Pittsburgh Steelers Week 13 Stock Report
The Pittsburgh Steelers dropped to 6-5 on the year with their Week 12 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The loss was a big one—currently, the Steelers are the eighth-place team in the AFC and out of the playoff picture, after being securely the conference's fifth seed and in line for a wild-card postseason berth heading into Seattle.
Who had their hands in the loss, and who did the work to try to get the Steelers to a win? Here is the Steelers' stock report headed into Week 13.
Stock Up: WR Markus Wheaton
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Heading into Sunday's game, Steelers receiver Markus Wheaton had caught only 16 passes on 32 targets for 273 yards and a touchdown. But with Seattle's defense focused on bottling up fellow receivers Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant, Wheaton found himself in favorable one-on-one matchups that allowed him to have the biggest day of his career.
Wheaton was targeted 13 times and reeled in nine receptions for 201 yards and a touchdown. Bryant and Brown never got close—the former had just 69 receiving yards in the game, and the latter had 51.
While it seemed as though Wheaton was an afterthought in Pittsburgh's offense this year, he proved just how valuable he can be Sunday. The Steelers needed a receiver to deliver, and Wheaton did so and then some. They should be quite pleased that they have so many weapons in their offense.
Stock Down: The Secondary
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Pittsburgh's pass defense, particularly the secondary, struggled yet again in Week 12. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson completed 21 of his 30 pass attempts for 345 yards and a career-high five touchdowns.
Cornerbacks Ross Cockrell and Antwon Blake, along with safety Will Allen, were mostly to blame, according to Pro Football Focus' coverage numbers. Cockrell gave up nine catches on 10 targets for 125 yards and a touchdown. Blake gave up five catches for 115 yards and two scores. Allen also allowed two touchdowns and 77 yards on four passes.
This wasn't the first time that the Steelers secondary has looked bad this year, but the team is hoping it's the last. It appears that Brandon Boykin could take over slot cornerback duties, which would William Gay to work on the outside and force either Cockrell or Blake off the field.
The Steelers cannot keep giving up 300-plus passing yards on a weekly basis and still remain relevant in the playoff discussion. Hopefully, putting Boykin on the field will help matters considerably.
Stock Up: TE Jesse James
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Tight end Matt Spaeth returned in Week 12 after a two-game absence with a hand injury. But that didn't force rookie tight end Jesse James to the inactives list. James dressed for the game, alongside Spaeth and Heath Miller.
In fact, James saw more playing time than either of the veterans, with 41 snaps played to Spaeth's 25 and Miller's 30, according to Pro Football Focus. And it was James, not Spaeth, who filled in for Miller when he exited the game with a rib injury.
While James caught only one eight-yard pass on two targets in the contest, his being active and outplaying Spaeth is a sign that he's in line to be Miller's replacement as early as 2016. And, depending on Miller's health, James could also serve as a starter Sunday.
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Stock Down: Head Coach Mike Tomlin
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Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin did a lot of things right in managing the team and the game in Week 12. But two curious decisions he made has his stock dipping somewhat at present.
The first was the fake field-goal pass play at the start of the second quarter that the Seahawks saw coming from a mile away. Backup quarterback Landry Jones threw a pass to offensive tackle/tight end Alejandro Villanueva. Seattle's Jeremy Lane intercepted the pass, and the Seahawks scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive.
The second came with three minutes left in the contest, with the Steelers trailing the Seahawks 32-27. Pittsburgh marched down the field, all the way to the Seahawks' 4-yard line. But on fourth down, with time ticking away, the Steelers opted to kick the field goal.
Seattle scored on its following drive, and Jones, in for a concussed Ben Roethlisberger, threw an interception on the Steelers' final possession, leading to the final score, 39-30. Tomlin made two key choices in the game that ultimately hurt his team. There are times and places for trick plays or for being conservative on fourth downs, and Tomlin picked the wrong ones Sunday.
Stock Up: RB DeAngelo Williams
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Unsurprisingly, the Steelers did not get much production out of their run game against the Seahawks, given that Seattle's defense ranks fifth in defending the run. The Steelers rushed just 14 times Sunday for a total of 58 yards, with DeAngelo Williams leading the way with eight carries for 29 yards and a score.
But Williams was still a major part of Pittsburgh's offense in Week 12—as a receiver. He was the team's second-leading receiver on the day, catching seven passes on seven targets for 88 yards. It was the most he's been targeted at any point this season as well as his season high for receiving yards.
It was well known that Williams could certainly pick up where the injured Le'Veon Bell left off as a runner, but until Sunday, he's never been as involved in the receiving game as Bell has in the past. But Williams proved that he can be an asset as a receiver when the opportunity arises. This could add an interesting wrinkle into Pittsburgh's offense moving forward.
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