Steelers vs Cardinals: 3 Key matchups to watch in week 14

Duck vs. Road Start

I remember the last time a third-stringer got an opportunity vs the Cardinals. Landry Jones saved the game after backup QB Michael Vick went down.

That was at home in 2015. On the road in 2019, a more promising Devlin Hodges will have another tough task: leading the Steelers to victory out west.

He’s done it once in front of the capacity of 30K fans against the Chargers, but that felt like a home game. Heck, they even played Renegade!

This week, I have no doubts Steelers Nation will be in full force in Phoenix this Sunday. It just may not be like it was in LA.

The Chargers and Bengals road games were scrub road games for the Duck, this will be a tougher one. Maybe not significantly tougher, but tougher nonetheless.

Over the next four games, three will be on the road. It will be make or break for the 2019 season. If he delivers convincingly, it will make for an intriguing postseason run.

The good news heading out west against the Cardinals is the fact he will operate against the lowest-ranked pass defense in the NFL (as previously mentioned.) This not only can boost his road game confidence, but also give him and his receivers opportunities to gain more chemistry.

Every week the rest of the way will be Duck’s opportunity. It’s his job to lose in 2019.