The Steelers suffered a blowout loss to the Patriots in week one. Here are three players who need to see the field more if Pittsburgh is to be successful.
I know every Steelers fan is anxious just to move past week one and forget about the gut-wrenching loss we suffered against the Patriots. But Pittsburgh needs to change things in a hurry if they don’t want to repeat the mistakes of the past.
The Steelers struggled on both sides of the ball. While most players were utter disappointments last week, others show that there may be light at the end of the tunnel. Here are three players who need to see the field more if Pittsburgh is to be successful in 2019:
James Washington
After such a remarkable preseason this year, it was astonishing that the Steelers didn’t deploy Washington more than what they did in Foxborough. The second-year player seems to have taken a big leap forward, yet it was Donte Moncrief who saw 10 targets in week one.
Moncrief, however, put on display one of the worst wide receiver performances in recent memory. I know it’s just one game, but Washington needs to be the player lining up opposite of JuJu Smith-Schuster this week.
Devin Bush
I know he didn’t have the greatest game against the Patriots, but who did? What we were able to see from Bush, however, is his rare sideline speed. Mark Barron was dreadful against New England, and Vince Williams isn’t great in obvious passing situations.
It shouldn’t be long before number 55 is never taken off the field. If Mark Barron has another performance like that one, Devin Bush will be seeing even more action.
Ola Adeniyi
It’s time to deploy our 2018 preseason and 2019 training camp stud, Ola Adeniyi. Ola missed the last three games of the preseason due to a meniscus issue that required surgery. Now that he is back and suited up, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be sprinkled in on defense.
Bud Dupree and Anthony Chickillo were non-existent against the Patriots. Isaiah Wynn is a former 1st round draft choice at left tackle who had an excellent game against Pittsburgh. But if it’s not working, perhaps try the next man up. At the very least, Ola provides a fresh pair of legs that are itching to get out on the field.
It’s hard to say how much time each of these three players will see this Sunday against the Seahawks, but one thing is for certain: The Steelers cannot afford to have another game like the one they just played. Pittsburgh needs to make some changes that will give their team the best chance of winning the football games, regardless of what that means.