5 Players to Watch: Week 3 Steelers vs. Bears
The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Chicago to take on the Bears at Soldier Field this Sunday. With the often used rhetoric that the Steelers play down to teams on the road, it’s time to take a look at five players who may have the biggest impact on this weekend’s game.
Which of these athletes will allow their team to leave Sunday afternoon with a victory? Let’s find out.
Alejandro Villanueva
Steelers left tackle Alejandro Villanueva had an off day last week against the Vikings. He struggled on passing downs, though a bit of that was attributed to an illness he had over the weekend, which also caused him to leave the field during the game. (Big Al NEVER left the field for a single snap during the 2016 season!)
I say that the big man wants some redemption this Sunday, and I feel he’ll get it. Let’s keep an eye on how he does, now that he signed a new contract extension and has a clear future as Ben’s blindside protector.
Joe Haden
I wish I knew how Pro Football Focus came up with their grades because they’ve been dogging Steelers cornerback Joe Haden for two straight weeks. PFF doesn’t care for Joe’s coverage or run stopping skills, though I haven’t seen him be a major liability yet.
When you consider what the Steelers dealt with for years in their secondary, and that Haden is still new to and learning the defense, he is definitely a player you want to keep tabs on. The Bears receiving corps is completely wiped out, so a standout game means the team is headed in the right direction with Haden in the lineup.
If he gets beaten by a bunch of no-names, then that’s not a good sign going forward either!
Bud Dupree
Bud came back in a big way last weekend, so I’d like to place him on this list to see if he can follow up with another good performance. It’s imperative he breaks through during the 2017 season, and with a suspect Bears offensive line, Dupree could be in for that big game we’re expecting.
Tarik Cohen
Cohen burst onto the scene during Week 1 with 113 all-purpose yards but was stuffed last week by Tampa Bay for only 13 yards rushing.
Despite the running woes, Cohen was still a threat in the passing game with his second straight eight reception game, this time for 55 yards. The Steelers will need to keep an eye on him throughout the game, as the aforementioned wide receivers aren’t very strong, and Cohen could still be the Bears primary target.
Mike Glennon
Mike Glennon has had success against the Steelers before, most recently a few years back when he led a poor Tampa Bay Buccaneers team out of Heinz Field with a victory.
Glennon, who was signed by Chicago in the offseason, has had an erratic first two weeks as a starter. In Week 1 he was sacked four times by the Falcons defense while he was picked off twice by the Bucs last weekend.
He has had a touchdown pass in each of those games, and his completion percentage has been 65% or better. That makes his link with Cohen (mentioned above) and his 40+ pass attempts in a pair of games a challenge that the Steelers secondary will need to rise up to accept.
