Bell catching on as second option
PITTSBURGH – The Steelers, like everyone else, knew their receiving corps held Antonio Brown as the No. 1 option and everyone else was going to fall into place somewhere behind the two-time Pro Bowl receiver.
But Pittsburgh (4-3) has yet to find a true second target among the other five wide receivers on the roster as it heads into the halfway point of its season Sunday against Indianapolis (5-2).
Then again, with the way running back Le’Veon Bell is being used, the No. 2 receiving target is clearly Bell.
After recording a career-high eight receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown in the 30-23 victory over the Houston Texans Monday night at Heinz Field, Bell has 36 catches for 339 yards. He needs nine more catches to surpass his season total from his rookie season last year. The team record for a running back of 51 receptions, set by John L. Williams in 1994, should fall in the next few weeks.
“I definitely take a lot of pride in it because sometimes the running game can be a little tough,” said Bell, who passed Mike Wallace for the most yards from scrimmage by a Pittsburgh player in his first two seasons with 2,197.
“You have to find other ways to make plays. I just thank the coaches and the guys for giving me the opportunity to make plays in the passing game.”
Bell, who has 599 rushing yards, did just that against the Texans. He provided a big spark midway through the second quarter when the Steelers’ offense was struggling. On third-and-10 at the Pittsburgh 14-yard line, Bell ran an option route out of the backfield.
With Brown and receivers Martavis Bryant and Darrius Heyward-Bey running deep patterns that took Houston’s defensive backs downfield, Bell was matched up one-on-one with linebacker Brian Cushing. Bell had the option of turning outside, upfield or inside. With the middle of the field empty, he broke inside, caught a Ben Roethlisberger pass and took it for a 43-yard gain to set up Pittsburgh’s first score, a field goal by Shaun Suisham.
“They were in man-to-man. He won versus a linebacker, and we not only converted the third down but we flipped the field,” said head coach Mike Tomlin. “And I think that provided the type of emotion that the group needed. “
Bell’s contributions in the passing game weren’t unexpected, but they have been needed. The Steelers have struggled to find the right combination of receivers to pair with Brown, who leads the NFL in both receptions (50) and yardage (719) to go with five touchdowns.
The Steelers mixed and matched receiver pairings Monday, playing Markus Wheaton, Lance Moore, Heyward-Bey and Bryant. Justin Brown, the No. 3 receiver in the first six games, was inactive to make room on the roster for Bryant, who was active for the first time.
A week after being targeted by Roethlisberger 11 times in a 31-10 loss at Cleveland, Wheaton, who has 24 catches, was thrown to twice against the Texans and did not have a reception.
Bryant, meanwhile, caught two passes for 40 yards, including a 35-yard TD in the second quarter that was the first reception of his career. Moore had two receptions for 12 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown from Brown on a wide-receiver-option pass. And Heyward-Bey made a leaping third-down grab over the middle for a 17-yard gain from the Pittsburgh 2 that helped the Steelers get the ball away from their own goal line.
“When called upon, a lot of different guys delivered,” said Tomlin. “Maybe there’s not a second, third, or fourth (wide receiver) per se, but situationally, or by package, or by concept, we’ll just continue to work that division of labor and continue to put those guys in a position to do what they do best. And (we’ll be) leaning on the physical strengths of all the men.”
As long as Bell continues to produce – he leads all AFC players with 44 plays (26 rushing, 18 receiving) that have resulted in first downs – it might not matter.
Tomlin said a fourth-quarter reception by Brown that was ruled a touchdown but overturned by replay should have remained a score. … Right tackle Marcus Gilbert will undergo concussion protocol this week and is questionable to play against Indianapolis. … Tomlin said linebacker Ryan Shazier and safety Shamarko Thomas have a good chance to play this week. Shazier has missed the past four games with a knee injury. Thomas has missed two games with a hamstring injury.