Not perfect. But better. That’s the way you can basically sum up the Pittsburgh Steelers’ entire Week Three game against the Las Vegas Raiders. And it’s certainly an apt way to describe the running game. It was its most successful against Raiders, rushing for a hard-earned 105 yards on 31 attempts, with a different approach than the first two weeks.
Pittsburgh got back to basics. It’d be a stretch to say they were consistently playing “bully ball,” their entire offseason plan, but they were more physical last night. They relied less on creative and more complicated run schemes and leaned more on a downhill north-south run game that focused on winning at the first level and creating movement up front. It meant getting closer to the results the Steelers not just want but what they need.
Here’s a couple examples of what I mean.
On this play, watch LG Isaac Seumalo and C Mason Cole. They do a great job here at the point of attack, doubling the 1T (No. 95) and creating movement off the line. That carries the defender into the linebacker (No. 5), with Cole peeling off and picking him up. A nice base block from LT Dan Moore Jr. on the right defensive end (No. 51) creates a lane for RB Jaylen Warren to run through. And it nets a good run.
Same run concept here. There’s the old joke about inside zone and duo looking the same and you could argue this is either scheme. But it looks more like a duo/man-blocking scheme than zone. Regardless, the Steelers’ double-teams at the point of attack are effective. You see it again from Seumalo and Cole as they move the defensive tackle to the linebacker.
But here, watch RG James Daniels and RT Chukwuma Okorafor. A strong double to displace the 3T (No. 91). They wash him into the linebacker’s lap (No. 41) and ex-Steeler Robert Spillane, causing him to get caught up in the trash of the play and unable to work over the top.
A nice job by Warren to press the hole and cut to the right also makes a difference and he bursts upfield for an excellent gain. Great blocking and play by Warren here.
Man blocking with Najee Harris in the game. Seumalo initially doubles the 1T to help give Cole control and leverage of the block. Seumalo then comes off it to work to the WILL linebacker and drives his feet to wash him down and out. Cole sticks to his block and Harris does well to get skinny through the hole and pop out the other side and into the open field for a strong gain.
Last example. Pittsburgh operating out of heavy 13 personnel late in the game, trying to chew clock. Man-blocking scheme with a double-team from Seumalo and Cole. Cole comes off to take the linebacker (No. 5) and it’s Seumalo again creating movement, driving his legs to move down the 1T. Great strain and effort by him.
Good blocking by TE Darnell Washington and LT Dan Moore Jr. creates a lane for Harris and he gets downhill to pick up about five. It’s not a huge run but it’s a good gain late in the game with the Raiders playing the run. Being successful when the defense knows what’s coming. That’s where you want to be.
None of this is to say the Steelers were an awesome running team Sunday night. They weren’t. As Dave Bryan has mentioned, there were too many negative outcomes and the Raiders anticipated and blew up too many runs. But there was progress. There was, at the least, a blueprint and model for what some measure of success looks like. Scrap the perimeter stuff, run fewer zone stretches, and get downhill with man-blocking and trust your big and powerful backs to follow behind. Now, it’s progress they must carry over into Week Four’s game at Houston.
