What to Expect from Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers Offense in Week 15
The Pittsburgh Steelers will continue their charge toward the postseason as they travel to Atlanta for a Week 15 matchup against the Falcons. Rather than rely on a dominant defense as they have in the past, the Steelers will ride a red-hot offense led by one of the most talented trios in all of football.
Behind Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell, the Steelers have had one of their most prolific offenses in team history. They potentially could break upward of 12 team and individual records before the season is over, per Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
As important as each is to Pittsburgh’s offense, no one has been more important than Bell in recent weeks. Over the past three games, he has combined for 711 total yards on 7.41 yards per touch and has scored five touchdowns.
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| Games 1-10 | Games 11-13 | |
| Rushing Yards | 747 | 484 |
| Receiving Yards | 466 | 227 |
| Total Yards | 1,213 | 721 |
| Total Touchdowns | 3 | 8 |
This production has earned him the AFC Player of the Week for his performance against the Cincinnati Bengals, and Scott Brown of ESPN.com mentioned him as a potential NFL MVP candidate. Expect him to continue to put up MVP-like numbers against the Falcons.
Atlanta’s defense is worst in the league in yards allowed and 24th in points against. That is good news for one of the most productive offenses in the entire league.
Todd Haley has a plethora of options at his disposal, but none will be better than using Bell in both the running and passing game. His versatility makes him a valuable option whether the Steelers want to work out of the huddle or no-huddle offense.
Last week, the no-huddle offense helped the Green Bay Packers build a 24-point lead against Atlanta last week. And the Steelers have the talent to take a similar approach, but it is not necessary.
Though the Packers threw the ball early and often, they set the tone early on their first drive with two runs in their first three plays, which combined for 34 yards. Both plays went to the left side and featured Eddie Lacy finding a gaping hole created by the offensive line.
On his first carry of the game, Lacy ran to the left, where he was met by the right defensive end penetrating into the backfield.
However, Lacy cut to the outside where he took advantage of the left tackle and left guard sealing the edge.
Rather than try to run out of the no-huddle on the road, the Steelers can run their traditional offense but take advantage of the left side of their offensive line to create running lanes for Bell.
Last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, Haley used Bell and a dominant power-ground attack to dominate in the fourth quarter. Many of the yards came behind the left side of the line with David DeCastro pulling from his right guard position.
The combination of the linemen as well as blocking from the tight ends and fullback Will Johnson left Bell with ample room to accelerate through for large chunks of yardage.
Unlike the Packers, the Steelers used two tight ends on their biggest running play of the game last week. DeCastro pulled from the right to seal the outside while Heath Miller came across the line as the lead blocker.
With Kelvin Beachum and Johnson cleaning up on the inside and Miller taking out the safety, Bell was able to use his speed for a 53-yard gain.
The Counter OF, as the scheme is called, was a staple for Todd Haley last week and should continue to be a key component of the offense this week. Matt Bowen of Bleacher Report had high praise for Pittsburgh’s execution of the Counter OF:
“The Steelers run the Counter OF better than any team in the league when they pull both DeCastro and Miller. Those are athletic, physical blockers who can win at the point of attack,” Bowen wrote.
Aside from his rushing, Bell is equally as dangerous as a receiver. Roethlisberger has used Bell as a receiving outlet when he has no options downfield, and it is an effective option for the offense. He already has 71 receptions for 693 yards and three scores this season.
A strong ground game provided by Bell will open up the deep play-action pass for Roethlisberger. Whether it is Antonio Brown or Martavis Bryant, he has two very good threats to take shots down the field. Bryant was the main target last week, and he ended up catching the longest pass in the NFL this season.
Backed up deep in their zone, the Steelers lined up with a single back and appeared to be taking a safe approach while hanging on to a seven-point lead.
Rather than take the conservative approach, Haley made one of his boldest calls of the year. Roethlisberger saw that Bryant was matched up one-on-one, and he decided to take his shot. Bryant was only about 10 yards off the line of scrimmage when Roethlisberger began to throw the ball.
By this point, the cornerback was toast. Bryant has terrific straight-line speed, and there are few defenders who can run with him. He had three yards on the defender by the time the ball fell into his hands, making it as easy of a 94-yard touchdown reception that a receiver can have.
Without Bell’s running, this play cannot happen. The split second of indecision is more than enough to free up Brown, Bryant and the other receiving options for a big play in the passing game. Against the worst passing defense in the league, the Steelers can exploit this matchup.
As tempting as it will be for Haley to open up the passing attack, he must design his game plan around Bell and the ground game. Bell is the focal point of the offense, and the more productive he is, the better off the Steelers are on offense.
Note: Unless otherwise noted, all stats are courtesy of ESPN.com, and all roster information is courtesy of Steelers.com.
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