Nov 17, 2018 6 min read

We finally have closure in the Le’Veon Bell situation. And it wasn’t something a lot of people thought would happen.

Bell will sit out the entire 2018 season after refusing to report by last Tuesday’s deadline for franchised players to do so.

Some feel it’s good riddance, and that could certainly be the case if James Conner continues to produce as he has. But if Conner were to get injured, then what?

Do you feel good about the Steelers’ chances with Stevan Ridley carrying the ball 20 times? How about Jaylen Samuels?

Certainly, it would be those two attempting to replace Conner if something happened, but their production will not be close to matching that of Conner or Bell.

The Steelers are all-in with Conner. And that’s fine. He’s been better than anyone could have imagined.

But it would have been nice to have Bell available down the stretch, even as a backup.

• It’s been repeated that Conner’s production is better than that of Bell. That’s simply not true.

People, it seems, have a short memory. When the Steelers committed to their running game down the stretch in 2016, Bell had one of the greatest stretches by any running back in league history.

In his final seven games that season, Bell rushed for 897 yards with seven touchdowns. He added another 333 yards and two scores on 39 pass receptions. That’s an average of 175.7 yards from scrimmage per game.

Then, he was even better in the postseason, setting the team playoff rushing record in back-to-back games, gaining 167 and then 170 yards in wins over Miami and Kansas City.

Yes, he got hurt the next week in the first quarter against New England in the AFC Championship, but the Steelers don’t make it there without his efforts.

So, let’s not try to rewrite history.

• While the whole thing didn’t work out as they planned, the Steelers came out the Bell situation in really good shape, especially if Conner stays healthy.

Not only did the Steelers find their running back of the future – something that was in question because of an injury-plagued rookie season by Conner – they also saved $14.54 million against this year’s salary cap.

That’s significant considering they have just more than $19 million in cap space this season. Any unused cap space can be rolled over into next year, which will give Pittsburgh over $30 million.

The Steelers have never had $19 million in cap space available during a season. They always spend right up to the cap. And they’ve never had $30 million available going into an offseason.

That doesn’t mean they’ll go crazy in free agency. It’s just not their way.

But if they want to add a player – say a cornerback – they’ll have the means with which to do so.

• Jacksonville is not nearly as daunting an opponent as it was last season. The defense is still good, but the offense has regressed. The Jaguars have scored on only nine of 20 red zone possessions.

That’s awful on a lot of levels.

The 45 percent touchdown rate is tied with the Miami Dolphins for second-worst in the league behind only Buffalo (19 percent).

And the Jaguars’ 20 trips inside the red zone is two fewer than the Steelers’ successful trips inside the opposing 20. The Steelers are 22 of 28 in the red zone, a 78.6 percent conversion rate that leads the league.

This week’s picks

Steelers plus 5 ½ at Jaguars: The biggest reason for Jacksonville’s fall from grace? The Jaguars were plus-10 in turnover ratio last season, bolstered by their 21 interceptions. They have five interceptions this season – the same number they had against Ben Roethlisberger in a 30-9 regular-season win at Heinz Field last season – and are minus-11. Jacksonville’s defense is still stout but the Steelers will move the ball. Pittsburgh is 14-1-1 in its past 16 road games, an amazing statistic, and should add another win, 26-17.

Ravens (no line) over Bengals: There’s no line in this game given the Ravens’ uncertain quarterback situation. Joe Flacco, though, isn’t going to play. It should have been – and still could be – rookie Lamar Jackson, but he missed practice Thursday with a stomach virus. That means Robert Griffin III could get the start, which isn’t a bad one-game option. The Bengals’ defense is reeling and it’s unlikely A.J. Green plays in this game. That doesn’t bode well for the Bengals, who have the league’s worst-rated defense. The Ravens should win regardless of who plays quarterback – especially if it’s not Flacco – in a low-scoring, 20-17 victory.

Chiefs plus 3 ½ over Rams: It’s not often you see a 9-1 team getting points on the road, let alone more than a field goal. The Chiefs are good enough to win, even with the game now being played in Los Angeles after it was moved from a neutral site in Mexico City because of poor field conditions. What everyone really wants to know is if the score will go over the 63½-point total. Since 1986, there have been 13 games with over/unders of 57 or more in the NFL. They’ve all gone over. That should happen again as the Chiefs cover in a 38-35 loss to the Rams.

Panthers minus-5 over Lions: The Panthers got embarrassed last week by the Steelers but have had 10 days to prepare for this game. They will find all kinds of running lanes against Detroit’s defense and the Lions are banged up and have allowed quarterback Matthew Stafford to be sacked 16 times in their past two games. The Panthers should get back on the right track with a 30-17 win.

Titans plus 1 ½ at Indianapolis: The Colts have gotten into playoff contention with three wins in a row, but those wins have come against Buffalo, Oakland and Jacksonville. That’s not exactly a who’s who of good NFL talent. The Titans turned things around on offense once they decided to use Dion Lewis as their lead back – and got Marcus Mariota healthy. Tennessee’s defense is legit and should keep Colts quarterback Andrew Luck in check in a 27-24 victory.