The Steelers want to be a run-first team. That has rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way given the quarterback play that dominates the NFL. However, a closer looks at the latest trends shows a commitment to running the ball could lead to success in today's game.
Some think it's medieval for teams to rely on a ground-and-pound run game in order to have a successful offense. And for a while, the NFL became a pass-dominant league. And, when it was, the Steelers were fortunate to have the likes of Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, a great pass-catching running back in Le'Veon Bell, Heath Miller and other strong supporting cast members.
However, it's cool to run the football again.
Looking at the 14 teams that made the playoffs, here's where each team ranked in rush offense:
The top six were all playoff teams. The top rushing team made the divisional round. The No. 2 team won the Super Bowl. 10 of the 14 teams ranked in the top half of the league. And, in looking a little closer to the Steelers, who had the fifth-highest rushing play rate in the league, the four teams that ran the ball more often -- Bills, Packers, Ravens, Eagles -- all made the playoffs. Two were in the final four and one won the Super Bowl.
However, I really wanted to take a closer look at the Super Bowl champions since they dethroned the once-thought-to-be-unbeatable Chiefs. It is a copycat league, after all.
No team in football ran the football more often than the Eagles, running the ball 56.3% of the time. The Steelers ran the ball 48.3% of the time. But, as well all know from watching this past season, it's not just about volume. After all, the Steelers averaged 4.1 yards per carry, tied for 20th in the NFL, while the Eagles averaged 4.9 yards per carry, the fifth-best mark in the league.
Part of that is personnel. The Eagles have the best running back in the league in Saquon Barkley. That's a huge difference. Also, the Eagles have a better offensive line. They can run the ball that often because they are built to do so.
But there is still something to the sheer volume of running the ball, and it could be something that might benefit the Steelers to take a closer look themselves at how exactly the Eagles did it.
Earlier in the season, the Eagles started 2-2. In three of the four games, they scored 21 points or less. Their two losses were to the Falcons and Buccaneers, not exactly the cream of the crop, and they barely beat a bad Saints team, 15-12. But in those four games, the Eagles averaged 153.8 rushing yards per game. That's a good enough number to rank fourth in the NFL.
So, what's the disconnect? How did a 2-2 team averaging 21.5 points per game turn into a team that went 12-1, averaged 29 points per game and an insane 187.2 rushing yards per game the rest of the way?
In the first four games of the season, the Eagles dropped back to pass 54.7% of the time, far more than they ever threw it afterward. Jalen Hurts never attempted less than 30 passes. And in those four games, Hurts threw four touchdowns, four interceptions, posted an 85.7 passer rating and was sacked 13 times, six of which came in a brutal 33-16 loss to the Buccaneers.
The Eagles had a bye in Week 5 and clearly spent time evaluating the issues. When they return in Week 6, Hurts only attempted 30 passes one time the rest of the season -- against the Steelers. They clearly made a concerted effort to run the ball more with Barkley, and Hurts' play benefited. For the rest of the season, Hurts completed 69% of his passes, threw 14 touchdowns, one interception and posted a 114.0 passer rating.
Hurts obviously added to the running game with his mobility. But, again, that was secondary to a commitment to let the offense run through Barkley. Hurts' mobility helped add another element that made it more difficult to defend.
There's no reason the Steelers should not try to create their own version of this. Now, there isn't a Barkley out there to snag. He's a special running back. The closest they could possibly get this offseason would be doing whatever it takes to select Boise State's Ashton Jeanty in the first round of the draft. With the team's focus on beefing up the defensive line, and for good reason, that's likely not happening.
What the Steelers could do is create a one-two punch in the backfield with Jaylen Warren and A) a veteran running back or B) rookie from an impressive running back draft class. The Lions are one of the best running teams in the league because of their committee of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. There's more than one way to run the ball effectively. They just need to make sure whoever's brought in can run in Arthur Smith's wide zone system.
The Steelers also have the ability to replicate quarterback mobility if they bring Justin Fields back via free agency. Fields is a dynamic runner and stresses defenses that way. And, in a role in which he was asked to not do too much through the air, like Hurts, Fields was a more effective and efficient passer.
As far as the offensive line goes, this is where the Steelers have to rely on development. They have a young unit. Of the projected starting five for next season, three are coming off rookie seasons and one of those, Troy Fautanu, missed nearly the entire season due to injury. Broderick Jones has spent his first two seasons playing on the opposite side for which he was drafted. This is the one area the Steelers just have to be patient and invest whatever they can in getting as many of these draft picks right.
The data is there throughout the league. Committing to being a run-first team isn't an ancient idea. But, there's a modern way to go about it. Sure, I'd like to see better quarterback play. Sure, I'd like to see more of a shift to a vertical ground attack, similar to what brilliant minds such as Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan have done. But, there is absolutely a way to do it closer to the way the Eagles do it. Like the Steelers, they're also primarily a zone-running team.
With the lack of players under contract at quarterback and running back, the Steelers now have a great opportunity to choose the players that fit perfectly in the identity they want to create in their rushing attack. Last year, they had to find a way to make two different running backs work in the same system, and it didn't mesh. In addition, the offense wasn't tailored exactly to Fields' skill set since Russell Wilson had the upper hand at the starting job.
This offseason, it's a clean slate. We know the Steelers want to run the ball. And that's okay. It's what the better teams in the league are doing anyway. Now, this offseason's the chance to do it the right way.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
THE ASYLUM
Chris Halicke
8:11 pm - 02.12.2025DowntownDesire to run fits the trend
The Steelers want to be a run-first team. That has rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way given the quarterback play that dominates the NFL. However, a closer looks at the latest trends shows a commitment to running the ball could lead to success in today's game.
