Over the last two weeks, the Pittsburgh Steelers have put up just 82 yards rushing against the New England Patriots and 74 yards rushing against the Indianapolis Colts, coming out to just 156 yards in both games combined. The lack of success on the ground has been a big reason for Pittsburgh’s three-game skid the last three weeks, seeing their running game fall off from averaging 174 yards on the ground the month prior to Pittsburgh’s three-game losing streak.
Speaking with Bob Pompeani, head coach Mike Tomlin spoke about the team’s lack of success running the football in his Keys to the Game segment of The Mike Tomlin Show, stating that Pittsburgh needs it’s rushing attack to revert back to what it was the first time they played the Bengals to see success on Saturday afternoon against their division rival.
“We gotta control the line of scrimmage,” Tomlin said on The Mike Tomlin Show which aired on the team’s website. “Controlling the line of scrimmage is run game efficiency, but it’s also just efficiency. We were penalized… I think we had five offensive penalties in the last game, and when you get behind the chains, you get somewhat one-dimensional. That’s going to minimize your run game. That’s going to get you in double pass mode oftentimes to minimize the component of possession and long. And so, those were some of the things that happened last time that minimized our run game. Our run game needs to be the component it was the first time we played those guys in Cincinnati.”
The last time the Steelers played the Bengals, Pittsburgh dominated on the ground, rushing for 153 yards as a team. RB Najee Harris had his best performance of the season, running for 99 yards while showcasing the strength and power as he would keep churning his legs on contact and push the pile, carrying multiple defenders with him as a man possessed. He also showed notable burst despite his size, looking decisive and explosive compared to the runner that we’ve seen in recent weeks, having a tough time seeing the hole and working around his blockers.
RB Jaylen Warren didn’t have a great game against the Bengals last time, but he did contribute 49 rushing yards and 13 receiving yards as the tandem kept the Bengals’ defense on their heels. That hasn’t been the case since as Pittsburgh’s running game hasn’t executed the the same level it had been, whether it be poor block execution by the offensive line, poor effort by Pittsburgh’s receivers in blocking, multiple pre-snap and holding penalties, or the backs not seeing and hitting the holes effectively.
The Bengals are playing inspiring football without QB Joe Burrow leading the charge, but their run defense is still vulnerable, ranking 28th in football. They also just lost DL D.J. Reader for the rest of the season with a torn quad, weakening their defense upfront. Pittsburgh must get back to establishing their physicality and imposing it on their competition, and the best way to do that is with the rushing attack. The Bengals are haven been susceptible to leaking against the run in the past, and with their team captain out on the defensive line, it appears a perfect storm is brewing for Pittsburgh to get back on track this Saturday.
