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Steelers ‘Duck’ Hodges swoops in to save the day

By Eric Hassel

CINCINNATI, OH - NOVEMBER 24: Devlin Hodges #6 of the Pittsburgh Steelers attempts to stiff-arm Sam Hubbard #94 of the Cincinnati Bengals as he runs down the field during the fourth quarter of the game at Paul Brown Stadium on November 24, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - NOVEMBER 24: Devlin Hodges #6 of the Pittsburgh Steelers attempts to stiff-arm Sam Hubbard #94 of the Cincinnati Bengals as he runs down the field during the fourth quarter of the game at Paul Brown Stadium on November 24, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images) /
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CINCINNATI, OHIO – NOVEMBER 24: Benny Snell Jr #24 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs with the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on November 24, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OHIO – NOVEMBER 24: Benny Snell Jr #24 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs with the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on November 24, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

The Steelers fourth-round pick reinvigorated the rushing attack against the Bengals

It was refreshing to see the Steelers run the ball with effectiveness and with alacrity against the Bengals. Leading the charge was Benny Snell Jr., the fourth-round pick in the 2019 draft.  Snell had a highly productive college career at the University of Kentucky and very nearly had his first 100-yard rushing game as a pro.

According to the official website of the NFL, Snell carried the ball 21 times for 98 yards, oh so close to that magical, triple-digit number.  He also added 1 catch for 5 yards.  Coming off an injury, it was good to see him contribute to the cause in a winning performance.

As a team, the Steelers ran the ball for 160 yards.  While Snell was the leading rusher, the newly signed Kerrith Whyte, a former practice squad player for the Chicago Bears, was the second-leading rusher.  Whyte provided 43 yards on only 6 carries, for an average of 7.2 yards per carry.

That’s pretty impressive for a player who was just signed.  Nothing like ‘sink or swim’, huh? I realize it was only one game, but if Whyte can continue to be productive as the ‘change of pace back’, so to speak, the Steelers will have a trident in the backfield that, quite frankly, we have not had in quite some time.

The ability to run the ball effectively means that the offense is able to sustain drives, to convert third-downs and to possess the ball longer than the opponent ( possesses the ball).  Against the Bengals, the Steelers converted third-downs at a clip fo 31%, which is still not good, but we did win the time of possession battle by nearly 10 minutes.

We possessed the ball for 34 minutes and 40 seconds; the Bengals possessed the ball for 25 minutes and 20 seconds.  We won; the Bengals lost.  Good things tend to happen when the offense wins the time of possession battle.

Let’s talk about the performance of Hodges, shall we?

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