GLENDALE, Ariz. -- "I just didn't want to bite the cheese."
On another day, this is the line. About the play.
This was T.J. Watt. I'd asked about his fourth-quarter interception that should've been a game-sealer. But it wasn't.
"I'm not all that great at juking to my left."
On another day, this is the line. About the play.
This was Jordan Berry. I'd asked about ... oh, you know ... and that should've been a game-killer. But it wasn't.
It could've been Diontae Johnson's 85-yard punt return and his two-touchdown turnaround. Or Vince Williams' goal-line sack. Or Kerrith Whyte emerging from obsolescence to fire the running game. Or Joe Haden's latest two picks. Or Minkah Fitzpatrick just ... oh, Minkah-ing, I guess, all afternoon long.
Heck, it could've been the collective goodness of Mike Tomlin's remarkable, resilient Steelers casting off the Cardinals, 23-17, on this Sunday evening at State Farm Stadium, now winners of seven of their past eight, 8-5 overall and headed toward a prime-time showdown with the Bills, their fellow AFC wild-card spot holder, a week away at Heinz Field.
It could've been all of that. Except that this wasn't that day.
"It was Duck's day."
On this day, this was the line. About the player.
This was David DeCastro. I'd asked about his quarterback, of course.
"Hey," he'd add with a grin, "Isn't every day Duck's day anymore?"
____________________
The story's sensational enough, meaning that of this group that's overcome 0-3, 1-4, the loss of its franchise quarterback, its No. 1 wide receiver, its No. 1 running back, its No. 1 defensive lineman and, actually, a lot more than that.
The story didn't need Devlin Hodges.
It didn't need ... well, 'Duck:'
I need to give this guy some calling lessons lol https://t.co/yH39HefXwf
— Devlin Hodges (@DevlinHodges10) December 9, 2019
It didn't need this affable, baby-faced, toque-and-hoodie-sporting undrafted rookie out of college football's second-level Samford University coming along and essentially rewriting an already over-the-top script.
It didn't need this kid who'd been blown off through all seven rounds spending the past two weeks taking down the past two summers' No. 1 overall picks, first Baker Mayfield and now Kyler Murray. And becoming the NFL's first undrafted rookie in the Super Bowl era, excluding the 1987 strike season, to win his first three starts. And the seventh rookie of any kind to win his first three starts.
But here he is.
No, really, here he is when I asked afterward if any of this is becoming less surreal with each passing success:
Not exactly blown away, is he?
That's been the key all along, as I've believed from the moment Mason Rudolph began buckling in Cincinnati. The Steelers needed to go with ... not so much the hot hand but the one that wasn't trembling. For whatever the shortcomings in Hodges' pedigree, perceived or otherwise, he reported to Latrobe with a gunslinging approach and never left any bullets in the chamber. He was bold without being brash, confident without being cocky. And most important, he could play football and knew it.
So here he is.
In this one, he completed 16 of 19 passes for 152 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. And for his season, which now encompasses three starts and two relief appearances, he's completed 71.25 percent of his passes for four touchdowns, two interceptions and a 103.2 passer rating.
There's more than the stats can show, as well:
That's a 22-yard completion to Deon Cain, the recent pickup from the Colts' practice squad who's made a handful of comparable catches in JuJu Smith-Schuster's absence. It's not a rocket, but it didn't need to be. Hodges needed to make his two-step drop, find his primary target and feel good enough about his ability to go up and get it that he gave it the right touch and the right landing spot.
Sure, it's also brutal coverage by the fading remnants of Patrick Peterson, but that's also got to be part of the awareness. There's a good intangible vibe to the play.
Same with this:
One facet of Hodges' pocket presence I'd found a least a little worrisome the previous two weeks was that he'd seldom take a stride forward. He did so four times in this game, by my count, with this one bringing a safe, smart 22 yards on the ground.
It doesn't take much to see he's no Lamar Jackson, which no doubt explains why, when Tomlin was asked if any of Hodges' five official runs were by design, he replied with nothing more than, "There were no designed runs by the quarterback position."