Some think it's medieval for teams to rely on a ground-and-pound run game in order to have a successful offense. And for a while, the NFL became a pass-dominant league. And, when it was, the Steelers were fortunate to have the likes of Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, a great pass-catching running back in Le'Veon Bell, Heath Miller and other strong supporting cast members.
However, it's cool to run the football again.
Looking at the 14 teams that made the playoffs, here's where each team ranked in rush offense:
1. Ravens
2. Eagles
3. Commanders
4. Buccaneers
5. Packers
6. Lions
9. Bills
11. Steelers
15. Texans
16. Broncos
17. Chargers
19. Vikings
22. Chiefs
24. Rams
The top six were all playoff teams. The top rushing team made the divisional round. The No. 2 team won the Super Bowl. 10 of the 14 teams ranked in the top half of the league. And, in looking a little closer to the Steelers, who had the fifth-highest rushing play rate in the league, the four teams that ran the ball more often -- Bills, Packers, Ravens, Eagles -- all made the playoffs. Two were in the final four and one won the Super Bowl.
However, I really wanted to take a closer look at the Super Bowl champions since they dethroned the once-thought-to-be-unbeatable Chiefs. It is a copycat league, after all.
No team in football ran the football more often than the Eagles, running the ball 56.3% of the time. The Steelers ran the ball 48.3% of the time. But, as well all know from watching this past season, it's not just about volume. After all, the Steelers averaged 4.1 yards per carry, tied for 20th in the NFL, while the Eagles averaged 4.9 yards per carry, the fifth-best mark in the league.
Part of that is personnel. The Eagles have the best running back in the league in Saquon Barkley. That's a huge difference. Also, the Eagles have a better offensive line. They can run the ball that often because they are built to do so.
But there is still something to the sheer volume of running the ball, and it could be something that might benefit the Steelers to take a closer look themselves at how exactly the Eagles did it.
Earlier in the season, the Eagles started 2-2. In three of the four games, they scored 21 points or less. Their two losses were to the Falcons and Buccaneers, not exactly the cream of the crop, and they barely beat a bad Saints team, 15-12. But in those four games, the Eagles averaged 153.8 rushing yards per game. That's a good enough number to rank fourth in the NFL.
So, what's the disconnect? How did a 2-2 team averaging 21.5 points per game turn into a team that went 12-1, averaged 29 points per game and an insane 187.2 rushing yards per game the rest of the way?
In the first four games of the season, the Eagles dropped back to pass 54.7% of the time, far more than they ever threw it afterward. Jalen Hurts never attempted less than 30 passes. And in those four games, Hurts threw four touchdowns, four interceptions, posted an 85.7 passer rating and was sacked 13 times, six of which came in a brutal 33-16 loss to the Buccaneers.
The Eagles had a bye in Week 5 and clearly spent time evaluating the issues. When they return in Week 6, Hurts only attempted 30 passes one time the rest of the season -- against the Steelers. They clearly made a concerted effort to run the ball more with Barkley, and Hurts' play benefited. For the rest of the season, Hurts completed 69% of his passes, threw 14 touchdowns, one interception and posted a 114.0 passer rating.
Hurts obviously added to the running game with his mobility. But, again, that was secondary to a commitment to let the offense run through Barkley. Hurts' mobility helped add another element that made it more difficult to defend.
There's no reason the Steelers should not try to create their own version of this. Now, there isn't a Barkley out there to snag. He's a special running back. The closest they could possibly get this offseason would be doing whatever it takes to select Boise State's Ashton Jeanty in the first round of the draft. With the team's focus on beefing up the defensive line, and for good reason, that's likely not happening.
What the Steelers could do is create a one-two punch in the backfield with Jaylen Warren and A) a veteran running back or B) rookie from an impressive running back draft class. The Lions are one of the best running teams in the league because of their committee of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. There's more than one way to run the ball effectively. They just need to make sure whoever's brought in can run in Arthur Smith's wide zone system.
The Steelers also have the ability to replicate quarterback mobility if they bring Justin Fields back via free agency. Fields is a dynamic runner and stresses defenses that way. And, in a role in which he was asked to not do too much through the air, like Hurts, Fields was a more effective and efficient passer.
As far as the offensive line goes, this is where the Steelers have to rely on development. They have a young unit. Of the projected starting five for next season, three are coming off rookie seasons and one of those, Troy Fautanu, missed nearly the entire season due to injury. Broderick Jones has spent his first two seasons playing on the opposite side for which he was drafted. This is the one area the Steelers just have to be patient and invest whatever they can in getting as many of these draft picks right.
The data is there throughout the league. Committing to being a run-first team isn't an ancient idea. But, there's a modern way to go about it. Sure, I'd like to see better quarterback play. Sure, I'd like to see more of a shift to a vertical ground attack, similar to what brilliant minds such as Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan have done. But, there is absolutely a way to do it closer to the way the Eagles do it. Like the Steelers, they're also primarily a zone-running team.
With the lack of players under contract at quarterback and running back, the Steelers now have a great opportunity to choose the players that fit perfectly in the identity they want to create in their rushing attack. Last year, they had to find a way to make two different running backs work in the same system, and it didn't mesh. In addition, the offense wasn't tailored exactly to Fields' skill set since Russell Wilson had the upper hand at the starting job.
This offseason, it's a clean slate. We know the Steelers want to run the ball. And that's okay. It's what the better teams in the league are doing anyway. Now, this offseason's the chance to do it the right way.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
We’d love to have you!