The pathway to production from the Steelers' offense has been clear for a long, long time. While many were booing Mitch Trubisky and chanting Kenny Pickett's name at Mike Tomlin, a change at quarterback was never going to be the catalyst for any measurable success this season.
No doubt, the quarterback is important. But, success was always going to come with a very familiar brand of football in Pittsburgh.
You might remember this column I wrote after the Steelers dropped their Week 3 matchup against the Browns. The Steelers had two touchdown drives in the first half of the game, both engineered by a successful rushing attack. Despite averaging 5.5 yards per attempt in the first half of that game, the team went away from it later in the game, and wound up on the losing end.
That's why I wrote about it.
Pickett has had to go through the learning process as a rookie while trying to keep a drowning team afloat. In the losses to Buffalo, Miami and Philadelphia, Pickett threw 52, 44 and 38 passes, respectively. Game situations obviously dictated his throw total in the Buffalo and Philadelphia games as the Steelers fell behind early by a wide margin. Ideally, neither Mike Tomlin nor Matt Canada want Pickett to be throwing that often.
It would be very beneficial for Pickett's growth if he had the support of a strong running game. So, the team spent the bye week putting a lot of effort into becoming a better team at running the football.
"Coming off the bye week, that was one of the things we addressed. We needed to make sure we're getting at least 4-to-4.5 yards per carry," Zach Gentry told me this week. "That was our goal coming out of the bye week."
It was against a bad Saints team, but the Steelers racked up 217 yards on the ground in a double-digit victory. Mission accomplished, at least for one week.
"I think our guys just played well. I don’t think there was any dramatic scheme change," Canada said this week. "We just had a lot fewer missed assignments and those types of things. The guys came off the ball and played well, and I’m not just talking about the linemen. As an entire offense. We haven’t had a lot up front. As a group, we played a much sounder football game and that showed up in result of us getting a win. So, positive."
The offense should have a better chance to have time to establish the run with T.J. Watt and Damontae Kazee back in the fold on defense. Plus, the starting offensive line has been fortunate enough to play virtually all of the snaps together. The team switched to more zone schemes, and that takes time for an offensive line with two new faces to establish any consistency.
"I think we all just have a better understanding of what we're trying to do on offense. Schematically we understand it better, and that's putting us in better positions to block for the backs, protect Kenny or whatever it might be," Mason Cole told me this week. "We just feel more comfortable with the offense, and have an understanding of how each of us are playing across the line and how we communicate. Just that continuity together is huge going into Week 11."
The offensive line jelling in run blocking could not have come at a better time. If you look around the league, teams that are running the ball more often are finding success. Of the five teams that run more often than they pass, three are in line for a spot in the playoffs -- Philadelphia, Tennessee and the New York Giants.
It might actually make sense for teams to go back to a more "old school" type of football. Najee Harris explained it perfectly.
"Through this time and era that we're in, there's so much focus on passing and you have a lot of passing defenses out there," Harris said Friday. "Even defenders out there. The prototypical linebackers even changed because of passing. You've got smaller guys, sideline-to-sideline type guys, because of how spread out offenses are. Now later in the season, you need those type of old-school linebackers because running the ball is really important, especially with this type of weather."
Through the first 10 weeks of the season, offenses across the NFL are averaging only 11.0 yards per completion -- the lowest mark since 1933. In case that number rings a bell, yes, that's the same year the Steelers were founded by Art Rooney Sr., almost 90 years ago.
On the flip-side, NFL teams are averaging 4.5 yards per carry this season, the highest average in league history.
Now might be the perfect time for the Steelers to jump on the trend before many more teams do it. Of the seven teams remaining on the schedule, only two rank in the top 10 in rushing defense: Baltimore (3rd) and Indianapolis (10th). Every other team, including the matchup this Sunday against the Bengals, ranks in the bottom half of the league.
And, if this past Sunday against the Saints was any indication, the Steelers might be more committed than ever to getting Harris, Jaylen Warren and the rest of the running game going through the remainder of the year. In our Friday Insider, I wrote about how the Steelers ran more 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) against New Orleans, and how they might do more of that moving forward.
The next test won't be easy. While the Bengals ranked 17th in the NFL by allowing 118.8 yards rushing per game, they stifled the Steelers' rushing attack in Week 1. Pittsburgh managed a feeble 75 yards rushing, but averaged only 3.4 yards per carry -- and it was only that high because Chase Claypool gained 36 yards on six carries.
One of the Bengals' starting front four, Josh Tupou, is ruled out of Sunday's game, but it doesn't change the fact that the Steelers need to avenge a horrific performance of running the ball.
