There have been a lot of firsts for Devlin Hodges this season.
He dressed for his first NFL game Sept. 22 in San Francisco. He played in his first NFL game two weeks later against the Ravens. He made his first NFL start Oct. 13 against the Chargers.
You get the idea.
And there are a couple of other firsts he's had this season that have been negative, such as his first four-interception game Dec. 15 against the Bills, and the first time in his career — at any level, according to him — where he'd been benched, which came last Sunday against the Jets.
There is, however, one first that remains. And he'd like to secure that opportunity Sunday when the Steelers (8-7) travel to Baltimore for a rematch with the Ravens (13-2).
That would be leading the Steelers to the playoffs.
To do so, ironically, he'll do something for the second time this season. That will be seeing a team for the second time.
Much as he will in this game, Hodges will replace an injured Mason Rudolph for the second time this season against the Ravens. Only this time around, do it from the start of the game. Hodges entered in the third quarter of the Steelers' 26-23 overtime loss to the Ravens back in Week 5 after Rudolph suffered a concussion. He completed 7-of-9 passes for 68 yards and scrambled twice for 20 yards in the game, giving the Steelers a chance to win.
Hodges has been through a lot of ups and downs since that game -- as have the Steelers -- but it's an experience on which he can lean.
"There are definitely some things we can take away from that," Hodges said Wednesday. "They've added some players since we played them. Obviously, they're a great team, but there are some things we can take away."
The Ravens have added some players or gotten others back from injury who didn't play in that first meeting, including cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Jimmy Smith.
But this game will be more about who the Ravens aren't playing than who is available. With the top seed in the AFC playoffs secured, the Ravens will hold a number of starters out of the game, notably quarterback Lamar Jackson, the leading candidate for NFL MVP.
Hodges knows, however, that unless he plays better than he did in his final six quarters before being benched in the second quarter Sunday, it won't matter. Hodges threw six interceptions in six quarters before being pulled in favor of Rudolph, only to come back into the game when Rudolph suffered a season-ending injury to his left shoulder in the second half.
He admits that his "gunslinger" mentality might have gotten in the way the past two weeks, as he's taken some chances with the ball that he should not have.
"Maybe sometimes I'm trying to force the ball a little bit instead of taking what they're giving me," Hodges conceded. "I've just got to take a step back and play more like I did those first couple of games and take what the defense is giving me. But I've got all the confidence in the world in myself and the guys. I've just got to go out there and do it."
His teammates remain confident Hodges can get the job done. They've seen him do it before. Earlier this season, when he was playing in place of Rudolph, Hodges became the first undrafted rookie quarterback since the 1970 NFL merger to lead his team to three wins in games he started.
But his last two starts have left his record at 3-2. His passer rating, which had been over 100 in his first five appearances, has fallen to 75.8. And the Steelers have scored just eight offensive touchdowns in their past seven games, with Hodges playing the majority of the snaps in five of those.
"He doesn't need much. He's pretty professional. He's done this before," David DeCastro said. "I like the way he carries himself. I'm sure he'll be ready."
Not that there's much of a choice.
With Rudolph now out of the equation, the only other quarterback on the roster is Paxton Lynch, a former first-round draft pick of the Broncos who was signed by the team in September. But Lynch has been running the scout team most of the season.
He'll get some work this week running the Steelers’ offense, but it will mark the first time in weeks that has happened. At this point, Hodges has thrown more NFL passes than Lynch, who has appeared in five career games.
And even though it got him back onto the field after being benched for the first time at any time in his life playing football, Hodges wasn't happy to see Rudolph, his friend, go down.
"It's definitely not something I wanted to happen," Hodges said. "I hate when anybody gets hurt. He's been around and been in good spirits, so it's good to see him still positive."
Hodges is trying to remain positive, as well.
He made the Steelers' roster in rookie minicamp after a tryout and then caught the attention of the coaching staff by playing with an attitude that he had nothing to lose since he wasn't expected to be here in the first place.
But now the former Samford star does have something for which to play. And there's an additional weight that comes with that.
"Maybe a little," he said. "I want to kind of take a step back and remember that this is my job, enjoy it and have fun, but obviously there is a professional side. I've got to be locked in, but at the same time enjoy the game that I love so much."
