Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 players who stood out against Cleveland

The Pittsburgh Steelers opened their season in rainy Cleveland on Sunday. There were five players that stood out in the season’s opener.

It was an ugly game. The weather. The penalties. The turnovers. It was just U-G-L-Y ugly. Players the Steelers usually rely on in the clutch couldn’t get it done. Ben Roethlisberger continues to struggle on the road, and usually clutch kicker Chris Boswell missed a 42-yard field goal try in overtime that would have won the game.

In a game that was lucky to end in a tie, it wasn’t all bad. There were five players that made a huge impact on the positive side.

James Conner

With Le’Veon Bell continuing to hold out, second-year back James Conner made his first career start. He carried the ball 31 times for 135 yards and punched it in the end zone twice. His second touchdown was an impressive 22-yard scamper.

His only goof in the game was a fumble later on in the game when Pittsburgh had a 21-7 lead that sparked Cleveland’s comeback.

He definitely wore down as the game went on, but if Bell continues to hold out, Conner proved enough that the Steelers can rely on him. Cleveland has a good defense, so 135 yards on the ground in a nasty-weather game is impressive.