Oh boy. This wasn’t supposed to happen this way. Devlin Hodges was supposed to be the chosen one who would lead the Pittsburgh Steelers on their improbable run to the playoffs. Then next season he would assume the role of backup behind Ben Roethlisberger and Big Ben would groom him for the future.
Then four interceptions happened. Sunday night’s loss was as ugly as any game a Steelers quarterback has played this season, and that is saying something. And it puts head coach Mike Tomlin is a tough spot. Hodges was named the starting quarterback because he hadn’t killed the Steelers yet. Mason Rudolph did that. But was Sunday Hodges fault?
In a game that was never more than seven points apart, why on Earth did the Steelers throw it 38 times compared to only 15 rushes? It’s hard to lay too much blame at the feet of the young quarterback when his coaches keep asking him to throw in a game where they should have been running it. Keep in mind this was a game where the Steelers had four realistic options at running back dressed out.
So where does this leave the Steelers? Two games to play and there is no margin for error. The Steelers cannot lose another game and make the playoffs unless the Bills somehow lose both of their final games.
If you are head coach Mike Tomlin, do you bench Hodges down the stretch for doing what Rudolph did or do you buck consistency and just ride it out for two more games and hope things work out?
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