Steelers week 5: what to watch

The excitement for Martavis Bryant‘s return to the Steelers’ lineup was short-lived. With the deep threat receiver out yet another week, here’s what to look for against the San Diego Chargers.

Joining Bryant on the sideline will be the oft-injured Ryan Shazier. Sean Spence and Vince Williams will continue to fill the void left by Shazier, while Darrius Heyward-Bey and Markus Wheaton will continue to do the same for Bryant.

I’ll definitely continue to watch those players as they hopefully continue to fill in admirably. Depth is as important as starting talent in the NFL, especially when a team is plagued by injuries like the Steelers have been so far this year.

The main thing I’ll be looking for this week is any progress that the offense has made in a long week of practice. Without Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers have turned to Michael Vick as the answer at quarterback. In his first start, Vick was uncomfortable in the pocket and rarely looked to push the ball down the field. His accuracy was suspect and there was little cohesion from the offense.

Vick has had a long week of practice to play with the starters. He should have a more developed chemistry with Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell. Not only will Vick’s ability to lead the offense dictate the outcome of the game against the Chargers, but perhaps the entire season.

I’ll also be watching the newly acquired Chris Boswell in the kicking game. After two failed attempts to replace the reliable Shaun Suisham, the Steelers hope that they’ve found a decent replacement. Games often come down to teams’ ability to connect on field goals; so far, the Steelers haven’t been consistent in that area.

Unfortunately, the Steelers’ season rests in the hands of back up players. However, those players will simply have to step up and play winning football. Something they couldn’t do last week. This week, we’ll see.

Next: Who will step up at wideout?

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