Steelers' decision to bench Payton Wilson killed two birds with one stone thanks to the return of Cole Holcomb

"You can't say enough about his mental toughness," said Tomlin of Holcomb during his Tuesday presser. It has nothing to do with what he's doing right now from a playing perspective. But there's a loneliness that comes with rehabilitation, and to see his commitment through the process, his unwavering commitment, his display of mental toughness, his general attitude, I think those are the things that are really significant and why we're looking at the contributions that he's able to make now. He's just a really mentally-tough guy. He's got an awesome relationship with football. He appreciates what others might view as drudgery, he enjoys it, and I think that helps him in a big way."

After letting up over 100 yards to running backs in the first two weeks of the season, the Steelers inserted Holcomb into the lineup, and the top two backs in New England both rushed for only 28 yards. Sure, some of that was due to better play from Keeanu Benton and the other big guys up front, but Holcomb was a key cog in Week 3, and he may be a serious solution to the Steelers' defensive woes going forward.