It was a December to remember for Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell as not only was he voted to the Pro Bowl and the team’s MVP during the final month of 2016, he’s now been named the AFC Player of the Month to close out the 2016 regular season.
During the month of December Bell rushed for 569 yards and 4 touchdowns in addition to catching 18 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown.
On Sunday at Heinz Field, Bell will make his postseason debut when the Steelers host the Miami Dolphins in an AFC Wild Card game.
“I know exactly how hyped I’m going to be,” said Bell. “I think I deserve it. This is going to be my first playoff game in my fourth year in the league. I’m going to be excited, anxious. I’m going to be pumped and I need that. I need to keep my energy, have my teammates feed off my energy, let them know how important this game means to me.
“I want to go out there and show people what I can do.”
Bell, who is now in the final year of his rookie contract, is expected to receive the franchise tag from the Steelers during the offseason if the two sides can’t agree on an extension prior to the start of the 2017 league year.
After missing the first three games of the 2016 regular season due to a suspension, Bell quickly proved that he had overcome the serious knee injury that he had suffered midway through the 2015 regular season.
