Le'Veon Bell Can Prove Something to Not Only the Steelers but Also the Jets This Sunday

Le’Veon Bell is coming off his best rushing performance as a member of the New York Jets, just in time to face his old team.

On Thursday night in a 42-21 loss at the Baltimore Ravens, Bell had 87 rushing yards on 21 carries. And while it wasn’t his biggest game in terms of total offense (Bell had just two receiving yards), it was still a welcome sign to see the Jets running back finally get some traction rushing the ball. The Jets (5-9) have to be hoping that one of the most prolific running backs of the past decade is finally rounding into form.

Not only was it Bell’s biggest rushing game of the season, it was also one of his most productive with 4.1 yards per carry. That is tied for his second best output per carry of the season.

Expectations were high for Bell coming into 2019. He signed a four-year, $52.5 million contract this offseason that included $27 million in guaranteed money. The numbers haven’t backed up the dollars invested by the Jets but injuries to the offensive line and missing quarterback Sam Darnold for much of the first quarter of the season hurt his production.

Now, coming off his best game of the year, Bell goes against the Steelers, where he was a second round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft and was three times a Pro Bowl selection.

“I expect him to practice the same way and get ready for the game the same,” Jets head coach Adam Gase told reporters on Wednesday at the team facility.

“Good thing is, he knows a lot of these guys. I talked to him on Monday, my thought about what I saw, kind of how these guys play and my experiences playing these guys in the past just kind of what he’s seen when he’s practiced against those guys, you know played against that defense quite a bit. I know there’s some different faces there but at least the scheme, understanding how they play things, run game, the pass game.

“To me, he’s never really been someone I’ve seen spike up or down, one way or the other, he’s been pretty level the whole season.”

For Bell, there is likely something to prove. He sat out the entirety of last season in Pittsburgh due to a contract dispute as he sought a new deal. Sunday’s game against his old team is going to be a chance for Bell to prove that the Steelers made a mistake in not giving him a new contract.

And, perhaps also it is a chance for Bell to build on last week’s performance against the Ravens and prove to his new team that they made a good offseason investment.