When the Steelers lost nose tackle Javon Hargrave in free agency, many wondered where the team would turn to replace him.
And when it was announced veteran Tyson Alualu would be that guy, some wondered if the 11-year-veteran would be up to the task.
Just three weeks ago, the Steelers had the league's second-ranked run defense, allowing just 68.8 yards per game. More importantly, they were allowing opposing running backs a paltry 3.3 yards per rushing attempt, shutting down or limiting the likes of Saquon Barkley, Melvin Gordon, Kareem Hunt and Derrick Henry.
But six snaps into the team's Nov. 1 win against the Ravens in Baltimore, Alualu suffered a sprained knee. Since then, the Steelers have given up 409 rushing yards in the past two games. That 3.3 yards per carry they were allowing ballooned to 5.7 yards per rushing attempt over those two games.
The Steelers (8-0) will get Alualu back Sunday when they face the Bengals (2-5-1) at Heinz Field. And it's none too soon for defensive coordinator Keith Butler, who has been extremely unhappy with the team's run defense the past two weeks in Alualu's absence.
"Our goal is to make sure we hold people under 100 yards if we can. We haven’t been able to do that the last two weeks," Butler said this week. "We have to make sure we hopefully get some people back, and hopefully, we play better and, hopefully, we coach better than we did. If you look at what happened last week, the quarterback got out on us three times and gained quite a bit of yards. (Tony) Pollard gained quite a bit of yards on us, more than we wanted him to. (Ezekiel Elliott), we kind of held him in check a little bit. That’s what we wanted to do with him, too, but we need to hold them all in check.
"We can’t just give them the ball and let them rove up and down the field on us. We were fortunate enough to stop them before they got in the end zone all but once. We can’t live like that and still be successful."
It could be a bit easier this week against the Bengals. Not only has Alualu been cleared to return, the Bengals will likely be without star running back Joe Mixon. Mixon did not practice all this week because of a sprained foot that forced him to miss Cincinnati's final two games before its bye.
Backups Giovanni Bernard and Samaje Perine don't offer the same kind of danger -- or running style -- as Mixon. Bernard has always been more of a third-down back and hasn't rushed for more than 62 yards in a game this season. while the 5-foot-11, 240-pound Perine has a 3.4 yards per carry average, including just 2.9 yards per attempt in 2020.
The Bengals also aren't quite as run-heavy as either the Ravens or Cowboys.
"Definitely it's a different kind of running game from what the Ravens do with the triple-option and the way they get the ball into different ball carriers' hands," said outside linebacker T.J. Watt. "This is about making sure everybody has got their man and we're gapped out in a different way than a downhill team, I-back sets like we were against the Cowboys. This week, it will be more spread football."
The Steelers have had few issues with that.
Cincinnati's offense is more akin to that which the Giants run, with a lot of three-receiver sets and a tight end with one running back. The Steelers limited Barkley, one of the top running backs in the NFL, to 6 yards on 15 carries when they played the Giants in the opener.
Alualu was a big part of that effort, recording four tackles, including two for a loss while playing 32 defensive snaps -- which amounted to 47 percent of the team's defensive plays. For the season, he has 16 tackles, a sack, three tackles for a loss, three quarterback hits and three pass defenses.
For Alualu, it's not as much about the quantity of snaps he gets, it's about the quality. And it's about his ability to also slide outside and spell Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt in nickel and dime packages, as well.
Alualu still gives the Steelers that flexibility. And his return allows role players such as Isaiah Buggs, Henry Mondeaux and Carlos Davis to play fewer snaps.
Not bad for a guy who is learning a new position at 33 years old.
"(Tyson) is a hard worker, and I played here in Pittsburgh when Rod Woodson was an All-Pro corner and later on in his career was an All-Pro safety," defensive line coach Karl Dunbar said. "I think he is in that evolution now. He is 10 or 11 years in, and he really understands football. He is a great technician, and we have guys who play the end. We just lost a guy who was a really good player at nose tackle, and he stepped in and he is doing a great job because he is a ballplayer.