The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 34-11 blowout win Saturday over the Cincinnati Bengals was defined by some stars. QB Mason Rudolph’s fantastic game, a long-time coming. WR George Pickens going off for a historic game, T.J. Watt continuing to do his thing.
But there were a handful of Steelers who came through in the clutch to secure victory. Some of their contributions will be recognizable, I know, but they should be acknowledged either from how unlikely there were expected or because they were truly underrated and transcended the box score.
S Eric Rowe
An interception in your first career game as a Steeler is a pretty solid way to start things. Rowe hadn’t played in a game since last year’s finale and his pick was his first since the 2020 season. With Pittsburgh down to their literal fifth and sixth-string safeties (Minkah Fitzpatrick, Keanu Neal, Damontae Kazee, and Trenton Thompson all unavailable), Rowe was elevated from the practice squad and started.
He played a quality game, sinking and jumping a Jake Browning throw, setting up Pittsburgh in great field position that led to Najee Harris’ touchdown and a 21-0 lead. As the broadcast pointed out, Rowe’s impact went beyond the box score. He blew up WR Trenton Irwin on this third down Joe Mixon run that set up a failed fourth down throw.
Rowe finished the day with seven tackles, second on the team. From a guy who has only been in the building for a month, he came up large when Pittsburgh didn’t have anywhere else to turn.
LB Myles Jack
Elevated for the first time since unretiring, Jack didn’t seem poised to have much of a defensive role last night. But LB Elandon Roberts went down with a potentially serious pec injury early in the second quarter, knocking him out for the rest of the game. It pressed Jack into action the rest of the way. And he responded. Six tackles, two QB hits, one tackle for a loss, and one sack. A colorful stat line considering his circumstances.
Beyond that, just having another option who could be trusted and counted on, someone who knows the system well, is huge. Jack seamlessly filled in. Credit to him for being ready. This dude was on the couch six weeks ago. Ok, he was probably at a hockey game. Or flying a plane. Point is, not playing football.
RB Jaylen Warren
From the “impact didn’t show up in the box score category,” his numbers look light. Just 24 yards rushing, 30 yards receiving, and no touchdowns. But he just did all the little things well. He always does. Pass protection, which has been a little shaky this year, was excellent and he routinely picked up the Bengals’ pressure looks and LB blitzes. He’s as fearless as they come.
Of course, Warren got lots of love for his lead block on Bengals LB Germaine Pratt, a quality player, on WR Calvin Austin III’s 7-yard touchdown run. A literal decleater.
None of this is new. Warren has always been wired that way and we’ve dedicated videos and analysis to it before. No joke, he’s a guy just as fun to watch without the ball as he is with it. He sets the standard for this type of stuff.
S Patrick Peterson
While Peterson isn’t new like Rowe and his impact was noticeable in the box score, he should still receive all the credit for making the move to safety. It’s not like he has a ton of experience there. He’s basically drawing off about a week of training camp, 34 snaps from the Colts’ game, and a bit of the sub-package work he’s received throughout the year, which is specialty in the pass game and not everydown run fit type of stuff like he did on Saturday. Peterson has held his own, keeping a lid on things while the Steelers’ secondary communicated well in this game, far better than the Colts’ game.
He also took advantage of Browning’s lollipop throw for the team’s first takeaway of the game and smartly knelt the ball in the end zone instead of trying to run the ball out. He had a tough first month of the season but his play has evened out since. And given how incredibly hard-hit Pittsburgh’s been by injuries here, having a guy like him to confidently fill in, even as he’s probably still trying to figure things out, is huge.
