The Pittsburgh Steelers were hurting for running back depth after Le’Veon Bell’s injury, so in their desperation they turned to former Vikings RB Ben Tate.
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If you watched Ben Tate in his limited time with the Vikings you know that he is no fit replacement for Le’Veon Bell. Tate lived down to the low expectations by rushing for just 19 yards on five carries in Pittsburgh’s playoff loss to Baltimore.
Tate’s “highlight” play of the game came late with the Steelers trailing 23-15. Ben Roethlisberger attempted to hit Tate on a short pass and the ball went right through his hands and into the lap of Terrell Suggs.
I don’t mean that figuratively. The ball literally went into the lap of Terrell Suggs. He caught it between his legs.
That’s the kind of thing that happens when your star running back goes out and you are forced to bring in a journeyman who hasn’t played much lately. The Steelers weren’t expecting miracles from Ben Tate, they were just hoping they would get some production.
Instead, Ben Tate helped to kill them.
If you’re a Viking fan who hates the Steelers, you probably like Ben Tate a little more today.