Once again, the Pittsburgh Steelers were decimated by injury at the inside linebacker position in-game.
Early in the second quarter, veteran linebacker Elandon Roberts went down with a pectoral injury on a tackle, knocking him out of the lineup.
Already perilously thin at the position after losing Kwon Alexander and Cole Holcomb to season-ending injuries earlier in the season, the Steelers had to again adjust on the fly, this time calling on familiar face Myles Jack.
One month ago, Jack was retired. Then he joined the Steelers’ practice squad and worked his way into game shape. He got his opportunity in Week 16 against the Bengals and ran with it, recording six tackles and a sack in the 34-11 win over the Bengals.
That performance off the bench in his first NFL action in almost a year earned Jack some serious praise from teammates and coaches, including cornerback Patrick Peterson.
“Yeah, it’s been great to see Myles step in for us because he’s another one that jumped in, jumped on this moving train,” Peterson told reporters Thursday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, according to video via Steelers Live on Twitter. “The plus for him is that he’s been in the system. He understands the communications, how to line guys up and different checks and things like that. So, Myles definitely has an upper hand on most guys who are jumping on the moving train.
“And he stepped in to play great, got a couple of key quarterback pressures and tackle for loss, if I’m not mistaken. He stepped in and played huge for us and we’re gonna need that these last two weeks as well.”
Jack played 47 snaps against the Bengals while filling in for the injured Roberts. According to defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, Jack had the green dot last Saturday, too. He’s familiar with the scheme, the play calls, the checks, all of that. He just needed to get into football shape.
In those 47 snaps, Jack had his moments. He graded out at a 64.2 overall from Pro Football Focus, including a 47.3 against the run but an impressive 80.1 rushing the passer and a 64.9 in coverage. He had one missed tackle in the win, but added a big sack, forcing a punt late in the game, and nearly had an interception on a tipped pass.
To be fair, it was the most impactful game Jack had as a Steelers to date. Last season he had just three tackles for loss in 15 games. When he was healthy, he was a good football player in the middle of the Steelers’ defense, but Saturday’s performance against the Bengals was a much different Jack — in a good way.
The Steelers will need more of that down the stretch, much like Peterson said.
