Who gets the game ball for the Steelers’ win over the Titans in Week 15?

The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to get back to their winning way in a battle of defenses at Heinz Field. In order to secure the victory, the Steelers had to come from behind, force multiple turnovers, and make red zone stop to seal the deal. It was an exciting game to the final seconds.

So who gets the game ball?

Each Steelers win this season, I will set forth nominations to receive the BTSC game ball. It does not necessarily have to be the best player on the field, but who really stepped up their game this particular week. It may not even be their best performance, but perhaps overcoming some adversity will also put someone in consideration. After the case is been made, you all decide which player takes home the honor.

Highlighting the results of the previous week’s ‘Dud of the Week,’ let’s check out the winner…

Week 14 ‘Dud of the Week’ Winner: Effort (The first 40 minutes)

This was a very close race with ‘Effort’ barely edging out ‘Immaturity’ by 1% of the vote. The Steelers simply didn’t show up to play from the opening whistle. It took them 2/3 of the game to get warmed up and actually start laying it all on the line in order to try to salvage a comeback. And while they were able to fight their way back and almost send the game to overtime, there was just a complete lack of effort through the entire first half which even spilled over into the second half. The team simply can’t come out this flat and this uninterested in playing the game and think they will turn it on at the very end and pull out the victory.

I’m very grateful we finally get back to the positive side of things yet again and get to hand out a game ball. I will remind everyone of the rules that it is individual players who will be in the running. Although it could be applicable, it will not be either position groups or coaches who are eligible for this designation as they are more in line for Jeff Hartman’s Winners and Losers article. I know I broke my rules last week, but we’re getting back on track just like the Steelers did. So here are the nominations in no particular order:

Joe Haden

Even though the Steelers managed Haden’s snaps in his first game action since the first quarter of Week 10, he made an impact in this game. Even though he only had two tackles, Haden did have one fumble recovery and what might have been the tackle of the game in order to hold the Titans short on fourth down in the red zone to seal the victory.

T.J. Watt

Making his case for NFL Defensive Player of the Year and MVP, T.J. Watt had five tackles, 1.5 sacks, three quarterback hits, and a fumble recovery. The bottom line is, T.J. is the man.

Minkah Fitzpatrick

Watching the game at Heinz field, the impact of Minkah Fitzpatrick was obvious. His 14 tackles and fumble recovery just goes to show how much he gets involved with so many plays.

Chris Boswell

Although he came up just short on a 56-yarder at the end of the first half, Chris Boswell knocking through the other four field goals is what gave the Steelers the victory. Despite the offense not being able to take more advantage of the defensive takeaways, Bos at least made them pay.

Cam Heyward

This might be observation bias, but being in the stadium and watching the game I had eyes on my favorite player a lot of the time. Looking at what the Steelers defensive captain does and the effort he gives on every play needs to be notarized. As for the numbers, Heyward finished with six tackles and shared a sack with T.J. Watt.

So what do you think? Who deserves the game ball for the Steelers this week? As much as I would like to nominate so many more players, I simply had to cut it off where I did. Make sure you vote in the poll as this is how the winner will be determined. And of course, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below.