Former undrafted wide receiver Eli Rogers has been the most consistent bright spot on the Pittsburgh Steelers who isn’t named Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell or Antonio Brown. To possibly win the AFC and make it to the Super Bowl, the Steelers will need big plays from other skill players such as Rogers.
In the Steelers’ last three games, Rogers has posted more than adequate numbers, averaging 5 catches and over 70 yards per game. The most important part is that he has been consistent. With Sammie Coates not being a factor the last two thirds of the year and Darrius Heyward-Bey being injured, someone had to step up and Rogers has of late.
Rogers’ biggest catch of the season came against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15. The Louisville product took a page out of Brown’s book and ran a perfect route to catch the go-ahead touchdown late in the 4th quarter.
Once again, Rogers came up big in the AFC North clinching game, laying out for a huge catch that helped keep the Steelers game-winning drive alive.
With plays like these, Rogers can help keep the Steelers winning streak and Super Bowl hopes alive. If he can continue imitate Brown’s routes, Rogers can become extremely reliable pass-catching threat for Roethlisberger as the team navigates the road to Houston.
As crazy as it may sound, teams might be able to cover Brown more and more throughout the playoffs. If he isn’t open and Rogers has one-on-one coverage, he will need to step up like he has in the past few weeks.
Heading into the playoffs, the Steelers couldn’t be on a hotter streak as they have won their last seven games to close out the regular season. While also having the Dallas Cowboys and pushing the New England Patriots in a close game with Landry Jones at quarterback, it is puzzling how one could not see Pittsburgh as a threat to win it all this season and especially if Rogers continues producing like he has.
