No Rashard Mendenhall, no Issac Redman? No problem for the Steelers as they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium Sunday night in a crucial divisional game. While Ben Roethlisberger paced the Steeler offense, it was Jonathan Dwyer that stepped in and filled the void at running back. For his efforts in the gritty win, Dwyer has earned our Yinzer of the Week Award.
Dwyer ran for 122 yards in the contest, which included 70 in the second half. While it was rookie Chris Rainey who scored the game-sealing touchdown, it was Dwyer who dwindled the clock down, and ultimately putting the nail in the coffin of the Bengals.
On the season, Dwyer has 192 yards on 41 carries, and after dropping in the draft and almost getting cut, Dwyer dropped some weight to show the Steelers he’s serious about making a presence on this team. The rest of the season will be big for Dwyer as the oft-injured Mendenhall can test the open market this season. Even in a time share with Mendenhall, Dwyer will have to show consistency if the Steelers are going to consider him as the running back for the future.
While I’m not ready to sign off on him as the second coming of Jerome Bettis, I like what I’ve seen from Dwyer especially on first and second down. With a London Fletcher-less Redskins defense who is vulnerable against the run on the ledger next, Dwyer, who is in line to start Sunday, should enjoy another nice stat line by day’s end.
Photo Credits: Frank Victores-US PRESSWIRE)
