The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense has been one of the AFC’s best this season, but a surprising backup almost got the best of them in Week 12.
Expectations may have been low for the watchability and “it” factor of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Sunday night matchup with the Green Bay Packers leading into Week 12, and that can be laid at the feet of Aaron Rodgers’ collarbone injury sustained in October against the Minnesota Vikings.
Steelers and Packers fans looked forward to a rematch of Super Bowl XLV that looked like a prime example of an instant classic between Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers, but instead got what seemed like a mismatch between Roethlisberger and Packers backup Brett Hundley, the third-year quarterback out of UCLA.
But mismatch it was not. Whether this was an instance of Hundley coming into his own or simply the Steelers playing down to an opponent they should handily defeat is left to the beholder, but this game may be remembered as Hundley’s coming out party, even in defeat.
Hundley completed 17 of 26 pass attempts for 245 yards and three touchdowns. His passing touchdowns went for 39, 54, and 55 yards respectively.
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The only major blemish on his record Sunday night was the four sacks he took, two of which came courtesy of an absolutely possessed Cameron Heyward. Despite the four takedowns, Steelers fans may have been surprised by the competent performance from the man who held a 1-3 record as a starter coming into Heinz Field.
This is not completely fair. The Packers have taken heat for their string of losses since losing the six-time Pro Bowler Rodgers, and wins and losses don’t lie. The team has struggled, but Hundley hasn’t exactly been Nathan Peterman out there.
A 5:7 touchdown/interception ratio isn’t ideal, but there are worse options to replace your franchise player. In the 23-0 loss to Baltimore the Packers suffered before coming to Pittsburgh, Hundley went 21/36 for 239 yards. He has thrown for at least 200 yards in all his starts except his first, against the Saints, and is averaging a completion percentage of 62.4 in his five starts.
He’s not Aaron Rodgers, but very few quarterbacks can claim to be on that level.
While Hundley was good, those who wear the black and gold are counting themselves fortunate that Ben Roethlisberger was better. Ben attempted 45 passes last night, completing them for 351 yards. He spread the wealth on the scoreboard, with Martavis Bryant and Xavier Grimble finding the end zone once each to compliment Antonio Brown’s two touchdowns, capping a spectacular night for quarterback and receiver.
Le’Veon Bell even had a solid night by air, accounting for tweve catches and 88 yards. Where Hundley’s Achilles’ heel was sacks, Roethlisberger’s was interceptions, as he threw two.
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Say what you will about the Steelers and their maddening ability to exactly match the skill and style of their opponent, even when the occasion does not call for it, but there is a distinct possibility that Brett Hundley isn’t the slouch he’s made out to be, and he deserves to be more than a punchline.