After allowing 217 rushing yards to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14, which came one week after the Buffalo Bills rolled through Pittsburgh in frigid conditions to set a stadium record in a blowout win, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been pretty darn good against the run in the last month.
In Week 15, the Steelers limited the Miami Dolphins to just 63 yards rushing after they had rushed for at least 150 yards in a number of games prior to the matchup. In Week 16, the Steelers held the Detroit Lions to just 15 yards on 12 carries. Then Sunday in Cleveland, the Steelers limited the Browns to 78 yards on 25 carries.
Following a string of struggles in the middle part of the season, the Steelers have corrected things defensively against the run. That bodes well for them entering Week 18 against the Ravens and star running back Derrick Henry.
For head coach Mike Tomlin, the Steelers are not doing anything “dramatically differently” to stop the run. They’re just stable from a personnel standpoint and it’s starting to show.
“I don’t know that a lot has changed in terms of what we’re doing. We’ve got some player availability that’s been improved. Derrick Harmon’s back and I think that’s significant, or at least the significance of his presence has been well-documented. We’ll see,” Tomlin said Tuesday of the run defense improvements during his weekly press conference, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “I don’t know that we’re doing anything dramatically different. We’re stacking the box when appropriate and making judgements about when that is and when that isn’t in an effort to neutralize some of the complementary components. Stability is big, I think, in people.
“And so, the additions of some of these guys that have missed some time might be helpful to our efforts as well.”
It’s not much of a coincidence that the games in which the Steelers really struggled to stop the run — Week 1 against the New York Jets, Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, Week 13 against the Buffalo Bills and Week 14 against the Baltimore Ravens — all came with Harmon out of the lineup.
The Steelers drafted him in the first round for a reason in an offseason in which the emphasis was on improving their run defense. When on the field, he’s played like a first-round talent, helping put a stop to opposing running games. That was never more evident than in the Week 16 win over the Lions in which he dominated All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell.
It’s also helped that inside linebacker Patrick Queen is playing some good football in recent weeks, as is Payton Wilson. Cameron Heyward remains an elite run defender, and Keeanu Benton is rounding into form against the run, too, after major issues early in the season.
Guys aren’t trying to do too much in the moment to make a play. They are trusting in the scheme and are handling their assignments well. It’s led to some very good play as of late against the run and bodes well for Sunday’s matchup against the Ravens.