Devlin Hodges showed cracks in his play early in the first half vs. the Bills

When did the nightmare for Devlin Hodges start this past Sunday? It started on his very first pass that was an errant simple slant play on his first pass. The first half was not a complete disaster, but it was hideous. Hodges went 5/11 for 43 yards and an interception. That is under four yards per attempt. The Buffalo Bills brought some pressure and blitzed in the first half which led to some erratic tosses, but that was not the sole cause for the anemic first-half totals.

Time to dip into the tape and see the causes.

The main issues in the first half, in my opinion, is how Hodges had issues with the pressure which led to footwork issues. Hodges does not have a Drew Brees arm, but he does not have a noodle arm either. He has issues where he tries to use his arm strength and ends up with sloppy mechanics. But a major issue was ignoring his progressions while being locked onto just one side of the field. Does it really come as a major surprise that he only generated 34 of his yards against one of the league’s top pass defenses on one play?

Stay tuned to BTSC for a follow up to this film room, as well as other news and notes surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers as they prepare for the New York Jets in Week 16.