Mason Rudolph is the obvious name to point to for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive improvements. No question he deserves a ton of credit. He’s been poised, smart, accurate, and produced big plays. But he isn’t the only one who should get his due. Just as critical has been the Steelers’ running game. That’s all parties involved. Running backs, offensive line, wide receivers, and tight ends.
The numbers provide a view, but they don’t do it justice. Beyond the stats (which are impressive, leading the league in rushing attempts, tied for the lead in rushing scores, and third in yards over the final three weeks), the tone and edge Pittsburgh’s playing with on tape is what’s driving this team.
There’s a level of effort, strain, and finish from this group that’s taken them to the next level. They don’t just run the ball well. They’re punishing people. They’re driving them off the ball. They’re playing through the echo of the whistle to bully the defense and let them know who’s in charge.
It was the offseason’s theme. Bully ball. For the first eight weeks, the Steelers were the ones getting stuffed in the locker. Even as the running game turned the corner starting in Week Nine against the Tennessee Titans, the run game doesn’t have the feel it does now. They were executing, they were blocking it up, but they weren’t imposing their will. Something about this team being backed in a corner flipped the switch.
Violent. That’s how you’d describe this rushing attack. From the running backs, it’s obvious enough. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren ran as hard as you’ll ever see two backs perform in Week 17’s win over the Seattle Seahawks. Steamrolling, stiff-arming, and stampeding Seattle’s secondary. It looked like Varsity versus JV.
But it’s not just them. The line is feeding off it. The way they’re keeping their feet moving, finishing their blocks, taking defenders to the ground. Broderick Jones has led that group, but he’s not the only one. The whole group is showing the same. In Saturday’s win over Baltimore, LG Isaac Seumalo had the best game of his season. Despite playing with one good shoulder (don’t be surprised if he has surgery after the season), he pancaked stud DT Justin Madubuike on Najee Harris’ touchdown and repeatedly ran defenders off the ball and out of the picture throughout the game. This is a nice run by Harris to press the hole and cut into the vacated B gap but look at Seumalo wall off the linebacker and take him out of the screen.
But if there’s one unit really excelling and surprising, it’s the tight ends. From a liability early in the year, they’ve done a 180. Pat Freiermuth has put on great tape, even if he’ll never be an amazing in-line blocker. But he’s finishing every single one of his blocks, taking CB Mike Hilton to the sideline, and showing similar effort the last two weeks. Connor Heyward was an asset on the Steelers’ split zone schemes against Baltimore, and Darnell Washington looks like the guy he was drafted to be. He’s been a tremendous run blocker with his size, strength, and finishing ability.
You don’t need the box score to feel this impact. Watch the tape and you see the body language of the group. There’s a swagger, an edge, a confidence that hadn’t been there until these final few weeks. It’s easy, and perhaps partially true, to make this a Matt Canada thing. Or even a Mason Rudolph thing. But I think it’s a little more simplistic than that. Success begets success, confidence begets confidence. It’s a snowball rolling down a mountain, picking up steam and strength. That’s the Steelers. They’re rolling downhill. Buffalo’s next.
