Why the loss of Steelers Tuitt and Conner is not as critical as you think

The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to face the Baltimore Ravens on December 2nd after having their game pushed back six days due to Baltimore’s Covid-19 outbreak, given any setbacks.

While this game will most likely result in a Steelers’ victory mainly due to the absence of Lamar Jackson and other key starters such as Mark Andrews and Calais Campbell the Steelers will also be without two of their best players. Both James Conner and Stephon Tuitt were placed on the Covid-19 reserve list after testing positive for the virus this past week.

The Steelers have already had a scare when it came to Covid after Ben Roethlisberger was listed as close contact to Vance McDonald and almost missed Week 10 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Luckily, Ben was cleared and was able to play. The issue now is that James Conner and Stephon Tuitt will miss the game on Wednesday and possibly Monday’s game against The Washington Football Team. While both of these players are not as valuable as Ben Roethlisberger, they still are a massive loss for the Steelers, but this will not hinder Pittsburgh’s success.

Tuitt and Conner are huge losses for the Steelers

Stephon Tuitt has been having a phenomenal year this season for the Steelers. He has already achieved a career-high in sacks(7.0) and is on pace to break his total tackle record of 54. The Notre Dame product has been disruptive all season long, recording 18 QB hits and 7 tackles for loss. While his absence will be significantly noticed, Pittsburgh’s defense is top-notch and they have the depth to fill in.

James Conner has been decent, to say the least. While Conner is currently averaging 4.4 yards per carry and 5 touchdowns this season with 645 rushing yards through ten games, he has not replicated his 2018 Pro Bowl Season. He had 12 touchdowns and 973 yards in 13 games played. Conner’s absence now put Benny Snell Jr. as the starting back. In his only game in which he played a majority of snaps, Week 1 against the Giants, Snell rushed for 113 yards and averaged almost 6 yards a carry.

Since that week, his role has obviously been limited, and he hasn’t shown much in those opportunities. Anthony McFarland Jr. is the other back the Steelers’ have at their disposal. I am very excited to see the rookie get more playing time. While he has only had 20 snaps this season, I expect McFarland and Snell to split a majority of snaps this Tuesday and even on Sunday if Conner does not clear Covid protocol.

Steelers are 10-0 for a reason

Tuitt and Conner are two significant pieces of the Steelers’ undefeated team, and losing them is a huge blow. However, there is a reason the Pittsburgh Steelers currently sit at 10-0, and that is because of the depth and coaching Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert have put together.

The Steelers’ defensive is still among the league’s best, and the Steelers’ running back room is substantial enough to a point where you should not have to worry about the lack of a run game. While Pittsburgh will rely more on the pass over the next two games, I am confident Randy Fichtner and the offensive room can make it work.

Pittsburgh is among the best in the league, and great teams can still find ways to win without their top players. These next two games are short but powerful statements because as we advance through the remainder of the season, this will show who the Steelers really are.