No one is giving the Pittsburgh Steelers a shot this weekend against the Buffalo Bills. The weather is going to be miserable and could end up the great equalizer between a team with one of the top quarterbacks in the league and a former third-stringer pushed into the starting lineup.
Putting aside the quarterbacks, here are the five players for the Steelers who must step up this week.
EDGE Markus Golden
We expect the veteran Markus Golden to see the bulk of the snaps in place of T.J. Watt this week. Josh Allen is an athletic guy and so it’s all about keeping him in the pocket and not letting him break contain. Golden has the experience to understand assignment football.
CB Joey Porter Jr.
The passing game for both teams will be limited due to the weather but if Allen has a chance to get the football to Stephon Diggs he will do it. Joey Porter Jr. should be following Diggs everywhere on Sunday trying to keep him off balance.
C Mason Cole
The weak link of the offensive line is Mason Cole and with so much pressure on the run game this week, that means there is even more pressure on Cole to control the middle of the line of scrimmage and make good snaps in bad conditions.
LB Myles Jack
We love how hard Elandon Roberts is playing with an injury but with how much the Bills are going to run the football, we are banking on Myles Jack being the spy who keeps a close eye on Allen.
TE Pat Freiermuth
Throwing the football is going to be more than a challenge in frigid temperatures, snow and swirling winds so the deep passing game isn’t going to be there. But this could open up chances for Pat Freiermuth on a day when Mason Rudolph is going to need a safety valve in the passing game.
