The Steelers' running game looked like one of the more reliable parts of the offense early in the season, as James Conner and Benny Snell combined for four 100-yard rushing games between them over the team's first four games.
But that rushing offense has disappeared over the last two games, averaging 47 yards while the team beat the Ravens and the Cowboys on the road to 8-0. They survived those games without a consistent on the ground, but this team can't live like that all season.
Good news is, they most likely won't.
When I go back and study what went wrong in the running game, the issues almost all stemmed from inconsistent play from the offensive line. And not just inconsistent, but uncharacteristic as well.
It would be one thing if the Steelers' offensive line was getting into their blocks exhibiting proper fundamentals and still getting beat by mediocre defensive linemen. That would mean the group just isn't good anymore and is in for a long season because they're either not strong enough or not good enough to beat opponents.
But that's not what's happening, as players are losing battles because of uncharacteristic mistakes. Take David DeCastro, for instance, where he just lets his man burst through A-gap and wreck the entire running play before it can even begin. You can also see how DeCastro's man bursting through slows up Matt Feiler's pull, letting the edge defender walk right into Snell for a tackle for loss:
That's not what DeCastro has put on tape for years, or even throughout this season.
But it was what DeCastro did have a problem with throughout the Steelers' win over the Cowboys. I slowed this next play down so you could see how he loses. When was the last time you saw DeCastro having a problem getting out of his stance? Because that's what happened here, as you can see Neville Gallimore beat him to the punch by winning A-gap and busting up the run play:
That's not DeCastro, and it's not the identity of this group, either.
Chukwuma Okorafor was the same lineman that held J.J. Watt without a quarterback hit or a tackle for loss for an entire game, an accomplishment that had only happened three times out of 98 games since his second year in the NFL.
His play has been impressive since becoming the full time starter in week two of this season, consistently getting off the snap quickly and displaying good footwork.
But here he is, not displaying any of that against Ballentine on fourth-and-one. Ballentine gets his pads under Okorafor's, taking away his power with better leverage and driving him into Snell for the stop and the turnover on downs:
And if you look at Feiler on this play, he's also not doing too well with his feet failing to follow through with his initial contact in the hole.
This isn't normal for a group that was playing very well over the first six weeks of the season, and with players who have performed well for years with a quarterback they're more than familiar with calling out the adjustments every play.
The best answer as to why it's happening is that the group could be feeling the fatigue of playing three straight road games, along with two tough and physical challenges against top AFC opponents in the Titans and Ravens.
And with the team's lacking of a true bye week, since they practiced through Thursday of what ended up being their bye during week four, they now don't have the chance to rest and regroup to find those mistakes and work on them without having to worry about adjusting to a new game plan.
That doesn't mean those adjustments can't come, as we've seen them before. Like in 2019 where after the team's overtime loss to the Ravens, the offense didn't have a single collective 100-yard game on the ground. But in the three following weeks the team would average 124 rushing yards per game.
Or in 2018 when the team gained only 19 rushing yards during a week four loss to the Ravens, but regrouped to average 132.4 rushing yards over their next five games, all of which were wins.
Or like in 2017 when the Steelers only gained 59 rushing yards against the Ravens during a week 14 win, but averaged 123.7 rushing yards over the last three games to close out the regular season.
Turnarounds from poor blocking and rushing performances can absolutely happen with this group, and there's even more evidence when you look at how they've played occasionally even during their most recent games. Here's a zone run concept where they get off the snap quickly and set the tone at the line. You can see DeCastro and Alejandro Villanueva control their men in the hole, giving Conner the chance to assess where the defense's weak spot is and attack:
This offensive line may be struggling right now, but there's no reason to think the group can't find a way to turn it around.
After all, this offensive line was also the same group that was pounding teams into submission in the early weeks of the season. They've matched up with only two opponents who rank among the NFL's top ten teams in allowing the fewest yards per carry. Those teams were the Giants and the Browns, both who the Steelers rushed for more than 120 yards against.
The Cowboys didn't do anything special and this group doesn't have to do anything unorthodox to get back to blocking the way they should so the ground game can return to being a regular contributor to the offense.
Ben Roethlisberger has had to step up and carry the offense late in the fourth quarter for wins the past two games, and that's fine. That's why it was so important he came back for this season and it's why he's the highest paid player on the team.
But this team's strength is how balanced its units are across the board. It's also why the Steelers are undefeated. An opponent can have a good day stopping the run, but the passing game can hurt them if they sell out too hard. The same works in the reverse on offense, and the defense has so many assets that stopping the run, rushing the quarterback and making plays in coverage are all aspects that have played the leading component to Steelers wins this season.
The offensive line needs to get back to where it was, and even improve to reach its potential. But what's special about this team is that past Steelers teams would be doomed if a key component of the offense was lacking. This group finds a way to survive until that component can return to firing on all cylinders.
Just like I pointed out with the Steelers' struggles in the secondary earlier in the season, these problems are quite fixable, and this coaching staff and organization have shown they can find those answers. Give them time, because they can and will figure it out.