Through two games, the Pittsburgh Steelers have looked quite pedestrian on the offensive side of the football. The is especially the case with their running game as they have totaled 96 yards through two games, failing to get anything going outside of a couple of 20-yard runs by RB Najee Harris in each game.
When asked about the running game and its effectiveness through Pittsburgh’s first two regular-season games, Mike Tomlin was rather blunt about the state of his team’s rushing attack.
“Man, it hasn’t been what we desire,” Tomlin said to the media Tuesday via video from the Steelers’ YouTube channel. “It wasn’t in Week One because we didn’t win enough possession downs and we’ve talked openly about that. I thought last night that it was just too much negativity, particularly at the early stages. Lost-yardage plays and things of that nature that get you out of kilter individually and collectively.”
For a team that wanted to embrace a “bully-ball” mentality in 2023 by having a power running game and a dominant defense, the running game has been nowhere to be found through two games to start the season. The Steelers rushed for 41 yards on 10 rushes against the San Francisco 49ers in Week One, getting away from the running game early and abandoning it by halftime as they faced a 27-7 hole early in the third quarter. Pittsburgh had minus-three rushing yards well into the second quarter last night against Cleveland, finishing the game with 55 rushing yards on 21 carries (2.61 YPC) as RBs Jaylen Warren and Najee Harries struggled to get things going on the ground.
It has been frustrating to see a team that Tomlin mentioned as wanting to find its identity in the running game on offense get away from it completely the last two games. C Mason Cole told the media last night after the game that Pittsburgh’s lack of success has nothing to do with the scheme or the plays the Steelers are running, but rather the execution by the offensive line and runners in the game.
Obviously, the execution needs to be better by all parties involved on the field, but OC Matt Canada does need to show more commitment to getting the running game going and dialing up better play concepts than that putrid third-down call where QB Kenny Pickett kept the ball on a zone read. He got stuffed well behind the line of scrimmage, forcing the Steelers to punt.
The Steelers got off to a slow start offensively last season, but got going as the season went on, especially in the running game. It looks like a repeat of 2022 this season as Pittsburgh has yet to surpass 60 rushing yards as a team in two games. That is unacceptable for Tomlin based on the development of his team from last season as well as the number of players the team added in free agency to improve the running game. The Steelers will have to make some decisions going forward regarding their rushing attack, getting better play out of their players but also needing better play calling and schemes from Canada if we are to see noticeable improvement.
