Five burning questions answered from week four against the Bengals

The Steelers beat the Bengals on Monday night football 27-3. Here I will answer the five burning questions from before the game.

The Steelers now have a win under their belt, and just like that, they are only a game from first place in the AFC North. This win was needed as going 0-4 is very hard to come back from.

We saw some encouraging signs from the Steelers as they offense got more creative, and the defense held the Bengals to a field goal. It was also good to see Mason Rudolph get his first career win.

I asked five questions before the game, and this is an opportunity to see what we have learned about the Steelers in 2019. It is clearly more encouraging than it was when I wrote the article.

Will Mason Rudolph be able to move the ball better this week?

This game showed some encouraging signs, and one of them was seeing Mason Rudolph get his first win. According to Pro Football reference; Mason Rudolph was 24 for 28 and threw for 229 yards.

This was a drastic improvement over his previous two performances. He also threw two touchdown passes and had his first game without an interception.

It was also encouraging to see the Steelers get more creative on offense with a young quarterback. They used Jaylen Samuels in the wildcat and were very effective in doing that. I think the Steelers will use Jaylen Samuels in the wildcat more often.

How will Nick Vannett look in a Steelers uniform?

Nick Vannett got a baptism by fire in his Steelers debut. He went from being a Seahawk to being the starting tight end for the Steelers on Monday night football.

Vance McDonald was injured in the game with a shoulder injury. Nick Vannett is now the #2 tight end with Xavier Grimble on the reserve/injured list.

According to Pro Football Focus (paid subscription), Nick Vannett had a grade of 52.7. This is an indication that he did not have a great game. On the other hand, he did contribute in the receiving game. According to Pro Football Reference, Nick Vannett had two catches on two targets for 28 yards.

This tells me that Nick Vannett is a placeholder for now. From the looks of it, the Steelers should have just signed a tight end instead of giving up a fifth-round pick for one. We do only have a small sample size to go on and so we will know better at the end of the season if it was a good move.

Will the Steelers be healthy this week?

The Steelers were without Vance McDonald, Vince Williams, Anthony Chickillo, and Roosevelt Nix. This is a lot of injuries for one game, but it turned out okay as the Steelers won their game.

The good news from the practice reports to the game inactives was that Jayron Elliott was able to dress. He was not the most valuable player on the team, but it didn’t hurt to have him healthy.

The Steelers do have a couple of new injuries this week. James Conner has an ankle injury, and Juju Smith-Schuster has a toe injury. We will see going forward if either of the two misses any games.

Will this game be as violent?

It was coincidental that Vontaze Burfict of the Raiders was suspended recently for the rest of the season for roughing penalties and being a repeat offender. I would assume his performances against the Black & Gold figure into that decision.

The Steelers and Bengals did not have as bloody of a game as they usually have. There was a fight between Andrew Billings and Maurkice Pouncey as well as a call against BW Webb from a hit on Diontae Johnson.

Certainly, these two teams don’t like each other, but it wasn’t as bloody as it has been in the past. I was worried about severe injuries before the game, which there weren’t any.

How will this offensive line fare against this defensive line?

This offensive line was able to hold up against the Bengals defensive line. Certainly, the Steelers offensive line didn’t dominate, but they didn’t lose the game either.

The Black & Gold were able to manage this matchup problem by using screens and trick plays. I already mentioned the wildcat plays by Jaylen Samuels. I was also impressed by a Jet Sweep to Diontae Johnson.

Overall, the boys up front got the job done.

Conclusion

The Steelers dug themselves out of a big hole by winning against the Bengals on Monday Night. After that game, there is some hope for the Steelers making the playoffs.

The Steelers are actually right in the thick of things in the AFC North. With a win over the Ravens and a Browns loss, the Steelers could be tied for first place in the division. That looks a lot better than it did a week ago.