As the Steelers have steadily climbed back toward relevance, their second-round draft pick quietly has become the workhorse they envisioned.
Rookie running back Le’Veon Bell has averaged more than 21 touches since making his Week Four debut in London. He’s had 25 touches in two of the last three games.
Despite the steady flow of opportunities, Bell has yet to break out. His best game came against the Ravens in Week Seven, when Bell carried 19 times for 93 yards, good for a 4.9-yard average.
For the season, Bell has an average of only 3.2 yards per carry. As the Steelers have more success passing, however, running lanes could be easier to find.
And with the Steelers playing the Ravens again on Thursday night and surely determined to shut down quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, maybe Bell will have the first 100-yard game of his career.