5 Steelers to Watch: Can Pittsburgh take charge in handing Baltimore a loss?
In this edition of “5 Steelers to Watch” Christina Rivers steps in for Joe Kuzma and selects those players every fan should keep an eye on as Pittsburgh hosts the Baltimore Ravens.
With several Steelers banged up as they head into Week 5’s showdown with a physical Ravens team, it will be important to keep an eye on the injury report heading into Sunday’s game at Heinz Field. The good news is that Cameron Heyward was back at work on Thursday after a quad injury he sustained against the Bengals on Monday night. “There is more onus on gap integrity,” Heyward said this week. “We have to make sure we execute at a high level… I think the biggest thing we can do is get pressure up the middle especially with the defensive line front.”
And with that, let’s look at five Steelers players that fans will want to keep an eye on as the Steelers look to hand the Ravens a third loss in as many games and take charge of their destiny in the AFC North.
Stephon Tuitt
The sixth-year defensive end has been fired up through four weeks of play and on Sunday, against the Ravens, one of the focuses for the Steelers defense will be to contain and pressure Lamar Jackson. Tuitt has logged 3.5 sacks this season, even though he was quiet as his teammates grabbed eight sacks on Andy Dalton in Week 4. With his ability to get the motor fired up and hot, watch for Tuitt to dial things up and be a factor in tackles and keeping the Ravens’ offensive line having to work each and every down.
Diontae Johnson
While everyone has been waiting for former college teammates Mason Rudolph and James Washington to hook up in a big way, it has been the rookie in Johnson that has emerged as a real threat in the Steelers’ offense. In four games, Johnson has 13 receptions for 171 yards (13.2 avg) and two touchdowns. After losing the ball against the Bengals, Johnson took advice from teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster and shook it off, logging six receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown. He seems to have built a solid rapport with Rudolph and with a different offensive scheme last week, Johnson should factor in big again this week against the Ravens.
Bud Dupree
Love him or hate him, ‘Big Bud’ has been a factor in this Steelers defense in 2019. Staying busy, Dupree has recorded two sacks, one pass defense, one forced fumble (on a strip-sack of Andy Dalton), and 14 total tackles through four games. While the defensive front and fellow outside linebacker T.J. Watt dial up the pressure and focus on containment (and Watt earns a double-team to keep him away from Jackson), Dupree should find room to create havoc.
Ravens G/C Matt Skura has a knee injury that looks like it may keep him out. That might mean that Bradley Bozeman takes Skura’s spot, and rookies Patrick Mekari or Ben Powers would move to left guard next to Ronnie Stanley (at tackle). This could be a vulnerability on the Ravens’ offensive line that Dupree could take advantage of.
Jaylen Samuels
Fellow running back James Conner has yet to practice all week due to a knee injury, and that sets up second-year multi-purpose back Jaylen Samuels for another big game. Last week, against the Bengals, Samuels was used as the swiss army knife we all knew he can be. He logged ten rushing attempts for 26 yards and a touchdown. Samuels also got involved via the ‘Wildcat’ and was able to grab eight receptions for 57 yards. Just watch this play and you’ll understand why Samuels being multi-faceted creates more opportunities for the Steelers on offense – and ultimately helps Mason Rudolph.
Nick Vannett
Last week, before the game, Joe asked: “The newly acquired tight end may be needed to make an impact immediately… How quickly can Vannett chip in and help? We may find out soon!” Well, guess what Steelers Nation? Vannett made an immediate impact like Joe had ESP when he wrote up the “5 to Watch”.
This week, against the Ravens, Vannett’s ability to divert defenders in the middle of the field – something he did very well last week against the Bengals – should create some mismatches and opportunities for Rudolph to find targets and help the Steelers offense move the chains. Vannett only logged two catches for 28 yards (his longest for 17 yards), but he was pivotal in setting up several plays that put points on the scoreboard. Expect him to be involved heavily this week as well and help Pittsburgh get the win.