Whatever. It worked. And here, too, the intangible outweighed the tangible.
Not with this, though:
Wait, that's so sweet it's worth a second angle:
My goodness. That's the 2-yard touchdown to Johnson, and that's the prettiest pass thrown by a Pittsburgh quarterback since the last one from Ben Roethlisberger. And beyond the accuracy, Hodges has to overcome Maurkice Pouncey's low snap, a resultant reset of the laces to get the right grip, then airtight coverage from Arizona's Byron Murphy.
"We've been working on that route all week," Johnson said. "I just stepped through my techniques, and Duck put it in the right spot."
The only spot.
Hodges echoed Johnson's description of how often they'd worked that one on the South Side, adding, "I had great protection and a great route, and it's all about timing. It was nice to execute it in a game."
And yet, nothing touched this:
Speaking of No. 7, huh?
That was the fourth quarter, approaching the two-minute warning, third-and-13 at the Arizona 26. The lead was down to three. And that first down would not only get Chris Boswell closer toward a 25-yard field goal but also chew up nearly another minute.
But never mind that. Focus instead on the rare scramble to the left, followed by throwing across the body to stick one right between the numbers of an equally improvising Johnson.
Duck being Duck?
He cringed a bit when I asked if this is something we'll maybe see more often.
"Well, usually, a quarterback's not supposed to throw across their body," he answered with a soft smile. "It was just one of those things where Johnson came wide open, and I knew I could throw it and get the first down. It's just all about making plays when they need to be made."
Tomlin's been guarded with Hodges, as he's openly acknowledged. Measured with the praise. Even restrained in their interactions through the week. So take this assessment of that specific throw in that context.
"I trust his judgment," he'd say of Hodges. "That's been a part of his game, and he did a really good job of managing his emotions in the midst of tough circumstances and being prudent yet aggressive."
And then, after the slightest pause, "We're getting more and more comfortable."
There it is.
____________________
There'll be a temptation to make more of the Duck saga than what's already there. That strikes me as superfluous to the extreme.
He's not Ben, and he doesn't need to be. He's not necessarily the future, and he doesn't need to be. He's what's here, and what's needed on this day. And he's been so far and above any reasonable expectations, save his own, that failing to show appreciation for that alone risks missing the moment.
Want a healthy outlook that stretches further ahead?
Try this: He's a young quarterback who's growing, gradually, with each game and who, along the way, is helping his team to the playoffs. And if he continues to succeed on both fronts, then both he and the Steelers will be the better for it, in one form or another.
Better yet, just listen to the 23-year-old adult himself on an array of subjects to know where he's keeping his own head:
On if his performance is feeling more normal: "I don't know how you want to define normal. It's just great to have another chance to play."
On whether coaches calling passing plays with less than six minutes left was taken as a sign of confidence: "Whatever play's called, I'm going to go out there and execute it. If the coaches didn't have confidence in me, I don't think I'd be playing."
On being the first undrafted rookie quarterback to win his first three starts: "I heard a lot of people talking about it this week and, in my mind, I was, like, 'Well, I guess I need to be the first undrafted QB to do that just so we can win this week.' My job is to win the game each week. That's all I'm worried about."
On beating a No. 1 overall pick two weeks in a row: "I don't know. When you have a defense like ours, you can probably beat anybody."
On whether he's gaining confidence: "Absolutely."
DeCastro wasn't done discussing Duck when we talked, by the way. And that last one-word answer from Hodges to my question reminded me of that.
"Yeah, he's definitely different now, and I say that even though he was confident the first time he came into the huddle with us," the big man said. "Now, there's more of an edge, more bite. But it's funny, he never seems to lose himself in that. He stays calm. He stays with it. We like that."
I'm getting the sense a few others back home feel much the same.
Happy Duck Day, Pittsburgh. Today and, evidently, every day.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Steelers at Cardinals, Glendale, Ariz., Dec. 8, 2019 -- MATT SUNDAY / DKPS