The Steelers had to grit out a tough 16-10 win against the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium, leaning on their defense and a 79-yard touchdown pass from Devlin Hodges to James Washington.
But on a day when nothing else worked for the Steelers' offense, they needed Benny Snell to keep drives alive and protect the football late. It led to an old school Steelers ending, pounding the defense with tough runs that closed out the team's second road win of 2019:
After three quarters, Snell had only 12 carries for 35 yards and the Steelers' leading rusher was the recently signed free agent Kerrith Whyte with six carries for 43 yards.
But when the Steelers needed him, Snell came up huge with 63 yards on nine carries in the fourth quarter. He finished the game with 98 yards on 21 carries, and accounted for two of the Steelers' five third down conversions on the game. That fits right into the 'closer' title I suggested he might fit last month in his game against the Chargers.
Snell took advantage of the holes opened for him and got the yards created by the Steelers' offensive line. When I wrote about the offensive line last week, I indicated the Steelers' running backs had to capitalize in their holes more.
Watch how Snell does just that on this six yard gain off the right tackle. Zach Banner bullies Sam Hubbard to the outside while Matt Feiler dominates Germaine Pratt. Even Washington gets involved where he controls Shawn Williams at the point of attack:
The Steelers desperately needed a running back who could hit his hole hard and with confidence while falling forward. Snell is good for that because once he accelerates he braces for contact and plows forward. Results from that can be seen in plays like this run.
Notice how Snell is first contacted by a defender at the Steelers' 48-yard line, but lowers his shoulder with two hands on the ball and gets four yards added to the run:
But the biggest gripe I've had on Snell has been his inability to make player miss in space to get extra yardage. As the game continued against the Bengals, we saw that start to emerge.
Watch how Snell makes this work out in space as the offensive line folds the Bengals' defense inside. The Steelers showed a similar run play to Conner last week , but he was tackled by cornerback Greedy Williams.
Snell wasn't letting that happen when he got his one-on-one with Darqueze Dennard on third-and-1. Dennard charges inside on Snell, but the rookie running back dips outside for extra yards, gaining 21 to extend the drive and put the Steelers in field goal range:
Even if Snell isn't naturally gifted with several different skills to make everyone miss in space, he can be a threat just by seeing the holes in front of him and knowing the situation.
So when he closed out the game with a 13-yard carry on 2nd-and-6, I was impressed by how Snell patiently followed his blockers, turned upfield, and then made sure to get down in bounds. You can even see him point to the referee after the play to indicate he wanted to make sure he was in bounds and the clock could roll to victory:
Snell certainly isn't a full time favorite for that job, but his performance against the Bengals further suggest how he fits to the puzzle.
The Steelers most likely need Snell as part of a one-two punch from their backfield, with Conner being the leading jab they keep opponents at a distance all game. Conner's injury history continues to show he's not reliable for a heavy workload.
However with him as the receiving back and starter for most of the game, and Snell taking over late, the Steelers may have a recipe to tire down opponents without wearing down their backs. That style of attack may be necessary as the offense searches for answers in the team's 2019 playoff push.
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MORE CLASSROOM
Nov. 22: Fichtner doing enough?
Nov. 21: Where are the tight ends?
Nov. 20: Right direction for run defense
Nov. 19: What’s Rudolph’s standard?
