The Pittsburgh Steelers have another crucial game on Sunday in their chase to return to the postseason. They'll visit the Cleveland Browns in Ohio. A major storyline heading into this matchup has been quarterbacks, with Cleveland's Deshaun Watson landing on the shelf for the remainder of the season (needing surgery for multiple injuries), and Kenny Pickett not playing the greatest, but doing enough to help Pittsburgh secure victories in the last two weeks. That may be a central narrative, but Steelers Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin thinks the ground game will be the key to coming away from this contest with a win.
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Steelers rookie defensive lineman Keeanu Benton chases Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford during a Week 2 matchup in 2023.
Pittsburgh looked abysmal at stopping the run in the first two weeks of the 2023 season. In Week 1, with the San Francisco 49ers in town, Christian McCaffrey ran the ball 22 times for 152 yards and a touchdown run of 65 yards on the second play of the third quarter.
Things didn't get any better in Week 2 when Pittsburgh hosted the Browns, despite them losing one of the best backs in football, Nick Chubb, to a brutal injury suffered late in the second quarter. Before the hit from Minkah Fitzpatrick that knocked him out for the season, Chubb had been gashing the defense with 10 carries for 64 yards. Jerome Ford took on the bulk of the work after Chubb left the contest, and the Browns continued to run over Pittsburgh. He carried the ball 16 times for 106 yards and scored a two-point conversion.
Austin addressed the team's issues stopping opposing ground games before the team met with the Las Vegas Raiders and the 2022 season rushing leader, Josh Jacobs. His main focus was on trying to avoid giving up big runs like they had against the 49ers and the Browns. To his credit, the team was able to hold the Raiders to 69 yards in their best performance so far this season. Austin told the media on Thursday that he expects this week's game against Cleveland to come down to which team imposes their will on the ground more.
"Really, a lot of it comes down to who's able to run the ball and who's able to stop the run," Austin said via The Athletic's Mike DeFabo. "I think that's where we start."
It's important to note that in their first meeting with the Browns, and for most of the game against the 49ers, Pittsburgh was without Cam Heyward. The veteran defensive lineman is a big part of the Steelers' run defense, clogging up the middle of the field. While his absence has allowed for the emergence of rookie defensive tackle Keeanu Benton, the team missed the six-time Pro Bowler, who had double-digit tackles for a loss in 2021 and 2022.
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Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward tried to shed a block by Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Jedrick Wills Jr during a game in Sept 2022.
The Steelers will have Heyward suiting up on Sunday after he returned to action off injured reserve against the Tennessee Titans, but will be dealing with other tough losses that could complicate things. Linebackers Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander have been lost for the season due to injury, which means that Elandon Roberts, Mark Robinson, and Mykal Walker, fresh off the practice squad, will be in for more significant roles on Sunday.
Steelers' Run Game Starting To Find Its Footing At The Right Time
In a lot of ways, Pittsburgh's struggles stopping the run early in the season mirror some of the problems they have had offensively establishing their own ground game. Running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren had some tough sledding in the first half of the season, but have started to shine in games against the Titans and Green Bay Packers.
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Steelers running back Jaylen Warren tries to break a tackle against Green Bay Packers linebacker Isaiah McDuffie during Pittsburgh's 23-19 win in Week 10 of 2023.
Warren had a career day against the Packers with his first career game over 100 yards with a touchdown and averaged 6.73 yards per carry. Harris chipped in with 82 yards of his own and a touchdown, while Pickett added another 16 yards to push Pittsburgh over the 200-yard mark for the first time in 2023. Pittsburgh's addition of rookie tackle Broderick Jones to the starting lineup has helped provide a spark to the ground game, as has splitting carries between Harris and Warren more evenly.
As Austin said, both teams will be looking to establish the run, so whichever club can do a better job slowing down the other will be key. It's shaping up to be another classic AFC North battle with two teams leaning into a pound-the-rock and playing good defense strategy.
How important is stopping the run against the Browns? Do you think Pittsburgh can run better than Cleveland this week? Comment below!
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