Pittsburgh Steelers Week 17 Stock Report
It's a high-pressure week for the 9-6 Pittsburgh Steelers as they close out the 2015 regular season against the Cleveland Browns in need of a win to get back into the AFC playoff picture. The Steelers could have been in much better position had they defeated the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16, but instead they fell to the then four-win team, 20-17.
After such a disappointing defeat, there are Steelers players whose stocks are falling. But there are also those who are on the rise with the Browns ahead in Week 17. Here is the final Steelers stock report for the 2015 season.
Stock Up: QB Ben Roethlisberger
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Week 16 was not a good one for Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger against the injury-depleted Baltimore Ravens defense.
Out of sorts and under pressure, Roethlisberger completed 24 of his 34 pass attempts for 215 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions. He was also sacked three times. Another interception—a goal-line pick-six—was called back by a Ravens' defensive penalty. He ended the day with a quarterback rating of just 36.6.
But, Roethlisberger seems primed for an improved week against a Browns defense that is giving up an average of 244.2 passing yards per game and 31 passing touchdowns on the season. On top of that, their top cornerbacks Joe Haden (concussions, injured reserve) and Tramon Williams (concussion) could both be off the field.
Where Roethlisberger goes, so go the Steelers. That was obvious in last week's loss, and it should be equally as obvious Sunday against the Browns. But the outcome points to a drastically different one, given his ability to put bad games behind him and how much the Browns have struggled against the pass, even when healthy, this season.
Stock Down: WR Martavis Bryant
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The Steelers'—and Ben Roethlisberger's—fortunes could have been quite different against the Ravens had receiver Martavis Bryant not had such a bad day.
Bryant was targeted three times in Week 16 but hauled in just a single catch for eight yards. His two other passes were drops, including a huge one on a deep ball on 3rd-and-15 that could have easily led to a Steelers' score and potentially a win.
With 10 dropped passes on the year, according to Pro Football Focus, Bryant has put more footballs on the ground than any other Steelers receiver and is tied for fourth in drops at the position in the league, though he is tied for just 36th in targets on the year with 85.
Yes, Bryant is a home run scorer, with six touchdowns on his 49 receptions. But his boom-or-bust style of play, particularly because of his drops, can hurt the Steelers. That was the case in Baltimore. He cannot do the same against the Browns.
Stock Up: WR Antonio Brown
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Steelers receiver Antonio Brown had nowhere near his best performance of the season against the Ravens, with seven catches on 11 targets for 61 yards. But his stock remains high heading into Week 17 for a few crucial reasons.
First, the Browns will be depleted at cornerback, with Tramon Williams in the concussion protocol and Joe Haden on injured reserve. Second, there is history: Brown has 54 career catches on 79 targets against Cleveland for 867 yards (or 96.3 yards per game) and six touchdowns (or the most he's scored against an AFC North opponent).
The third? Brown was named the Steelers' Most Valuable Player this week for the third time in his career. He is the fourth Steelers player to be a three-time MVP, winning the honors this year for being the league's second-leading receiver and the top third-down-converting receiver in the league.
A good week for Brown only appears to get better in Cleveland, given the Browns defense and how he's shredded the team in the past.
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Stock Down: The Defense
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Pittsburgh's defense should not have struggled as it did against the Ravens. Baltimore fielded its fourth starting quarterback of the season, Ryan Mallett, just 12 days after signing with the team. All of its top receivers and running backs are on injured reserve, as are two starting offensive linemen.
And still, the Ravens put forth 386 yards of total offense against Pittsburgh's defense. Mallett completed 28 of his 41 pass attempts for 274 yards, one touchdown and no turnovers. The run game had 121 rushing yards on 31 carries, with Buck Allen rushing 18 times for 79 yards and a score and Terrance West contributing 13 rushes for 42 yards. Receiver Kamar Aiken caught all eight passes thrown his way.
Coverage, tackling and the pass rush were all lacking against an offense that the Steelers should have been well-equipped to handle. This was not the kind of performance that this team needed with a playoff spot on the line, and it's a major reason for the loss. The defense will need to step up considerably in Cleveland.
Stock Up: RB DeAngelo Williams
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Considering the bad day Ben Roethlisberger and the passing offense had and how the defense struggled, it's impressive that the Steelers were within three points and one key play away from winning the game. How did that happen? DeAngelo Williams, that's how.
The running back rushed 17 times for 100 yards and two scores—the only Steelers' touchdowns of the game—and caught all six passes thrown his way for 53 yards. He had a long run of 30 yards and a catch of 22 more in the contest, proving that the 32-year-old can be a reliable source of points and yards no matter the week, circumstance or opponent.
Williams' strong running and consistent performance as a receiver have made Le'Veon Bell's season-ending knee injury less of a liability than it otherwise would have been. And his body of work against Baltimore in Week 16 kept the Steelers in the game. He should have little trouble against Cleveland's last-ranked run defense.
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