Despite it struggling immensely, Arthur Smith remains optimistic that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ running game is doing just fine. Or, at least, on the cusp of breaking out. Even though they’re ranked low in every rushing category, Smith thinks a lack of opportunity coupled with a handful of mistakes are preventing Pittsburgh from busting out in a big way.
“When it’s the run game, I believe we had three possessions in the first half,” Smith told reporters Thursday via a team provided transcript. “The first two got 14 points, got in a rhythm. Then we missed that third down, and then they had that long drive, I believe, right? Then we got the interception and took a knee. So, it wasn’t a lot of possessions.”
His comments refer to the Week Three win over the New England Patriots. The offense had a hot start, with Pittsburgh racing out to a 14-0 lead with touchdowns on its first two possessions. New England’s long drives created a lull in the middle. Effectively, the Steelers possessed the ball just once in the second quarter, a three-and-out punt, excluding a kneel down with seven seconds to go.
When Pittsburgh got the ball back in the third, the offense struggled to move. Smith thinks those areas can and will be cleaned up.
“I think even some of the runs we didn’t hit, if you just look at the combination blocks, that’s what’s exciting,” he said. “We had a run that, I think, that bounced, those are the things you’ve got to work on. At the point of attack, Troy [Fautanu] and Mason [McCormick], that’s about as good of a duo blocking you’ll see. We’ve just got to continue to keep working. Obviously, in the third quarter, we stalled out. Then we had the penalties, and we were just off track.”
Smith’s referring to a play we noted in our Steelers’ running game breakdown, RB Jaylen Warren bounced a downhill run wide instead of following his blocks. Fautanu and McCormick moved No. 97 DT Milton Williams off his spot but Warren didn’t take advantage of the hole.
“Then in the fourth quarter, we did run the ball late,” he said. “That last drive, we chewed up a lot of the clock. You don’t want to give up on it just because you stall out in the third quarter. So, we weren’t just an obvious one-dimensional offense.”
Pittsburgh closed out the game with a more efficient rushing attack, including a key 3rd-and-2 Warren conversion. The offense overcame penalties and QB Aaron Rodgers found WR Calvin Austin III for the game-winning score.
Despite those moments of success, the running game went long stretches without success. It’s not a one-off, either. Pittsburgh’s yet to run the ball reliably and consistently at any point of the summer. They have failed to do so during training camp, the preseason, or the first three regular season games. It’s one reason why the Steelers have struggled to possess the ball and have lost the time of possession battle all three weeks.
“You can’t be delusionally optimistic,” Smith said. “You can’t be overly cynical. You’ve just got to be objective and realistic. Know on this journey, the best teams are the ones that improve. We’ve got the right guys.”
Smith’s optimism might not be delusional. But it paints a rosy picture of one of the NFL’s least-effective running games. It struggles particularly on first down, as Pittsburgh is ranked 28th in first-down rushing. It also has failed to create chunk plays. The team’s longest run is 13 yards, which was a garbage time gain by backup Kenneth Gainwell. Pittsburgh can solve its troubles with the running game. But there’s lots of work to do if they are to prove Smith’s viewpoint true.
