The Pittsburgh Steelers faced one of the best running backs in the league in Christian McCaffrey on Sunday, and McCaffrey got the better of Pittsburgh, running for 152 yards and a touchdown. The next two running back matchups don’t get any easier, with the Steelers taking on Cleveland Browns RB Nick Chubb and Las Vegas Raiders RB Josh Jacobs in Week Two and Week Three. Rookie DL Keeanu Benton said that he’s glad the Steelers got McCaffrey early to test them for the road ahead.
“Definitely. He’s a great start. We were tested early. I wouldn’t have asked for another opponent to start off with, especially as a rookie, especially to give a challenge to this defense,” Benton said via Amanda Godsey on Twitter.
McCaffrey is the best all-around running back in the league, a weapon with the ball in his hands as a runner and as a receiver. He’s someone who can’t get too much space or he’ll make you pay, as he did by running for a 65-yard touchdown early in the second half to more or less sink Pittsburgh’s chances of a comeback.
Chubb and Jacobs can beat you more with power, but they’re not guys the Steelers can overlook. Benton’s a rookie so he obviously hasn’t faced Chubb before, but the Steelers should be very familiar with just how much he can do, as he’s torched them on a number of occasions. In Week Three last season, he ran 23 times for 113 yards and a score as the Browns beat the Steelers on Thursday Night Football. While Pittsburgh beat Cleveland in Week 18 last year, Chubb got it done on the ground and through the air with 12 carries for 77 yards and five receptions for 45 yards and a score through the air.
Pittsburgh’s defense just simply wasn’t good enough on Sunday, and it started with allowing McCaffrey to beat them and pick up chunk yardage. If they want to beat Cleveland on Monday Night Football, they’re going to have to contain Chubb more than they have in the past and certainly more than they did with McCaffrey. But Benton is right that McCaffrey was a good test, since now the Steelers know what a truly elite running back looks like and what he can do if the defense isn’t up to par. They can go back and watch the tape against McCaffrey and plan accordingly for how to step up and stop the next two elite runners they face.
