At the start of the 2019 season, many had Sunday Night Football’s Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Chargers game circled for a variety of reasons. It was to be a match-up between two AFC Super Bowl contenders, and a rematch from an epic game last season. It was going to be the seventh showdown between Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers from the heralded 2004 quarterback draft class. But, entering the game, none of those story lines were relevant. Instead, the struggling Chargers welcomed the injury-plagued Steelers. For Pittsburgh, reliance on young players, including rookies, combined with injuries left them with one win in five games. Tantalizingly close in some games, Pittsburgh entered needing their young guys to find a way to pull out a win. That is just what they did, as the Pittsburgh Steelers youth movement carried the day.
Pittsburgh Steelers Youth Movement in Full Swing
Rookie Leads the Defense Again
Devin Bush has been worth every bit the Steelers gave up to draft him in the top-10 of the 2019 NFL Draft. In Sunday’s game against the Chargers, Bush made an impact from almost the first whistle. After applying all the pressure in the world on Rivers during the Chargers first drive, the defense did more of the same on the second drive. On the Chargers sixth play of the game, Rivers threw the ball behind Melvin Gordon while under extreme pressure. Ruled a lateral, Bush picked the ball up and dove into the endzone for the first scoop-and-score of his career. On the next possession, Bush picked Rivers off for his second career interception. In just 10 plays for the Chargers, Bush had two turnovers on his own. His final stat line also included seven tackles as he led the team for the third time this season.
Bush has been everything fans could have hoped for from the guy out of Michigan. He has recorded at least seven tackles in each game so far. The 52 tackles Bush has accumulated through six games has him in the top-10 in the league and tops among rookies. He is on pace to exceed 100 tackles and easily pass former Defensive Rookie of the Year Kendrell Bell who had 99 for the Steelers in 2003. No defensive player has hit the century mark in tackles since Lawrence Timmons had 114 in 2016. If Bush can add more sacks or turnovers, or both, he could seriously earn Defensive Rookie of the Year honors for himself. Currently, Bush has the second-best odds behind San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa.
Steelers Defense is Loaded with Young Players
Bush is just one of many young guys that make up the defense. Sunday’s starting lineup had an average age of 25.5 years. The average experience of that lineup was 4.7 years in the NFL. Following the acquisition of Minkah Fitzpatrick from the Miami Dolphins, the defense sports 10 first-round draft choices. All that youth has speed and a physicality to it that the Steelers had been lacking the past few seasons.
Against the Chargers, the Steelers defense forced multiple turnovers for the fifth straight game. They held Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler to a combined 76 all-purpose yards. Rivers was able to throw for more than 300 yards, but he was just the second quarterback to do that to this defense this season. Pittsburgh’s defense also held the Chargers to 32 rushing yards, the fewest they’ve allowed all season. There is no doubt that the defense was rocked in the first game against the New England Patriots. But as the season has progressed, their cohesiveness has improved and they are playing better and better each week.
Pittsburgh Steelers Youth Movement has Touched the Offense too
The defense isn’t the only area where young guys have taken over. The skill positions for the Steelers have taken on a much more youthful appearance. Excluding the injured Roethlisberger, the quarterback group has an average age of 24 years old. The average amount of experience among the three is just two years. That translates to a lot of uneven production. Both Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges were prolific passers at the college level. So far neither quarterback has pushed the ball downfield, although that could come down to the nature of their starts. Rudolph took over as the starter on the fly following the injury to Roethlisberger. Hodges did the same for Rudolph when he went down with a concussion.
Hodges played well in his first start as an undrafted rookie. He executed the game plan that was given to him, throwing for 132 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Most of the production came from the young group of running backs that showed out against the Chargers. James Conner had 41 yards rushing and 78 yards receiving with two touchdowns, one through the air and one on the ground. Benny Snell also stepped up for the injured Jaylen Samuels and had himself a career day. He rushed for 75 yards and picked up 14 yards through the air. Snell has had a very slow start to his career, but Sunday’s game was a great display of the talent he does possess.
On the Horizon
All of the youth on the roster can lead to a roller coaster of performances. The way the defense played in Week 1 is a far cry from the way they played on Sunday. The offense has been a roller coaster almost every week. That comes with young guys trying to establish themselves as professionals. The weeks ahead will be full of challenges for this young team. But the more they learn and fight together, the better team they will become. By the end of the season, people will find that these kids are alright.
Main Photo
