Mike Tomlin rotates fresh bodies in Steelers win over Titans
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged that some of his players would have more opportunities against the Tennessee Titans based on both teams playing on a short week. He held up his end of the bargain, with several players seeing an uptick in playing time.
Among the winners were James Conner, who saw his most snaps (8) since Week 1. Conner would carry the ball five times during the game.
Eli Rogers also saw a fair amount of playing time, with 34% of the offensive plays. This took a chunk from Roosevelt Nix, who only entered the game five times on Thursday as the Steelers offense shifted into a more pass-heavy attack. Martavis Bryant still saw about his usual snap counts with 45 for 59% of the game.
All of the big names played most of the game, with a few players, such as Landry Jones, finishing the final series to run out the clock. The biggest surprise on offense, however, was TE Jesse James, who never left the field Thursday Night.
On the defensive side of the ball, Tyson Alualu and L.T. Walton each saw a little more action on the defensive line, but it was the outside linebackers who had more of a rotation. Arthur Moats played 14 snaps against the Titans after only playing 20 snaps the rest of the season.
Anthony Chickillo saw his usual substitution role with 14% of play on 9 reps.
Artie Burns, Sean Davis, and Robert Golden all played a full game. Ryan Shazier was pulled for two plays, giving him some rest for Tyler Matakevich. Dan McCullers also saw two plays, his first since Week 7.
CB Mike Hilton continues to be a major fixture on the defense, playing 55% of the defensive snaps. Ditto for LB Vince Williams, who has seen at least 3/4 of the game for the last four.
The biggest loser on Thursday Night? J.J. Wilcox, who continues to lack any meaningful playing time; he had one snap and has not entered for more than a single play since Week 4.
