3 Steelers who must step up to the challenge vs. Bengals
By Tommy Jaggi
Benny Snell, Jr.
Benny Snell hasn’t seen the field since Week 8 against the Miami Dolphins, but that doesn’t mean he will be eased back into action. With James Conner ruled out of the contest with a shoulder injury, Snell will be asked to do the dirty work.
Conner has really been ineffective this season on the ground. Though he managed 4.5 yards per pop in 2018, he’s down to just 3.8 yards per carry this year. However, Jaylen Samuels has been far worse in his absence. Though he did well with limited touches against Cleveland, he has averaged 2.6 yards per carry or less in 5 of 7 games he has touched the ball this season.
Finally, back from injury, it will be interesting to see how fast Snell can shake off the rust. The 2019 4th round pick doesn’t offer much as a receiver at this point, but he has been Pittsburgh’s most effective runner this year – averaging 4.2 yards per attempt on the ground. His best game came against the Chargers just before the bye, when carried the ball 17 times for 75 yards (4.41 yards per carry). Let’s hope he can expand on that performance against the Bengals.