Pittsburgh Steelers Week 7 Stock Report

The Pittsburgh Steelers managed to pull out a 25-13 home win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 6, bringing their record to 4-2 on the season. We're still at least a week away from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger returning to the field after suffering a knee injury in Week 3, but the team has picked up the slack in his absence thus far, dropping only one game without the starter.

So who did favors to their stock in the Week 6 victory, and who did damage? Here's the Steelers' stock report headed into Week 7's meeting with the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Stock Up: QB Landry Jones

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After Steelers quarterback Mike Vick suffered a third-quarter hamstring injury against the Cardinals in Week 6, there was only one man the team could call upon: Landry Jones. The 2013 Round 4 draft pick was promoted to the 46-man game-day roster in Week 4 to serve as Vick's backup. He had never dressed for a regular-season game before then.

Jones, by merit of his three years of experience in Todd Haley's offense, brought a spark to the Steelers that ultimately led to a victory. He completed eight of his 12 passes for 168 yards and threw two touchdowns, both to Steelers receiver Martavis Bryant. 

With Vick's hamstring still a problem and Ben Roethlisberger at least one week away from coming back from an injury of his own, Jones will be the starter against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. And depending on how he performs, he could leapfrog Vick to be the No. 2 quarterback upon Roethlisberger's return, even if Vick is healthy.

This is the opportunity Jones has been angling for since being drafted in 2013. While it may not set him up to be a full-time starter in Pittsburgh any time soon, it is a chance for him to showcase all he's learned in the past three summers and to prove he, and not Vick, should be the backup for Roethlisberger going forward.

Stock Down: QB Mike Vick

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It's not the hamstring injury that has quarterback Mike Vick's stock on the decline this week; rather, it's the performance he put forth against the Cardinals.

Before the third-quarter injury, Vick had completed just three of his eight pass attempts for six yards. He also took a sack that cost the team five yards, which brought Pittsburgh's net passing yards to just one before Landry Jones took over.

Vick's time as the Steelers quarterback has been a rough one. He has completed only 40 of his 66 pass attempts for 371 yards (or just 74.2 yards per game), two touchdowns and one interception while being sacked 10 times. 

Vick has had less than two months to acclimate to Pittsburgh's offense and playbook, and it shows. It also doesn't help that the offense and Vick's skill set as a quarterback don't entirely mesh, either. Given how Vick had looked on the field, especially against the Cardinals, it's possible the Steelers would have turned to Jones in Week 7 even if Vick hadn't gotten hurt.

Stock Up: WR Martavis Bryant

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No Steelers player benefited more from the quarterback change from Mike Vick to Landry Jones last Sunday than receiver Martavis Bryant.

Bryant, who made his 2015 debut after being suspended for the first four games of the season and inactive in Week 5, had just two catches on two targets for eight yards in the first half of the Steelers' defeat of the Cardinals.

But once Jones took over, so did Bryant. Of Jones' 168 passing yards, 125 belonged to Bryant, who ended the day with six catches on eight targets for 137 yards and two scores. One of those touchdowns went for 88 yards, making up the bulk of his production in the game.

Bryant is a fast, big field-stretcher of a receiver, and Jones was able to take advantage of the coverage mismatches the wideout creates. Those mismatches will continue to be a boon for Pittsburgh's offense going forward, which means an ever-growing role for Bryant and more touchdown catches in his future.

Stock Down: CB Antwon Blake

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Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer clearly had the impression that Steelers cornerback Antwon Blake was the weak link in the team's pass coverage in Week 6, and unfortunately for the Steelers, Palmer was right.

According to Pro Football Focus, Blake was targeted 13 times, allowing nine receptions for 163 yards, 65 yards after the catch and one touchdown. He also had one pass defensed. Whether it was Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd or John Brown, whenever Palmer saw Blake one-on-one with one of his top receivers, he was sure to throw it his way.

Blake's poor performance is only highlighted by how well the rest of the Steelers' coverage unit performed. Taking away Blake's numbers, the defense allowed 20 receptions on 31 targets for 258 yards, zero touchdowns, two interceptions and three passes defensed.

Even worse? Blake is now hurt; Dale Lolley of the Observer-Reporter spotted him with a cast on his wrist on Wednesday, and according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Chris Adamski, Blake did not practice.

A bad week of work combined with an injury is not a good combination for Blake, who needs a chance to prove he can bounce back from his performance against the Cardinals.

Stock Up: LB James Harrison

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According to Pro Football Focus, Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison played 50 snaps against the Cardinals in Week 6, and he made his presence felt in a big way.

Harrison totaled four combined tackles, two tackles for a loss, one sack and three quarterback hurries in the win. It's proof that the 37-year-old defender hasn't slowed much, even if he's not on the field for every Steelers defensive play.

On the season, Harrison has 22 combined tackles, two sacks, five quarterback hits and 13 hurries and 10 defensive stops while playing 58.2 percent of the Steelers' total defensive snaps, per PFF. He's making a significant impact not just in the pass rush but also the run defense, and the difference is noticeable. 

All of Pittsburgh's outside linebackers have made pass-rushing impacts this year. Rookie Bud Dupree has three sacks, Arthur Moats has 1.5 and Jarvis Jones has one. But none is making the same kind of all-around impact that Harrison is, and for that, his stock is certainly trending upward.