4 players who came out of nowhere for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 13

Steelers CB Ahkello Witherspoon

Fans have been furious for most of the season that the Steelers traded a fifth-round pick for cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon only to have him ride the bench. When Witherspoon did see the field, it was only for a few snaps at a time and the results were far from what we hoped for. That is, until Week 13.

Joe Haden was unavailable in an all-important game against the Ravens. After James Pierre struggled in each of the past two weeks, the Steelers turned to Witherspoon in a much larger role than he has seen all season, as the athletic cornerback earned 92 percent of defensive snaps.

It surprised me how well he played in this contest. Witherspoon stuck with his man on the outside and got his hand on the ball once. He also recorded 5 tackles as he helped his team support the run.

Haden could return to the lineup soon, but with such a promising performance this week, the Steelers need to consider playing Ahkello Witherspoon much more down the stretch. After all, they did trade good draft capital to acquire him just before the season.