Le’Veon Bell Suspended: 5 teams that will benefit

By Connor Muldowney | Apr 9, 2015

A year-old incident has Pittsburgh Steelers’ RB Le’Veon Bell suspended for the first three games of 2015. What five teams will benefit from his absence?

Nearly a year ago, Pittsburgh Steelers‘ running back Le’Veon Bell and current New England Patriots‘ running back Legarrette Blount were arrested for marijuana possession and Bell was charged with a DUI as well. On Wednesday afternoon, it was announced that Blount would be suspended for the Patriots’ season opener while Bell awaited his fate.

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Just one day after Blount’s punishment was handed down by the NFL, Bell received word that he would be suspended for the first three games of the 2015 season. The only reason he is suspended for more time than Blount is because he was charged with a DUI as well — Blount was just a passenger.

This news serves as a major blow to the Steelers as the team relied heavily on the second-year back. Let’s take a look at five teams that will benefit from the RB’s three-game suspension.

. . Baltimore Ravens. 1. player. 26.

As rivals in the AFC North, the Baltimore Ravens will be happy to find out that they basically have a three-game cushion in which they will be able to breath easy knowing Bell isn’t on the field whenever the Steelers play. Baltimore and Pittsburgh have a fierce rivalry and, more often than not, the AFC North title runs through one of those two NFL cities.

Although Baltimore had a running back dilemma of its own a year ago, they still managed to make the playoffs. Now that Justin Forsett is in the backfield, there are no issues there. It would be silly to leave the Steelers’ top rival off this list even though they did beat Pittsburgh in the postseason with Bell on the field.

. . Indianapolis Colts. 2. player. 46.

Unlike the Ravens, the Indianapolis Colts‘ running back situation is pretty sloppy. Last year, injuries and poor play from guys like Trent Richardson led the team to possess a pass-heavy attack. However, the Colts are serious contenders in the AFC, and anyone on the contender list in the AFC has to benefit from Bell’s absence.

Depending on the schedule, the Colts could end up facing the Steelers in the first three games of 2015, making it much easier for the 18th-best run defense to slow down a Steelers ground game.

If there is one thing Andrew Luck would want to hear right now, it’s probably that one of the AFC’s top teams is losing its most dangerous and dynamic player. Anything to put the Colts ahead in the league’s playoff race.

124. . . . Kansas City Chiefs. 3. player

This Kansas City Chiefs team missed out on the playoffs last season despite a solid 9-7 record in the regular season. However, it was a late-season loss to Pittsburgh that may have sealed their fate despite Bell rushing for just 63 yards.

Kansas City and Andy Reid might gain a one or two game lead on the Steelers early on with Bell’s suspension, giving them a leg up when it comes down to the final weeks.

While Pittsburgh basically ended all playoff hopes for Kansas City in 2014, it could come down to the same type of situation this year. Maybe this time around, Kansas City can give the Steelers a taste of their own medicine and steal a playoff spot.

. Cincinnati Bengals. 3. player. 56. .

With two losses against the Steelers in 2014, the Cincinnati Bengals learned that changes need to be made in order to compete with the AFC’s top teams.

Cincinnati has arguably the best young two-punch combination at running back in the league, but they couldn’t keep up with Bell in the two losses near the end of the year. Le’Veon combined for 205 yards rushing and 130 yards receiving with three total touchdowns against the Bengals this season, making the defense look pedestrian.

The Bengals clinched a Wild Card spot, but would have won the AFC North had it not been for the spectacular play of Bell. This is one team who has to benefit the most from his absence, or is their another one that benefits more?

. Pittsburgh Steelers. 4. player. 55. .

Don’t call me crazy for this one, but the Steelers needed a wake-up call and this is just that. Why would the Steelers benefit from Bell’s absence? Well, let’s look inside the numbers. Bell accounted for 2,215 of Pittsburgh’s 6,577 offensive yards in 2014, including 1,361 of the team’s 1,752 rushing yards.

That would be 34 percent of the total offense and 78 percent of the rushing offense that Bell was responsible for. For a playoff team, that is just simply unacceptable.

If the Steelers want to become a Super Bowl-caliber squad, they need to figure out how to spread the offense around more than just handing the ball to Bell or passing it to him out of the backfield. Sure, Antonio Brown and Ben Roethlisberger had solid years, but Bell was still the main workhorse.

It’s good news for the Steelers that they found this out before the NFL Draft, now they can plan on choosing one of many talented RBs college football has to offer.

It’s time for the Steelers to become a more well-rounded offensive attack so teams don’t have to just gameplan for one or two guys. It’s time for the Steelers to become a complete team and this suspension will force them to do so — even if it is for just three games.

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