Down the stretch of the 2024 season came to a close, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ struggles defending the run were arguably their biggest issue. Fast forward to Week 1 of the 2025 season, and things did not look any better. However, Pittsburgh has made several investments in that unit, some which could start to pay off this week against the Seattle Seahawks, says Steelers insider Mark Kaboly.
“Yeah, obviously they’re gonna have to stop the run,” Kaboly Tuesday said on the Kaboly + Mack show. “And I think that’s really in their minds this week. It should be in their minds every single week to stop the run. But I would be absolutely stunned if they don’t come out there and just totally shut down this run game and make it a Sam Darnold [game].”
“I think this one might be a little bit more simpler than the last one.”
They have to hope it is. Things were not simple at all for them last week against the Jets. Pittsburgh was outrushed by 129 yards, picking up just 53 on the ground and allowing 182. That type of performance isn’t going to cut it against the Seahawks.
The Steelers struggled in multiple areas against the Jets. First, they looked like they had no idea how to defend a running quarterback like Justin Fields despite having him on their roster last season. This touchdown run symbolizes the Steelers’ efforts against the run as a whole.
Everybody in the stadium knew the Jets were going to run the ball. And they did so with ease. Breece Hall made light work of the Steelers’ defense, with 19 carries for 107 yards and 5.6 yards per carry. The Steelers are just not going to go very far this season if they’re allowing five yards every run.
If the Steelers are going to improve against the Seahawks, they need to start getting more physical. Time and time again they got walled off by a Jets offensive line that came into the game with a lot of question marks of its own. Cam Heyward disappointed, Keeanu Benton failed to show any improvement, and Yahya Black didn’t get enough time to make a real impact.
On paper, Seattle has a talented rushing attack with Zach Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker III. Neither looked good in Week 1, though. Charbonnet had 12 carries for 47 yards, and Walker ran 10 times for just 20 yards. So, Kaboly’s logic is that this looks like a get right game for the Steelers’ front seven against a team that couldn’t establish the run last week. While the Seahawks are less threatening than the Jets on the ground, they might look at Pittsburgh’s defense with the same mindset.
The bottom line is the Steelers need to show some improvement against the Seahawks this week. The highest-paid defense in the league needs to play like it. And right now, its inability to stop the run is preventing that.
