Mike Tomlin is a man of many clichés. Fans should find themselves entertained Tomlin’s exhaustive use of them, but with the Pittsburgh Steelers just one win away from advancing to the Super Bowl, there’s one cliché that Tomlin has yet to use at a press conference: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
The Steelers have heavily used Le’Veon Bell during their first two games of the playoffs, and for good reason. The former Michigan State Spartan has carried the ball 59 times for 337 yards, the most rushing yards in a player’s first two career playoff games in NFL history. And the Steelers have used Bell in various situations. Whether they’re up and managing the clock against the Miami Dolphins, or attacking the Kansas City Chiefs right out of the gate, the elusive back has been the biggest part of the offense. After a highly successful season, Bell has elevated his game even more on the big stage known as the NFL playoffs. In the postseason, every game becomes the biggest game of the year, and yes, there’s another one looming in Foxborough Sunday night.
Le’Veon Bell Key to AFC Championship Win and Super Bowl Run for Pittsburgh Steelers
Bell By the Numbers
When Bell was named team MVP after a vote from his fellow teammates, there was still a very strong case for Ben Roethlisberger winning the award. But Bell’s performance, and the Steelers use of him as the central part of the offense, is why he was named Steelers MVP instead of Big Ben. The big reason why the Steelers have had the success over this nine-game winning streak is Bell’s performance. He rushed for 1,172 yards during that streak, and that’s not including the season finale against the Cleveland Browns. Almost 1,200 yards in eight games is ridiculous. Bell has become the go-to guy on offense, and, at this point, the offense thrives or dies depending on his ability to inflict damage on the opposing defense.
Bell Will Be Needed to Defeat New England Patriots
Now all these stats are impressive, but they’re just stats. A team doesn’t necessarily win conference championships or Super Bowls by a star player hitting in-game yardage milestones. The Steelers now face their biggest challenge of the season. This Sunday Bell and the rest of the Steelers will be going to Gillette Stadium and to try to defeat Bill Belichick and Tom Brady and the rest of the New England Patriots.
This is something the Steelers have never done before. Pittsburgh has beaten them at Heinz Field, and they’ve beaten Belichick in Foxborough, but that was in 2008 when Matt Cassell was quarterback because Brady was injured. The big time headline for this AFC Championship is “Roethlisberger vs. Brady,” but the Steelers have to stick with what’s working. Big Ben shouldn’t have to throw the ball fifty times to win Sunday. The Steelers need to give the Patriots defense a heavy dosage of Bell.
Belichick is widely known for taking away his opposition’s biggest strength, and if he’s as smart as he’s known to be, limiting Bell will be priority number one for the New England defense. If the Steelers run the ball successfully, like they have against Miami and Kansas City, they will move the ball up and down the field and manage the clock, thus keeping Brady on the sideline. Belichick is going to draw up something to take away Bell. He always does. Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley has said in the past that good offenses execute plays, even if the opposing defense knows what’s coming.
That is what the Steelers have to do.
Pittsburgh must continue to run the ball, even if Belichick tries to take that away. The great thing is that if the Steelers run successfully despite Belichick’s efforts to stop it, The Hoodie will have to alter his game plan, and that is how the Steelers will gain the advantage. Remember, they still have a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Big Ben. And, despite his Facebook Live issues, they still have one of the best receivers in the league in Antonio Brown.
The Killer B’s
The Steelers need all three of the “Killer B’s” (Big Ben, Bell and Brown) to stay healthy to win the Super Bowl. If one of them goes down, it’s very difficult to believe that Pittsburgh can get past New England and then beat either the Green Bay Packers or Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl. But Bell, however, is the meal ticket now. The offense creates opportunity after opportunity when Bell is the central figure, whether that’s running the ball and managing the clock, or spreading out the defense and utilizing both the run and pass. Bell is the workhorse and the decoy. Defenses have to account for him, and with that dominant offensive line blocking up front, he should have a field day on Sunday.
The Steelers will go as far as Bell takes them. They voted him their MVP. Now, they’re one game away from the Super Bowl. Bell’s legs are strong enough to get them there. They need to continue to ring that Bell.
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