The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Indianapolis Colts last night on Monday Night Football . While the game was not without execution flaws, it was the best game of the season for this young offense. The running game has been a bit hit or miss this season with RB1 Najee Harris not always performing at the level that is expected. Harris’ backup, Jaylen Warren has been the opposite. The undrafted player has been showing up and showing out. So when Warren, injured in the first half of Week 11, was ruled out for the game in Indy, fans were concerned. However, a name from the past, Benny Snell Jr., appeared and he was the hero we didn’t know we needed.
Head Coach Mike Tomlin speaks often about the difference between starting players and those on the practice squad, saying it is a matter of opportunity. Monday night, Snell got to live Tomlin’s “next man up” adage and have his opportunity.
When Snell lost the backup role to Warren in training camp, most fans assumed they wouldn’t see much of him this season. His number got called and Snell did not miss a beat. After Harris went out with an abdominal injury at the end of the first half, the fate of the run game landed solidly on his and Anthony McFarland‘s shoulders. Snell had 12 rushing attempts for 62 yards, averaging 5.2 yards per carry with 1 touchdown. That touchdown happened to be the game-winning touchdown.
Snell did all of this while still performing on special teams. Tomlin called it a “battlefield promotion.”
Tomlin said:
“A guy like Benny Snell became a central part of what we were doing offensively and he was still on punt team, he was still on punt return, he was still on kickoff. Ant Mac’s a guy that’s always working and waiting for his opportunity and he did some things that we saw in team development in the preseason that make him a little different than some of the other backs… I just thought he was an asset to us.”
After the game, quarterback, Kenny Pickett said he never had any doubts about Snell’s abilities. He said he played with him a lot in training camp and that they have good chemistry and confidence in each other’s skills.
Pickett to reporters in the locker room:
“I absolutely love playing with Benny and what he does for us when he’s in there.”
Pickett also talked to reporters about that play call. He said that Coach Tomlin puts a lot of faith in him and the other players and trusts them to make the right calls. Pickett said he had been watching tape all week and felt like that play was something other teams were not doing. The Steelers were already in 4-down territory, according to Pickett, so it was worth a shot. He felt confident they could execute it successfully. And boy did they ever.
Snell has been the brunt of a lot of criticism since joining the Steelers in 2019. The reality is he has fallen short in the past, but he continues to pick himself up and keep trying. Instead of being bitter and angry and allowing that to cloud his work, Snell uses that chip on his shoulder to propel himself forward. He does not allow the negative talk to get in his head and he was finally rewarded for his continued efforts. It was wonderful to see Snell get the credit he deserves for his hard work.
How much of an impact do you think Snell had on the game? Click to comment below.
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