The Pittsburgh Steelers’ rushing attack really got going on Thursday Night against the Cincinnati Bengals, and yet, the Steelers didn’t fully commit to the run game in their 33-31 loss. Despite running for 147 yards, with RB Jaylen Warren responsible for 127 of them, the Steelers weren’t fully committed to running the football, as they ran just 20 times. Some of that was due to the team trailing, but they were having a ton of success on the ground and picking up big gains.
Former NFL defensive lineman Chris Long said on his Green Light podcast after the game that he was surprised the Steelers didn’t stick to the ground game.
“I’m almost surprised the Steelers didn’t just keep running the football at times in this game. There’s some really bad tape out there if you watch the technique up front for the Bengals,” Long said.
Ultimately, the Steelers were still able to score even without running the football as much in the second half. But there were certainly some frustrating sequences, like when Warren ran for 35 yards on the first three carries of a drive, but once the Steelers got into the red zone, they tried a screen pass to Darnell Washington, which lost eight yards. The drive still ended in a touchdown, but the Steelers just weren’t committing to the ground game as much as they could’ve.
The most egregious example of the Steelers not committing to the run was probably on the team’s second drive. Warren had a 12-yard run to open things up and then didn’t see the ball again, although it sounds like the botched flea flicker on 2nd and 4 was supposed to be a run. Still, there were opportunities for the Steelers to lean on the ground more, and they didn’t.
Aaron Rodgers had a great game, but the Bengals’ run defense was porous and the Steelers really could’ve taken advantage. But at the end of the day, their defense just simply wasn’t good enough to stop Cincinnati. That was the difference in the game. Running the ball more could’ve kept the ball out of Joe Flacco’s hands and limited Cincinnati’s time of possession, but the Steelers would’ve won if their defense had gotten one more stop.
That was the biggest problem, and it’s a problem the Steelers will have to figure out. This defense should not be allowing 30-plus points in three of the first six games, but that’s the reality the Steelers are facing.
You can watch the full Thursday Green Light podcast below.
