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PITTSBURGH -- Terrell Watson's average of 2.0 yards per carry doesn't jump off the page, but his success rate does. The Steelers' new short-yardage back has four carries, but the past three have gone for third-down conversions, including a third-and-1 play on the first drive in Kansas City on Sunday. Two weeks earlier in Baltimore, Watson got 1 yard on a third-and-1. The week before that in Chicago, 3 yards on a third-and-1.  He gets the picture.
"Don't jinx me," Watson joked after a practice this week about his 3-for-3 streak. Watson, who has 8 total yards on the year, was a camp standout who earned a roster spot after earning 89 yards in the preseason finale, bruising for extra yards with his 6-foot-1, 240-pound frame. With Le'Veon Bell averaging 22 carries per game and rookie James Conner (14 carries, 69 yards) entering the mix, chances for Watson are scarce. But the Steelers like his one-cut running style and his ability to stretch for yards after first contact. So they keep calling his number. That he's getting the ball on the first drive of the game means he's scripted into the first-quarter offense, which isn't easy to crack on a team well-stocked with playmakers. "'The Nightmare' has done a good job so far," offensive coordinator Todd Haley said. "He's a big guy we liked in the preseason and consistently got yards. He's trying to carve out roles for himself." Watson joked that he was announcing himself the starter for Sunday's Bengals game, which is his way of saying he understands his role. But Mike Tomlin showed faith in Watson by telling him early in the season he would become a short-yardage specialist. Now it's time for his first conversion at Heinz Field. "Whatever it takes to win," Watson said.
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