"We didn't run the ball efficiently, which makes things more challenging. We were looking back on it (this week). We feel like we're so much better than we were then -- in the run game, the passing game, protection-wise, technique-wise," Cole told me. "We've had 10 weeks together now in stadium. I feel like we've grown a lot."
The offensive line is jelling. Harris looked much better last week. Warren has emerged into a legitimate and productive No. 2 back. Pickett can also make plays out of the pocket with his legs.
Run. The. Football.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Who: Steelers (3-6) vs. Bengals (5-4)
• What: Week 11, regular season
• When: Sunday, 4:25 p.m.
• Where: Acrisure Stadium
• Line: Cincinnati, -4.0
• Over/Under: 40.5
• Weather: Mostly sunny, 27°, 0% chance of rain/snow, 15 mph. wind
• TV: CBS (national), KDKA-TV (local)
• Radio: 102.5 WDVE, ESPN Pittsburgh
• Streaming: Steelers Nation Radio
• Satellite: Sirius XM 385, online 826
• Boxscore: DKPS
• Team media guides: Steelers | Bengals
• Official game notes: Steelers | Bengals
THE INJURY REPORT
• Steelers: CB Ahkello Witherspoon (hamstring) did not practice all week, and is ruled OUT. S Minkah Fitzpatrick (appendix), RB Najee Harris (knee), LB Marcus Allen (illness), LB Devin Bush (knee), G Kevin Dotson (hip), T Trent Scott (back), OL Jesse Davis (knee), OLB T.J. Watt (pectoral/vet rest), DT Cam Heyward (vet rest) and DT Larry Ogunjobi (knee) were all on the practice report this week, but do not have an injury designation and are cleared to play Sunday.
• Bengals: WR Ja'Marr Chase (hip), S Dax Hill (shoulder) and DT Josh Tupou (calf) are ruled OUT. RB Chris Evans (knee) and CB Tre Flowers (hamstring) are QUESTIONABLE.
THE KEY VARIABLE
While the Steelers need to run the ball successfully, they also need to stop the run this week.
Joe Mixon is a very dangerous running back. The Bengals are coming off their bye week, but Mixon had a career day the week prior against the Panthers. He rushed for 153 yards and four touchdowns, and added 58 yards on four catches with a fifth touchdown through the air.
The Steelers did a good job of containing him in Week 1. Even though he had 82 yards on the ground, it took 27 carries to get to that mark (3.0 yards per carry). And without one 31-yard outburst, Mixon had 51 yards on 26 carries.
Without Ja'Marr Chase, one might think the Steelers need to pay Mixon some extra attention. Turns out, the Steelers are out to stop him, no matter who's in or out at receiver.
"We got into every game with the idea we have to stop the run first," Teryl Austin said Thursday. "A lot of people say, 'what are you talking about, it's a passing league?' But that's what it is to me. We feel no different this week. We felt no different in Week 1. We didn't want Joe Mixon to have a chance to win the game, to be in the game at the end and win the weighty moments. Nothing has changed. Our goal is to stop Joe Mixon, because if Joe Mixon runs on us, that doesn't leave us much of a chance."
A huge part of stopping the run comes from the return of Watt. I've written about how Watt's absence drastically affected the run defense, and Austin unknowingly backed me up when he recounted Watt's impact in the win over New Orleans.
"I know everybody looks at the sack totals, but when you watch him in the run game, you watch how he disrupts things at the point of attack, it makes it easier for a lot of guys to get their job done," Austin said. "It's not just a figurehead presence. He affects the game in a lot of ways. I know everybody talks about the sacks, but he's an outstanding run defender. He's an outstanding football player."
Believe it or not, the Steelers now rank sixth in the NFL against the run, allowing 108.0 yards per game. They've been even better at home, allowing just 81.5 yards per game on the ground at Acrisure Stadium.
THE HISTORY LESSON
The Steelers lead the overall series, 68-38, and hold a 35-17 advantage at home.
But, in honor of the Steelers needing to establish the run against the Bengals, I'm revisiting the last time Pittsburgh eclipsed 40 carries in a game prior to the 43 carries in Sunday's win over the Saints: October 22, 2017.
The opponent? Of course, the Bengals. The venue? Acrisure Stadium (then known as Heinz Field).
The Steelers and Bengals traded passing touchdowns in the first two quarters, but a pair of Chris Boswell field goals gave Pittsburgh a 20-14 lead before halftime.
But, the Steelers relied heavily on Le'Veon Bell in the second half. Twenty-two of his 35 total carries came in the final two quarters, and he racked up 134 yards rushing on the day. The heavy rush attack in the second half didn't produce any more touchdowns, but three more field goals from Boswell gave the Steelers a 15-point lead.
