{"id":9364,"date":"2016-12-31T18:18:26","date_gmt":"2016-12-31T23:18:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=9364"},"modified":"2016-12-31T18:18:26","modified_gmt":"2016-12-31T23:18:26","slug":"resting-starters-crucial-pittsburgh-steelers-postseason-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2016\/12\/31\/resting-starters-crucial-pittsburgh-steelers-postseason-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Resting Starters is Crucial to Pittsburgh Steelers Postseason Success"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this week\u2019s injury report<\/a>, the Pittsburgh Steelers listed three players as out, and two as questionable.\u00a0 On the defensive side of the ball, safety Robert Golden<\/a><\/strong> and defensive end Stephon Tuitt<\/a><\/strong> are both ruled out, while linebacker Anthony Chickillo<\/a> <\/strong>is listed as questionable.\u00a0 On offense, tight end Ladarius Green<\/a><\/strong> is out with a concussion still while fellow tight end, Xavier Grimble<\/a><\/strong>, is listed as questionable.<\/p>\n

Resting Starters is Crucial to the Pittsburgh Steelers Postseason Success<\/h2>\n

Many have been wondering if the Steelers would decide to rest some of their starters with the third seed in the AFC already wrapped up.\u00a0 The Steelers face their divisional rival, the Cleveland Browns, who just won their first game of the season last week against the San Diego Chargers.\u00a0 Browns head coach Hue Jackson<\/strong> says that he\u2019ll believe the Steelers starters are resting when he sees it happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s his choice,” Jackson said<\/a>. \u00a0\u201cHe gets to do what he wants to do. We’ll know more when we walk out there. I’ll believe it when I see it. I’m not going to worry about that. I’m worried about us playing well. All I can do is coach our team.”<\/p>\n

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin<\/strong> says that he plans on resting the \u201cthree B\u2019s\u201d (Ben Roethlisberger<\/a>, Le\u2019Veon Bell <\/strong>and Antonio Brown<\/a>)<\/strong>, but that he doesn\u2019t plan on resting any other healthy starters.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I envision going in playing with the guys on the active list and playing to win,” he said. \u00a0\u201cUnder the procedure that we’re going through in terms of playing this game, it doesn’t mean that we care any less about winning. Every week, we fill out an inactive list. Those that are not on the list are expected to do what is required to win. This week is no different.\u201d<\/p>\n

Le’Veon Bell<\/a>‘s Workload<\/h3>\n

Le\u2019Veon Bell has become a candidate for league MVP in his last few games, but he\u2019s also had quite a heavy workload over those games.\u00a0 In the past three games combined, Bell has carried the ball 81 times.\u00a0 With 261 carries on the season, that means that Bell received 31 percent of his carries this season in just the past three games.\u00a0 While Bell definitely could use some rest, fellow running back\u00a0DeAngelo Williams<\/a><\/strong> hasn\u2019t played since early November in the Steelers first matchup with the Ravens.\u00a0 Williams started the year looking like a solid backup to Bell, racking up 143 yards on 26 carries in the season opener against the Washington Redskins.\u00a0 Once Bell returned from his suspension in week 4, Williams didn\u2019t play nearly as much.\u00a0 Getting Williams back on track against the Browns will be a big boost to the offense, especially Bell since he won\u2019t feel like he has to do as much to carry the team.<\/p>\n

Resting Roethlisberger<\/h3>\n

Landry Jones<\/a> <\/strong>will be getting the start at quarterback in place of Roethlisberger.\u00a0 Jones is 1-2 as a starting quarterback in his career, with four touchdown passes and five interceptions.\u00a0 Starting Jones gives Roethlisberger a much-needed extra game in order to get completely healthy.\u00a0 Of course, Roethlisberger had surgery this season to repair his meniscus, so any extra time to rest will surely be appreciated.\u00a0 On top of Roethlisberger getting rest, Jones gets some needed playing time heading into the playoffs.\u00a0 If Roethlisberger were to get injured again, it\u2019s important to have Jones ready to go and in a bit of a groove. \u00a0Plus, while Jones may not be the Steelers quarterback of the future, a little showcase for him at the end of the year might help drive up his value and interest for the impending free agent.<\/p>\n

O-Line Wants to Keep their Rhythm<\/h3>\n

Many believe that Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey<\/a><\/strong> will also get some needed rest in this game, but the Steelers offensive line has stated that they don\u2019t want any rest in order to stay in their rhythm.<\/p>\n

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Steelers offensive linemen uniformly saying they’re not looking to rest vs Browns, even w\/ 3 seed locked up. Keep citing rhythm.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) December 26, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It might be a good idea to get David DeCastro<\/a><\/strong> some rest too since he\u2019s also had some injury issues this year, as well as Alejandro Villanueva<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0 Villanueva is in charge of protecting Roethlisberger\u2019s blind side, and an injury to him could be catastrophic to the Steelers offense.\u00a0 Although the offensive line doesn\u2019t want to lose their rhythm, they may need to think about weighing the pros and cons of playing in this game.\u00a0 A win doesn\u2019t mean anything and neither does a loss.\u00a0 The biggest victory the Steelers can achieve from this game is leaving the stadium with everyone healthy.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n