In a game that seemed destined to get out of control for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night, the team went back to its roots with power running. Le’Veon Bell rushed for 204 yards on 33 carries and a touchdown – also catching 2 passes for 18 yards. With Bell’s performance he is the Steelers Gab Player of the Week.
Bell went into Monday night’s game with 56 yards on 21 carries the previous two games because the offense was so pass-happy. Bell got off to a hot start in the first half averaging over 5.5 yards a carry. But, after the team could not pass the ball due to poor pass blocking and wide receivers not gaining enough separation, the Steelers turned to their young workhorse in Bell to make the difference. Once Bell began to run into the teeth of the defense and wear down the Tennessee Titans, the blitzing that had been so effective earlier suddenly became ineffective.
Bell was finally able to score early in the fourth quarter from five yards out. It was Bell’s first rushing touchdown since week one vs the Cleveland Browns. Bell progressed as the game went on and it aided the passing game, allowing Ben Roethlisberger time to connect with Antonio Brown on a 12-yard touchdown pass that gave the Steelers the lead for good.
Bell became the first running back this season to rush for over 200 yards in a game. Considering this is now a passing league, it’s great to see a team win by relying on the run. Bell has developed into a top tier running back this season. Bell will likely go over 1,000 yards rushing this season and is only 22 years of age.
Bell is still playing under his rookie contract but soon, rather than later, Bell will be making big money as he is out-performing his rookie contract. Going forward, Bell will continue to be a triple-threat as a runner, receiver and pass blocker. Opposing teams will have to try to figure out a way to contain him.
Bell defines the term “workhorse” (running) back. Monday night, Bell showed he can play under the bright lights and heavy pressure.
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Berdj Rassam
November 18, 2014 at 10:48 pm
Bell is having a very good season running at 4.9 yards a clip so far this season, and he has no fumbles so far this season.
DrGeorge
November 19, 2014 at 4:51 pm
The real story of the Titans game was the play calling, not Bell. Bell was having a good game in Qtr 1 and then, for two and half quarters, Haley and Ben R. gave up on the run and struggled with the pass. When they returned to the run and used better blocking angles late in Qtr 3 and in Qtr 4, Bell and the team excelled. Ben hates to be upstaged by a running back, but this O-line is better at run blocking than pass protecting, and good rushing actually improves the passing game. Ben likes to use the play action pass, but it is only effective if there is a credible running threat in the first place. Because of Bell’s success, the Titans had to abandon the blitz to stop the run. While Bell deserves accolades for his performance, we must still ask why Haley refuses to commit to the run for a full game? Let’s hope the reason has nothing to do with Ben R’s pursuit of passing stats.