Oct 9, 2016 4 min read

PITTSBURGH – Redemption was the word of the day for the Steelers against the New York Jets Sunday.

Going into the Steelers’ 31-13 victory, all eyes were on offensive lineman Chris Hubbard.

But that attention soon turned to wide receiver Sammie Coates.

Hubbard, a third-year interior lineman, was pressed into duty at right tackle because of injuries to Marcus Gilbert and Ryan Harris.

Considering Hubbard struggled at offensive tackle in the preseason, it was going to be a tall task to face a very active Jets defensive line.

Coates, meanwhile, caught a 72-yard bomb for a touchdown on Pittsburgh’s first possession, then went through a stretch where he had five passes hit him in the hands without coming up with a catch.

That hurts. But not as badly as the cut Coates suffered between his index and middle finger on his left hand during the first half.

It required a quick stitch-up job at halftime and after a couple of misfires, Coates finally got going again, catching the final four passes thrown his way in a career game. He finished with six receptions for 139 yards and two scores.

Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown get a lot of credit when things work well for the Steelers, but it is often some of the unsung players who are just as responsible for wins.

That was certainly the case Sunday for Hubbard and Coates.

Hubbard showed he could play tackle in the NFL despite concerns in the preseason.

On Pittsburgh’s second pass of the game, New York’s Muhammad Wilkerson, a Pro Bowl player, lined up opposite Hubbard. As Roethlisberger dropped back to pass, tight end Jesse James chipped the big defensive end. Then, receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey bumped him on his way into a pass pattern.

By the time Wilkerson got to Hubbard, Roethlisberger had unleashed a bomb to Coates that turned into a 72-yard TD.

“Those guys really helped me out,” Hubbard admitted. “Being able to chip and that stuff really took off the pressure.”

As the game wore on, however, the Steelers realized Hubbard could hold his own without all of the help.

“I was watching him when they were sliding to his side,” said right guard David DeCastro, who was lined up next to Hubbard. “He was doing a great job. They kept on running games and he did a good job with it.”

Wilkerson finished with three tackles but no sacks and no hurries as the Steelers allowed just one sack in the game.

While that was happening, Coates was struggling. He’s not sure when he cut his finger. But it could have happened on a pass down the sideline in the second quarter when he attempted to come back to the ball against Darryl Roberts. Coates got both hands on the third-down pass but dropped it at the New York 10-yard line.

Then came a drop inside the 10 on Pittsburgh’s next possession. The next one was a drop on first-and-goal from the 1 in the end zone.

After two more drops early in the second half, he pulled backup quarterback Landry Jones aside and had Jones throw him some passes, simply to get the feel back.

“Just to see the ball into my hands and see if I could catch cleanly, looking the ball in,” Coates said. “It was very painful but I knew I could still go.”

Four more receptions and another touchdown later proved that. On the first of those catches, when Roethlisberger went back to him for a 22-yard gain after the Jets had jumped offside, the Heinz Field crowd gave him a cheer when he held onto the pass.

“You have to bounce back and keep your confidence,” Coates said. “They still had trust, which is a good thing. It was one of those days.”

“A roller-coaster game,” said Roethlisberger. “But he bounced back. That’s the biggest thing.

“I loved to let him know that my confidence isn’t going to waver in him if he has a couple of drops.”

It never turned into one of those days for Hubbard.

Much in the same way Coates earned Roethlisberger’s trust – he now has at least one catch for 40 or more yards in each of Pittsburgh’s first five games – Hubbard got a nod from the quarterback.

“I didn’t want to get Ben sacked at all. I just wanted to take care of my quarterback and help the team win,” Hubbard said. “When we came to the sidelines with about one minute left, he told me I did a good job.”

Redemption indeed.

Dale Lolley can be reached at dlolley@observer-reporter.com.