Fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers will have to witness a Super Bowl matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs coming in a few weeks, and it's a real struggle to find a reason to support either side. Or maybe I'm just bitter. However, if we dig a little deeper, there is an interesting side story of this matchup. It comes by looking at former Steelers on these opposing teams that also play on opposite sides of the ball. You'll hear all about matchups from the talking heads for the next two weeks, but to me, this game is JuJu Smith-Schuster versus Javon Hargrave.
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Throwback to JuJu Smith-Schuster celebrating a first down.
Both of these guys did good things in their time with the Steelers, and both have continued to do so with their new organizations in their "prove it" years. After this game, when one of these two have earned their ring, they will find themselves in an eerily similar situation to what the Steelers organization finds itself in. A lot of positive things to build on and a lot of questions on how to keep that ball rolling.
Let's take a look at these two as individuals and how their seasons have gone.
Former Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
Smith-Schuster just went to the Chiefs last off-season and contributed by hauling in 78 receptions for 933 yards and 3 touchdowns for quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. He ended up being second only to Travis Kelce in targets, receptions, and yards. This is a nice bounce back from what was a very disappointing season last year that was plagued by injury. Unfortunately, it may be an injury once again that prevents him from playing on the biggest stage. In the AFC Championship against the Cincinnati Bengals, an injury saw Smith-Schuster pulled from the game. As of Tuesday, we have no official word on his injury or status.
While Smith-Schuster is a player that has been sneakily polarizing for the black and gold faithful, he has experienced a regression to the mean in what is recognized as one of the best offenses in the NFL.
Former Steelers DL Javon Hargrave
Chaz Palla (Tribune-Review)
Throwback to Javon Hargrave creating pressure in 2019.
Hargrave left back in 2020 and had been posting improving stat lines for the Eagles defense each of the last three seasons. This year with 37 tackles, 11 sacks (which is his top mark in a single season), and 1 forced fumble. On a defense that has been dominant all season, he has found himself as one of its top performers.
Combining with Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, and Josh Sweat, this front has been able to create pressure in the passing game and stymie the run. It has been Hargrave who has put up the best statistical line and truly made himself a force to be reckoned with. This isn't a surprise for him though as throughout his career, these numbers have been fairly consistent with his sacks being the biggest increase in production up from 7.5 last year and 6.5 in his best season with the Steelers.
So, Steeler Nation. Who do you think deserves the ring more? Comment below!
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