… It’s been awhile since I featured one of Dave’s photos from around the city. Just beautiful.
One of the cool things about the lights on Allegheny Landing is that the warm glow helps to accentuate the fall colors, like in this view from today. With the trees framing #Pittsburgh and the Highmark Building lit up purple for World Prematurity Day, it made for a great view. pic.twitter.com/TOay8GgOsL
— Dave DiCello (@DaveDiCello) November 17, 2021
Bell
It is now time to talk seriously about the football future of Le’Veon Bell. The Baltimore Ravens, a running back-desperate team, cut him yesterday. This continues a run of short stays with teams. The honest truth is that he isn’t the same player he was before he left Pittsburgh. That doesn’t take away that he was a great player when he was here but it does mean the Steelers should have no interest in bringing him back. Is he a step up over Kalen Ballage and Benny Snell? He very well could be. But is it worth the baggage that is likely to come with him?
Get Ready…
After the dismal performance Sunday and the brutal stretch of games to finish the season I think the attention for some in Steeler Nation has already turned to quarterbacks in 2022. This isn’t a bad thing because you have to consider all options right now and that could even include Ben Roethlisberger if he finishes this season positively. Mason Rudolph, while not the reason the Steelers lost Sunday, is not the future. I’ll give you one reason why. Look at rookie Mac Jones in New England. He already does something that Rudolph has yet to do, he throws his receivers open. In college, you can throw it TO a receiver. In the NFL you have to throw that receiver to a spot so as to create space from the defender. Rudolph still struggles with this among some other fundamental issues. With those things in mind, there will be much QB speculation for months to come in Pittsburgh.
Pro Bowl
Voting for the 2022 NFL Pro Bowl is now underway. You can vote for all of your favorite Steelers by clicking this link right here. I’m of the opinion that Chris Boswell, Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt should 100% be on their way to this game.
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