Can the Steelers shut off the leaky faucet on their run defense?
Ordinarily a strength, the Pittsburgh Steelers have had issues with their run defense at times this season. Now, don’t get me wrong, they still rank among the best run defenses in the league across the board. Through eight games, they have allowed 724 yards on 183 attempts with four touchdowns at four yards per attempt.
Those are very respectable numbers, and on the whole, the Steelers’ run defense is as well. But when they are not, they fall apart. We saw that on Monday night against the New York Giants, who rushed for 157 yards against them.
In fact, over the past five games, the Steelers have allowed 100-plus rushing yards three times. They also allowed 109 yards to the Dallas Cowboys, and 133 to the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts averaged 4.2 yards over 32 attempts, and that includes one kneeldown. The Cowboys only averaged 3.5 yards per attempt, but they were able to run the ball when they needed to. Except at the goal line, anyway. Thanks, Elandon.
This season, it seems, we have just seen an inconsistent Steelers team. Sometimes they look like they’re all on the same page, and at other times, not. Yet they shut down the run against the Las Vegas Raiders and the New York Jets, not that either team committed to running the ball.
It’s hard to diagnose just how big of a problem this is, in truth, but it’s becoming more frequent. We know Steelers players and coaches are angry and frustrated about it. In spite of their wins, they come away upset about their own play and feeling that they underperformed.
When you let Tyrone Tracy Jr. run for 145 yards on 20 attempts, yeah, I can get that. They blew it on a 45-yard touchdown run in the second half. Calvin Austin III bailed the Steelers defense out, though, on both offense and special teams. Will some self-scouting over the bye week help to turn off these leaks in the second half of the season?
The Steelers’ 2024 season is underway, following another disappointing year ending in a first-round playoff loss. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January. There are positive signs, but things could jump off the rails any moment.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Will Russell Wilson regain his job when he is healthy, or is Justin Fields stealing it? How will the team continue to address the depth chart, which is surprisingly still in flux?
The regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
