Instant Reaction: Devlin Hodges Doesn't 'Kill' the Steelers; Benny Snell Does It Again

Duck Doesn't Kill the Steelers

For most of the first quarter, the Steelers offense looked exactly like they have all season. They came out slow, ran screen passes and runs, and with no spark to be found, they fell behind early.

A typical opening quarter for Pittsburgh as their defense did whatever it could to try and pick up enough momentum for both sides of the ball. Without any help from their offense, who started by going 8 plays for 9 yards and 0 points while the Browns racked up 28 plays for 147 yards and a 10-point lead, this unit did all they could to keep the game within a reasonable distance for as long as they could.

But as the crowd began to quiet and the hopes of change started to fade, Devlin Hodges clicked.

The hope last April was that Mason Rudolph and James Washington would carry their chemistry from college into the NFL. The Oklahoma State teammates spent four years together, and as back-to-back draft picks for the Steelers, there was plenty of hype surrounding how good these two would be together.

That chemistry isn't dead, and maybe Rudolph's development will bring it further out, but compared to what Washington and Hodges have, it's nothing. The undrafted rookie from Samford has brought out the best of the second-year receiver, and somehow the two have created plays that look like they've been doing this for a lot longer than two weeks.

Head coach Mike Tomlin described Hodges' play simple: "he didn't kill us." The one job the quarterback had all week and he accomplished it. Maybe exceeded it.

Defense Does It Again

The Steelers defense has kept this season way more than a live since Week 4. 7-5 isn't even a thought without the way this defense has played, and it's at every position on the field.

Minkah Fitzpatrick raised his arms after realizing he could've turned a pass deflection into an interception on the Browns' final drive of the season. In that moment, it was almost expected that something was going to go in Pittsburgh's favor on the next play. It did.

Bud Dupree is earning every cent he's going to get this offseason, and the Steelers need to make themselves an option for the outside linebacker. Dupree has eight sacks on the season (2nd-most on the team) and four forced fumbles (5th-most in the NFL). He's become an x-factor when the Steelers need him this season, and he did it again in Week 13.

Around him, everyone is clicking. Against an offense that may have as much talent as any on Pittsburgh's schedule, Cleveland couldn't find answers to get into the endzone. All because of the defense.

Benny Snell Jr.

'he's a guy that gets better as the game goes on," Mike Tomlin described Benny Snell Jr. The rookie running back has taken on the feature role in his first two games back from knee surgery and he's made each opportunity count.

A downhill runner who loves to makes contact, Snell isn't going to find many 20-plus yard runs. What he will find is a consistent workload and plenty of success for his offense. This team needed someone to take over and march down the field and when they needed to hand the ball off, Snell came through.

Until James Conner returns, Snell has assured the Steelers he's capable of the role. He's an energized guy who gets his teammates fired up with each run. He's young but runs with a ton of power, meaning there's only room for improvement as he matures as a player.

All he has left to do is accept Benny Snell Football into Pittsburgh.