Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 players who stood out in win over Patriots

PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 16: Members of the Pittsburgh Steelers defense reacts after an interception by Joe Haden #23 in the fourth quarter during the game against the New England Patriots at Heinz Field on December 16, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 16: Members of the Pittsburgh Steelers defense reacts after an interception by Joe Haden #23 in the fourth quarter during the game against the New England Patriots at Heinz Field on December 16, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
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PITTSBURGH, PA – DECEMBER 16: Jaylen Samuels #38 of the Pittsburgh Steelers carries the ball against Lawrence Guy #93 of the New England Patriots in the fourth quarter during the game at Heinz Field on December 16, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – DECEMBER 16: Jaylen Samuels #38 of the Pittsburgh Steelers carries the ball against Lawrence Guy #93 of the New England Patriots in the fourth quarter during the game at Heinz Field on December 16, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

Jaylen Samuels

Jaylen Samuels has a pretty quiet-but-good first career start in Oakland a week ago. This week, however, was a bit louder.

Samuels was the primary ball-carrier and helped the Steelers establish a running game that they have desperately needed during their three-game skid. Samuels carried the ball 19 times for 142 yards, averaging 7.5 yards-per-carry.

Credit does deserve to go to the offensive line for some great run-blocking, but Samuels was fantastic at finding holes and cutting back against the defense to find extra creases to gain more yards. Samuels ran like a legitimate pro in this game, adding even more depth to the Steelers’ running back situation. He made Steelers’ fans not miss James Conner in this game and that is really hard to do.

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