The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense is far from perfect. They Steelers not scoring in bunches. And they’ve yet to play a complete game this season. But progress is better than stagnation and QB Kenny Pickett thinks his offense is in a better place than it was the first time they played the Cleveland Browns.
Speaking with reporters Wednesday during his weekly press conference, Pickett said he believes the offense is ahead of where they were early in the season.
“We’re maturing, we’re growing up,” Pickett said via freelance reporter Amanda Godsey (in a now-deleted video). “We’re getting the running game going, trying to get that balance that we’re always searching. We continue to push for that. But I think where we’re at right now with the run game was in a much better place when we played them Week Two.”
Similar to last year, the Steelers’ running game has hit its midseason stride. They rushed for 166 yards in the Week Nine win over the Tennessee Titans before posting 205 yards in last Sunday’s win over the Green Bay Packers. It’s Pittsburgh’s first back-to-back rushing performance over 160 yards since 2011.
It’s a huge reason for the team’s success and something the Steelers lacked in their first matchup against the Cleveland Browns. In Week Two, they rushed 21 times for just 55 yards. Averages for RBs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren were better than those figures indicate but overall, the running game was bottled up. Pittsburgh put up 26 points that night but 14 came via its defense, Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt finding the end zone to bookend the team’s scoring.
Their recent trend of success will have to continue Sunday. Cleveland’s defense is built on creating chaos, generating pressure, and taking the football away. They’re top 10 in takeaways (15) and sacks (30), led by All-Pro DE Myles Garrett. Under new DC Jim Schwartz, it’s a unit that thrives when the opposing offense is backed up in third and forever and owns the NFL’s top-ranked third down defense.
Given the passing game’s struggles, Pittsburgh’s run game can’t just provide balance; it needs to be in the driver’s seat. The line has blocked well the last two weeks but faces a strong run defense that is allowing just 3.8 yards per carry. In Sunday’s win, the Browns held the Baltimore Ravens to 4.4 yards per carry, an impressive figure considering how potent Baltimore’s run game is.
Knowing the Steelers’ offense and the Browns turning to rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, both teams will have similar goals. Run the ball, protect the football, and let their defense make the splash plays. To decide this one, someone’s offense is going to have to come alive. Maybe that’s for a quarter, a drive, or just a play. Whoever is the last to do it (or given the direction of the game, perhaps the first and only) will come out on top.
