The Steelers wanted to leave no doubt about their intentions in their first meeting with the Bengals last season. They played fullback Roosevelt Nix early and often.
Nix logged a season-high 22 offensive snaps in that 29-14 win by the Steelers at Heinz Field Oct. 22. Though the Steelers ran the ball just 22 times for 92 yards in that game, it was the play of Nix that frustrated Cincinnati inside linebacker Vontaze Burfict to the point where he acted out, drawing yet another fine.
The two teams will meet for the first time in 2018 Sunday when the Steelers travel to Paul Brown Stadium. And with Burfict returning from his latest suspension from the league for his on-field antics -- this one a four-game shot -- last week against the Dolphins, he and Nix could get an opportunity or two to renew their acquaintances.
"They had some good trash talk in that game," Maurkice Pouncey told me of that meeting at Heinz Field last season. "Rosie is that type of player. He comes in and he’s really aggressive. He loves playing football and his emotions show."
On a play early in that game, Nix drew the ire of Burfict to the point the linebacker lashed out at him, giving him a two-footed kick at the completion of a Le'Veon Bell run. Burfict was fined just over $12,000 for the incident, even though he was not penalized on the field.
The Steelers have used Nix, who was named to his first Pro Bowl last season, sparingly this season. He's logged just 43 offensive snaps in the team's first five games, with 19 of those coming in Week 1 at Cleveland. Despite his Pro Bowl performance last season, Nix has seen his usage slip from 16.4 percent of the offensive snaps last season to 12.1 in 2018.
This despite the fact the statistics show running back James Conner seems to prefer running behind a lead blocker, whether that be a tight end or offensive lineman on the move, or Nix out of the backfield.
Offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner is aware of those numbers but thinks some of that is born from game situation. When the Steelers are trailing, they're not as likely to come out in a power formation and run the ball.
"You always look to see where he's more comfortable and more efficient," Fichtner said of Conner. "I think if you asked him, he'd say he's comfortable in every run, just give me a run. I get it. I think, over time, he's going to adapt in game and feel more comfortable. I think that happened last week. I thought we hadn't had enough to heat him and give him those opportunities. Hopefully, we'll continue to do that."
Nix isn't one to push for more playing time, but when the numbers show what they do, shouldn't the Steelers try to figure out more ways to get him on the field?
"You do, but you've got to be careful where it fits and what might it draw defensively from a personnel standpoint," Fichtner said. "Sometimes, it draws bigger groups that you just don't want to deal with. Where we can incorporate Rosie, we should and we try to."
But, as Fichtner mentioned, that's not always going to be an immediate fix. If the opposing team is better with its bigger, run-stuffing personnel on the field, going to more power-type formations might not be the best plan of attack.
The most effective way to keep the running game going is to be effective with it early and build a lead.
"I think everyone thinks they know how to fix things," Pouncey said. "Like I keep telling everyone, the flow of the game and things haven’t happened the way we’ve wanted them to happen. I’m pretty sure if those scenarios didn’t happen, we’d probably have more rushing yards."
That flow to which Pouncey refers is the score of the game. And the Steelers did get down early in some of their first five games. But they didn't last week against Atlanta and Nix still got just eight snaps.
The Bengals have been susceptible to opposing running games this season. The Bengals are allowing 118.2 yards rushing per game and 157.8 total yards per game to opposing backfields.
With the Steelers on the road and Conner coming off a game in which he gained 110 yards on 21 carries and added another 75 on four receptions, a similar game script would seem to make sense this week. But the Steelers could use a little more Nix -- who also had a key punt block on special teams -- to help set the tone.
"That’s kind of what Rosie does. He allows us to get in those fullback groupings and be able to run the ball," David DeCastro told me. "That’s what he’s good at, getting a helmet on some people.
"We’ll see if it works. If they’re stuffing the box, then we’ll pass it. It just depends on what they give us."