Dec 14, 2014 4 min read

ATLANTA – The exploits and accomplishments of Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell have been well documented this season.

Each played a big part in the Steelers’ 27-20 victory Sunday at Atlanta that improved their record to 9-5.

But this game was as much about the contributions of some of the lesser publicized players on the roster.

Sure, the stars shined brightly, as usual.

Roethlisberger played largely mistake-free football and threw for 360 yards, Brown caught 10 passes for 123 yards, and Bell had 119 total yards and two touchdowns.

Those are typical winning performances all around from the Steelers’ big three.

Without a William Gay interception return for a touchdown, his team-record third this season; or Markus Wheaton, who had five catches for 66 yards; or tight end Heath Miller, who had four receptions for 68 yards; this victory might not have been possible.

“Antonio Brown gets a lot of recognition,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. “Le’Veon Bell gets a lot of recognition. But those guys can do what they do because the other guys who are called upon deliver.

“We’ve got a nice group of complementary guys who don’t get a lot volume in terms of opportunities. But when they get the opportunities, they deliver.”

As a result, the Steelers are rolling, having won six of their past eight games.

Sunday’s win was as complete a game as the Steelers have played on the road this season. They never trailed against the Falcons, got critical defensive stops when needed and again ended the game with their offense on the field taking a knee to run out the clock.

But it still wasn’t anything close to a perfect game.

“Not yet. We’ve got a gear that hasn’t been shown yet,” said Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward, another of the unsung stars. “If we’re satisfied with this, then we’re in the wrong place. As a defense, we gave up some scrambles. The offense left some points out there. We can do a better job. We’re happy with the win, but we’re not satisfied.”

It would be easy for players who don’t get the publicity to not be satisfied with their roles within the team’s hierarchy, much the way LeGarrette Blount was not a few weeks ago at Tennessee.

After playing sparingly in a win against the Titans, Blount left the field early and was subsequently released. While Blount did not accept his role, however minimal, this team is currently where it’s at because others have.

“We’re going to get opportunities,” said Miller, the team’s MVP two seasons ago. “We might not get as many as the other guys, but when we do, we’ve got to make the most of them. If we can do that, we’re moving the ball.”

And more importantly, winning.

“I think good teams have a supporting cast that do a nice amount of work,” said Wheaton. “Everybody has some big-name guys but you need some other guys who are going to come through. I think we’ve been doing that pretty well the past few games and hopefully, we’ll continue to do it.”

Those kind of unselfish players are what make the difference between good and bad teams.

Nearly every team in the NFL has a star player or two. The Steelers are fortunate enough to have more than their share.

Those players have been critical to this team’s success. But if the Steelers are going to take the next step, they will need continued efforts from the role players to reach that pinnacle.

Who knows? Maybe things are falling into place for this team.

“The first Super Bowl we won (in 2005) we were a team that got hot at the right time,” said Roethlisberger. “If you get hot and play your best football at the right time, then you are a dangerous football team. I don’t know if we’re there yet, but we got a win and we are happy about it.”

F. Dale Lolley can be reached at dlolley@observer-reporter.com