Steel City Underground’s “Studs and Duds” takes a look at the winners and losers from each of the Pittsburgh Steelers games during the 2020 season. Check with us after every game each week for our list, and to also see who climbed, or fell, down the rankings.

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Studs

Mike Hilton

Cornerback Mike Hilton made plays all over the field for the Steelers in their 17 to 20 loss to the Washington Football Team. He made several highlight reel tackles for loss in the game and nearly came away with an impressive interception as well. Considering that the Steelers were thin at cornerback and linebacker for this game, Hilton’s performance was definitely needed.

Robert Spillane

It is unfortunate that linebacker Robert Spillane went down to an injury against the Football Team because he was having one of his best games of the season. He played well against the run, picked up a sack, and had an impressive performance in coverage as well with 2 passes defensed. Alex Smith targeted Spillane several times and Spillane rarely gave up a reception or yards after the catch. Hopefully the injury was not serious and he can build off of this game moving forward.

Ben Roethlisberger

Ben Roethlisberger was one of the few bright spots on offense for the Steelers against the Washington Football Team. He finished the game completing 33 of 53 passes for 305 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception that came off of a tipped pass, and would have had an even better game if his receivers did not drop an unacceptable number of easy completions. “Big Ben” made a few questionable decisions that ultimately did not hurt the team, but he played more than well enough for the Steelers to win the game.

James Washington

Wide receiver James Washington followed up his clutch catch at the end of the Ravens’ game in week 12 with another good game in week 13. He made the best play of the game for the Steelers’ offense, taking a deep pass from Roethlisberger for 50 yards and a touchdown late in the 2nd quarter. He also caught a 30 yard pass, but did not do much outside of those two plays.

T.J. Watt

Edge rusher T.J. Watt got off to somewhat of a slow start, but he had yet another impressive game for the Steelers. He added another sack to his league-leading total of 12, picked up 2 tackles for loss, 4 quarterback hits, and drew multiple penalties from the Football Team’s offensive line as well.

He did make a crucial mistake in the game, committing a hold on 4th and 1 on the goal line, but outside of that, it was another game where he made big plays at opportune moments when the Steelers needed them. He stuffed the Football Team on a goal line running play. He sacked Alex Smith near the end of the first half, which nearly ran out the clock and should have stalled the drive for the Washington Football Team. He also forced a fumble in the game, though the Steelers were unable to recover it.

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Duds

The Running Game

The Steelers had arguably their worst performance of the season on the ground against the Washington Football Team’s formidable defensive front. They ran the ball 13 times for 21 yards, averaging an uninspiring 1.5 yards per carry. They also failed to run the ball into the end zone from the 1 yard line multiple times, and failed to pick up short yardage on 3rd down as well.

It was an overall miserable performance on the ground, but hopefully center Maurkice Pouncey and running back James Conner can return to the starting lineup soon and give the Steelers’ offense much-needed help.

Eric Ebron

Tight end Eric Ebron had an up and down performance for the Steelers, and had they won the game, he likely would not have made the duds section. He caught 7 passes for 68 yards, but simply dropped far too many easy completions against the Football Team that would have helped the Steelers’ offense move the football down the field in a game where they struggled to do so.