Pittsburgh won the time of possession battle, controlling the ball for 35:15. The defense also pitched a shutout in the second half as the Steelers won, 29-14,
THE MAIN MATCHUP
I already mentioned it in the first part of Kickoff, but I'm going to double down here.
Run. The. Football.
But, instead of rambling on and on about the importance of it, I want to show you how the offense's flawless execution on Harris' 36-yard run against the Saints.
Cole walked me through everything that happened on this play:
"It was zone to the strong side with a slicer (Connor Heyward) coming back. Tyrann Mathieu blitzed off the edge, but he ran too high, so the slicer didn't have to do anything," Cole explained. "(Dan Moore Jr.) did a good job of taking over the end. Connor then came up on the linebacker, then Najee did the rest. It was schematically a good play. We just got 'em."
Notice that Heyward looked at how high Mathieu went, then charged up field to take out the linebacker. One of the most important things on this play was Harris exploding through the gaping hole. Him running downhill like that took Mathieu out of the play with no chance to recover.
The good thing is, this wasn't an isolated incident on Sunday.
"I think we saw him being more consistent hitting the downhill," Canada explained Thursday. "I think we’d all seen that here and there, and I know we talked about it last week, him getting healthy and getting reps with the line and seeing things. But I thought Naj was playing in a physical, downhill style, which is who he is. I thought he was himself. So, nothing different. I thought Naj was just being himself."
Say what you will about Canada, but this is a very well designed play. And, there's no doubt the Bengals watched tape on this play repeatedly. They'll be ready for it. Canada will have to cook up some other plays to help get the run game going.
10 DATA POINTS
• The Bengals are 2-3 on the road this season, and are 0-3 in the AFC North. They're also coming off their bye week, so you can bet they are motivated to pull out a victory.
• After the Bengals play the Steelers on Sunday, the combined win-loss record of the remaining Bengals' opponents is currently 38-26. The road doesn't get any easier for them. As I said ... They'll be motivated.
• The Bengals have a minus-18 sack differential. They've given up 32 sacks but have only gotten to opposing quarterbacks 14 times.
• Of the Bengals' 14 sacks this year, 7.5 of them are from Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard -- Cincinnati's two defensive ends. Moore and Chukwuma Okorafor will have their hands full this week.
• Pickett has been sacked 12 times over the past two games, but he is getting the ball out of his hands an average of 2.77 seconds from the snap of the ball until the time he releases it. That's right around league average.
• Joe Burrow's average time to throw of 2.57 seconds is quicker than every NFL quarterback other than Tom Brady and PJ Walker.
• Regarding the split between Harris and Warren, against the Saints, Harris was on the field for 50 snaps compared to 35 from Warren. However, on third downs, Warren played 9 of 12 snaps.
• For the season, the Steelers are converting 75% of their fourth-down attempts, which leads the NFL.
• In the two games Burrow has played without Chase, he has 232 and 206 passing yards, respectively -- two of his three lowest totals of the year.
• Mixon can certainly be dangerous, but more so because of volume and not efficiency. Mixon averages just 2.4 yards after first contact, which is a half-yard worse than league average. And, only 8% of his rushing attempts this year have gone for 10 or more yards, which is well below league average.
THE FANTASY CORNER
Another week, another performance that landed me just outside of earning some money. Nevertheless, here's my lineup for Week 11 (with a $50,000 salary cap on DraftKings):
• QB: Dak Prescott, Cowboys ($6,600)
• RB1: Joe Mixon, Bengals ($7,400)
• RB2: D'Onta Foreman, Panthers ($5,900)
• WR1: Tyler Boyd, Bengals ($6,500)
• WR2: Michael Pittman Jr., Colts ($6,100)
• WR3: George Pickens, Steelers ($5,200)
• TE: Cole Kmet, Bears ($4,100)
• FLEX: Devin Singletary, Bills ($5,800)
• DEF/ST: Steelers ($2,300)
Prescott should be able to have a fine game against Minnesota's secondary, especially at only $6,600 for a quarterback. Mixon's volume always makes him an easy decision. Foreman is facing a stout Ravens' rush defense, but he's certainly the unquestioned leader of the Panthers' backfield now that Christian McCaffrey is in San Francisco.
Tee Higgins might be a big threat to the Steelers' secondary, but I'm thinking the Pitt product Boyd might have the bigger day. Given what Burrow can do against the Steelers' secondary, I just had to go with one Cincinnati receiver.
I'm predicting a couple of big plays from Pickens. Call it a gut feeling.
Kmet has been an absolute beast the past two weeks, and I'm riding the hot hand. Singletary is in a favorable matchup against a Browns defense that just cannot stop the run right now. And, at only $2,300, I'm going with the same defense that put up 26.0 points in Week 1 against the same opponent.