The Pittsburgh Steelers put up 150-plus yards of rushing offense in four straight weeks, so even a step down to 130 felt somewhat significant. But they fell all the way down to just 82 yards in their last outing against the New England Patriots last week.
Running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren combined for just 40 yards on 19 carries, Harris going 12 for 29 and Warren 7 for 11. QB Mitch Trubisky’s 30 yards on scrambles plus a 12-yard end-around by WR Calvin Austin III provided more yards on the ground than did their running backs. So what was the issue?
“Watch the film”, former Steelers DL Chris Hoke insisted during a radio interview on 93.7 The Fan with Ron Cook and Joe Starkey. “They didn’t get the push that they’re used to getting. They got beat on the edge. The tight ends had a hard time, generally, setting the edge, knocking guys off the ball. They were getting knocked back”.
He didn’t miss the opportunity to praise the Patriots’ run defense, which remains stout in spite of their many other flaws in virtually every single other area of the team. They might rank 14th in points allowed and 15th in passing yards allowed, but they have given up the third-fewest rushing yards, and at an astonishing, league-leading 3.2 yards per clip. “They destroyed blocks at times”, he said. But the Steelers had their own share of faults.
“Take out the quarterback. When you run the ball without being a Wildcat or anything like that, it is a 10-man job”, he said. “Everybody’s got to block. I don’t care if you’re on the backside, the frontside, wherever you’re at, every position matters. Even the receivers matter. If you’re not blocking at every spot, it’s tough to run the football. It’s a total unit effort”.
It’s hard to say the Steelers have gotten that most of the year. For one thing, neither WR Diontae Johnson nor TE Pat Freiermuth could be described as plus run-blockers for their respective positions. While both WR George Pickens and TE Darnell Washington possess the willingness and ability to be good run-blockers, their execution is still inconsistent.
And the offensive line had its worst effort in run-blocking in a month, including the promising young first-round rookie, RT Broderick Jones. Isaac Seumalo was also coming off a shoulder injury suffered just days earlier.
The bigger problem than individual performances, though, is the collective. And that applies both to the offensive line specifically and to the offense as a whole. It’s hard to get all the blockers on the same page on the same play. That’s why they finished the game with a long rush for a running back of just seven yards.
The Indianapolis Colts have a much more inviting run defense, on the other hand, so one would hope this proves to be a “get right” game for that unit. They will need to be able to ground and pound in order to get where they’re trying to go. Of that, I have no doubt.
