Steelers winners and losers in 17-12 victory over the Rams

The Steelers defense was on fire against the Los Angeles Rams. Here are the winners and losers from Pittsburgh’s 17-12 win in Week 10.

The Steelers may have been the underdogs for the second consecutive week, but they have continued to prove doubters wrong. Dealing with a 7-point deficit just seconds into the game after a bad snap by Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh eventually fought back for a 17-12 win.

While some players had a disappointing showing, many were thoroughly impressive against Los Angeles. Here are my winners and losers from Pittsburgh’s Week 10 matchup against the Rams:

Winners:

Minkah Fitzpatrick

As if we didn’t have enough reason to boast about Minkah Fitzpatrick. After intercepting the ball three times over the past two games, Fitzpatrick continued his run of dominance with a fumble recovery for a touchdown against the Rams – showing once again why he was well worth the first-round pick Pittsburgh traded to acquire him.

James Washington

Much has been the case for most of the season, Washington didn’t get a ton of opportunities, but he managed to make the most of him. The former second-round pick finished the game with 6 catches for 90 yards and a touchdown on 7 targets. He continues to prove that he can make plays down the stretch for this team.

Joe Haden

Haden hasn’t been the most consistent cornerback for the Steelers this year, but he had perhaps his best game of the season against the Rams. The former Pro Bowler managed to break up a few passes and added an interception down the sideline.

Cameron Heyward

Cameron Heyward continues to do precisely what we have come to expect.  Though his stats didn’t jump out of the box score, he continually walked offensive linemen back into the quarterback and put pressure on Jared Goff. Heyward finished with 3 tackles, 1.0 sack, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 pass deflections, and 2 quarterback hits.

T.J Watt

T.J. Watt never seems to disappoint. After already earning 7.5 sacks in the first half of the season, Watt pitched in another against Los Angeles. The 2018 Pro Bowler is continuing his run of dominance this season, as he throws his name in contention for Defensive Player of the Year.

Mason Rudolph

Losers:

JuJu Smith-Schuster

Though he managed to draw a pass interference call, JuJu didn’t do much to help the Steelers offense in Week 10. Covered by Jalen Ramsey all evening, Smith-Schuster managed just 3 catches for 44 yards on 6 targets. He also had an easy drop on a ball that went right through his hands.

Ryan Switzer

Switzer continues to make no impact on the team on offense, special teams, or otherwise. He managed -1 yard on his lone punt return, and he wasn’t targeted in the passing game. Switzer continues to serve a minimal role on the Steelers.

Jalen Samuels

The Steelers run game hasn’t necessarily been good no matter who has lined up in the backfield this year. However, it’s not very hard to see the difference between Jalen Samuels and James Conner as runners. Samuels has been asked to be Pittsburgh’s lead back over the past two weeks with Conner and Benny Snell out, but he averaged 2.1 yards per run and caught just 3 of 7 targets for 11 yards.

Mark Barron

Mark Barron was back to his usual self on Sunday. Though he occasionally would come up and make a play in the hole against the run, he was often targeted and failed to lock down his man in coverage. Barron wasn’t terrible in this game, but he was noticeably worse than his defensive peers.

The Steelers still have a lot of work to do on the offensive side of the ball, but this defensive performance was certainly encouraging. Watt, Fitzpatrick, and Heyward continue to lead this team as they are playing as well as anyone in the league at their respective positions.