The bright lights will be shining on Pittsburgh tonight as the Steelers host the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football, and that means the national broadcast crew of Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya.
I had the chance to catch up with Tafoya in advance of the game, to get her take on the return of Le'Veon Bell, Steelers injuries, Ben Roethlisberger, and more.
Here is her take on the team and tonight's game:
On the boost the offense gets with the return of Le'Veon Bell:
"Not only the offense, but Le'Veon Bell coming back seems to be giving everyone a boost. I talked to defensive guys who are excited to see him back. He is just such a multidimensional player. He can do so many different things. Terrific hands, good receiver out of the backfield. Le'Veon Bell was telling me how thrilled he is to get him back. He doesn't care how many snaps he gets. He just wants this team to be better and Le'Veon Bell makes them a lot better."
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On if that unselfish mindset is what makes the Steelers' team tick: **"It's not often you see a star running back like DeAngelo Williams who says I don't care how many snaps I get. I don't care how well I have been playing. I want him back. That is a big part of the success and that starts at the very, very top."
On if she expects to see Williams get playing time:"I am interested to see when they use both of them. I think we might see some interesting two back sets. I don't think that is a look teams have been able to see yet on film, but I think we might see both of them."
On what role injuries will play for the team:
"I think they could play a role, especially defensively. You always say next man up and that person has to play and that is very true. You have starters as starters for a reason. Is there going to be a little drop off? There could be. But then again maybe a star is born. I think what will compensate is there is the motivation this team feels coming off the loss to Philadelphia."
On if patience is a key for a defense that is anxious to get sacks and pressure on the quarterback:
"I think one of the things that happened to them last week is they fell behind quickly and now everyone was trying to make up for lost time and rushing, missing tackles, assignments. There needs to be a do what you are supposed to do attitude, be patient and things will come."
On if she expects a strong performance from the defense after the disappointment last week:
"Coach (Mike) Tomlin said our knowledge is there, now we have to be consistent in our execution. It's good to know what you need to do, but now you need to execute. I do believe you can feed off of a loss like last week's and use it as motivation, but that shouldn't be the motivation. What they need to do is go out and execute their plan. If they do that, they will be potent against the Kanas City offense."
On quarterback Ben Roethlisberger:
"Everyone says what makes Ben so tough is he is so tough to bring down. He can extend a play. I think it was the Kansas City defensive coordinator who said he can extend a play for months and it feels like that when you are out there. He is a complete game changer. He is a unique quarterback because of his size and because it's difficult to bring him down and he can extend the play. I am sure he is motivated too."
On the atmosphere in Pittsburgh for Sunday Night Football:"I love Pittsburgh. I think it's one of the most underrated cities in America. The fans are phenomenal. They are arguably the best in the league. It's a great environment. And a Mike Tomlin coached team is an exciting team to watch. It's a fun environment. We love coming here."
