Pittsburgh’s offseason mission was to find chunk plays—big runs and long catches that wouldn’t require crisp and perfect 11-play drives. So far, the passing game hasn’t provided enough of those, and the running game has definitely fallen short, creating a clear goal for the Steelers’ ground game in Week Three’s matchup against the New England Patriots.
“Ten-plus yard runs,” Rodgers told the Steelers’ YouTube channel Wednesday. “I think that’s what [OL Coach Pat Meyer] wants to see. That’s what Mike T. wants to see. That’s what [Arthur Smith] wants to see.”
Those types of splashy run plays have been absent in Pittsburgh’s offense. Through two games, the Steelers have just one of them. Even that hardly counts, a garbage-time 13-yard scoot by Kenneth Gainwell at the tail end of Week Two’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Starting back Jaylen Warren’s longest run is just 9-yards, though he found more consistent success last Sunday than the season opener.
Talent isn’t the issue in Rodgers’ mind.
“Our backs are slippery enough,” he said. “We gotta get them up to the second level clean. Just keep hitting our aim points. It’s not always on the line. It’s sometimes the combination blocks, sometimes the tracks. So we just gotta be perfect in our execution.
“If the track is supposed to be a certain way, let’s run that track. We’re supposed to get it, capture an aiming point. Let’s capture an aiming point. And then we’ve seen our backs on secondary players is gonna be a good matchup for us.”
As Rodgers notes, not all unsuccessful run plays are caused by the offensive line. If the back doesn’t hit the correct aiming point, the inside hip of the playside guard on an inside zone run, for example, the hole might not open up the way it’s supposed to. If the tight end loses a block or takes a false step, a play can be ruined. Downfield blocking by receivers is often required to spring running backs into open grass.
Warren’s 65-yard catch and run last week showed how effective he can be in the open field. He’s been the team’s most explosive back the last several years, even if that bar was low. But it’ll take a team effort to get the running game moving in the right direction, which is to say a lot more downhill than it’s been so far.
