Isaiah Buggs joins Robert Spillane as ‘next men up’ in aiding Steelers defense

BALTIMORE — For the first time in his NFL career since he became a regular part of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ gameday lineup, Isaiah Buggs was a healthy scratch for last week’s game in Tennessee.

Seven days later, Buggs took the low point of his brief pro career and flipped it into his finest moments.

Buggs was in on the tackle of Baltimore Ravens reigning MVP Lamar Jackson on consecutive third- and fourth-down plays deep in Steelers territory in the final minutes of a 28-24 victory.

“We always preach next-man up here,” fellow Steelers defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt said, “and so I have high expectations when the person comes into the game and have to fill in a role when somebody goes down.”

? MOOD RN ?@BigPooh_91 | #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/rIUDacSl1w

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) November 1, 2020

Buggs was forced into action early during Sunday’s game after an injury to starter Tyson Alualu. Coupled with the Steelers placing veteran Chris Wormley on injured reserve Saturday, that left them thin on the defensive line for the battering ram-style offense Baltimore showcases.

Easily playing the most snaps in his career (the previous high was 17), Buggs finished with three solo tackles, two assisted tackles and a QB hit of Jackson when he was attempting to throw.

His final two tackles came on a Jackson scramble at the Steelers’ 8 on a third-and-5 from the 10 with 2 minutes, 27 seconds left. After the two-minute warning, Buggs combined with Minkah Fitzpatrick to thwart a designed draw by Jackson, bringing him down a yard short of a first down to give the Steelers the ball back.

Coach Mike Tomlin was hesitant to give Buggs — a 2019 sixth-round pick — too much credit for making the big plays. With the Steelers thin at defensive line, he was their only viable option to replace Alualu.

“He needed to (play well), but when he first came in there, he wasn’t,” Tomlin said. “I am just being honest, you know? We didn’t have anywhere else to go. It wasn’t like we were going to put someone else in there. He had to knuckle down and get active, and he did.”

Buggs joined Robert Spillane as unheralded defensive players who made big plays when asked to step into bigger roles Sunday. Spillane, an undrafted waiver claim last year, has stepped in to start at inside linebacker since the season-ending knee injury to Devin Bush. Spillane had a 33-yard interception return for a touchdown on the third snap of Sunday’s game.

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