The Pittsburgh Steelers have not been a great team in the run game in 2022, especially during the early weeks of the season. Over the past few weeks however, it appears that stronger ball movement is being established on the ground. A road game against the Indianapolis Colts will be a true test to see whether or not Pittsburgh’s rush attack is legit or not.
Ever since their bye week in Week 9, the Steelers have vastly improved in running the ball. In the last three games, Pittsburgh has averaged 154.3 rushing yards per game. Most of the yardage came in their Week 10 matchup versus the New Orleans Saints where they had 217 yards rushing in a 20-10 victory. Not only has it been a pleasant surprise to see the ground game finally take form, but it’s also been rather shocking to find out where the run success is coming from.
Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett has been an unexpected source of ground yardage as of late.
He has rushed for over 100 yards in the past three games. Having a mobile signal-caller who can make plays with his wheels is a nice luxury for Pittsburgh. However, he isn’t the sole reason behind the run game’s resurgence.
The main catalyst for the ground and pound prosperity is because of stud running back, Najee Harris.
Harris went into the bye week having a rather sad showing in the first half of the Steelers road game against the Philadelphia Eagles, having just four touches for zero yards rushing. Since then, Harris has flipped the switch and is showing why he was a first-round pick in 2021.
Harris has been “beasting and feasting” with 44 rushes going for 221 yards, averaging 5 yards per carry. This is large jump from the 3.3 yards he was averaging in the beginning of the season. With his contributions, the Steelers have currently amassed 1,078 rushing yards and are averaging 4.2 yards per attempt. But can the offense keep up this momentum on the road in Indy?
When it comes to stopping the run, the Colts defense is one of the best in the league. They allow opposing teams only 3.8 ground yards per attempt, which is slightly better than the Steelers defense who surrender 3.9 rushing yards per attempt. Steelers offensive coordinator, Matt Canada discussed the adversity the offense will look to overcome in his Thursday interview at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex:
“Our running game is getting better, but we’re playing one of the highest-ranked defenses in the league this week. They’re good at everything. It will be a real challenge for us.”
The level of difficulty for this challenge was already high for this offense, but it will be a more daunting task without Steelers starting center, Mason Cole, due to a foot injury. Cole, as well as the rest of the offensive line, have been instrumental when it comes to ball movement in the run game. The consistency of having the same front five for almost every offensive snap has really helped the o-line gel. Messing with that cohesion could been problematic for Monday night. But there are some bright spots.
Like previously stated, Najee Harris has been great, and a good run game has helped Kenny Pickett as well. Pickett hasn’t turned the ball over in the past two games as well. With Harris playing like his 2021 self and being more decisive, the offense seems to be trending upwards, much to Matt Canada’s delight:
“It’s a combination of everything,” Canada said. “The line is gelling. They’re getting work together. The tight ends are doing a good job. I think Najee is back to full strength. He’d probably tell you that. You see a difference in his approach as he attacks the line and those things. It’s a combination of everything. But it’s moving in the direction we want it the last couple of weeks.”
Hopefully this week, the run game will continue to look dominant, even against the Colts defense.
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