Remember last year before the bye week when Pittsburgh’s running game was floundering, averaging just under 95 yards per game as RB Najee Harris was slow coming out of the breaks with a foot injury suffered in training camp? Well, that same running game managed to rebound after the bye, averaging 146 yards per contest as Harris and RB Jaylen Warren combined to form a legit tandem backfield behind an offensive line that found its stride.
This season, the rushing attack is performing worse in the Steelers’ first seven games than it did to start the season last year, averaging just under 80 yards per game. The hope was that Pittsburgh would get its run game sorted out during their bye week like last year, but the results haven’t been there as Pittsburgh ran for 86 yards against the Rams and just 70 yards last week against the Jaguars. OC Matt Canada was recently asked about the state of the rushing attack and why it’s taken such a big step back compared to where it was to end last season.
“It’s like we’re just not getting the results that we need to get, and we have to continue to push,” Canada said Tuesday to the media according to official transcripts from the Steelers. “We’re coming to a point where we’ve got to start seeing some improvement in all aspects of it, but obviously our running game, we have a lot of time invested. We believe we want to be a good running team. Put our finger on what it is. It’s whatever happens on that play. But we’ve got to, we certainly want to see that increase and improve.”
Canada stated the obvious, that the results haven’t been there, leading many of the players and coaches on staff to get frustrated with the continual lack of production. That point to start improving in all aspects of the offense, especially the running game came a long time ago as Pittsburgh statistically has one of the worst offenses in the league and a running game that currently ranks 28th in football. A lot of that starts with what is happening up front. The offensive line hasn’t played to expectation this season as Pittsburgh has a league-high 28% of its runs going for zero or negative yards. Still, the running backs haven’t been playing their best ball either. Harris has shown several occasions on film that he isn’t trusting that which is blocked for him, unsuccessfully attempting to bounce runs outside and leaving potential yards on the table.
Pittsburgh’s lack of success in the running game is frustrating. We have seen this exact same team do it before just a season ago with the same personnel, changing out LG Kevin Dotson for Isaac Seumalo, which was supposed to be an upgrade, along with landing TE Darnell Washington in the draft. The players need to do a better job of executing as their constant mistakes on the field can’t be tied to the scheme, but the scheme can improve to get this team back to doing what it does best on the ground. Pulling guards, running power and gaps schemes, utilizing Harris up the middle and on counters, and getting Warren out in space has proven to work well in the past. Now it’s just a matter of the Steelers returning to that because, frankly, their season is depending on it.
