The Pittsburgh Steelers defense had all kinds of trouble stopping the rushing attack of the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday and it's part of a worrying trend. After two solid performances following the bye, holding the New Orleans Saints and Cincinnati Bengals to under 100 yards on the ground, the dam started to burst against Johnathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts.
Baltimore Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins (27) breaks a long run from scrimmage to set up a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, PA, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Don Wright)
The Ravens were down former MVP, Lamar Jackson, so Pittsburgh knew that Baltimore would come out running the football and they couldn't stop it anyways. The Ravens duo of Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins were healthy for the first time all season, and the pair feasted on Pittsburgh's run defense. Dobbins had 120 yards in his return from injured reserve and Edwards added another 66.
Defensive coordinator, Teryl Austin attributed the fall in the unit's play to a lack of tackling and getting off blocks.
DC Teryl Austin said the run defense has been below average the past two weeks because players aren't getting off blocks and making tackles. "It's not a scheme or anything like that. We just have to do that better. That's what it comes down to."
— Ray Fittipaldo (@rayfitt1) December 15, 2022
"The biggest thing with run defense is sometimes you can chalk it up to scheme, but really a lot of times, it's about guys hitting guys, getting their hands off, and then getting their hands on the offensive guys and getting off blocks and making tackles," the former Bengals and Detroit Lions coordinator said via Chris Adamanski of TribLive.com. "We didn't do that enough in the last two weeks."
Steelers Run D Challenges in Week 15
The team will travel to face the Carolina Panthers on Sunday and while they made the biggest trade of the deadline sending running back, Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers, their ground game remains a serious threat.
The Panthers ran over the Seattle Seahawks in their Week 14 matchup. Carolina piled up their second 200-yard plus rushing yard game, using a stable of different runners, including quarterback, Sam Darnold chipping in 30 yards rushing on 4 carries.
The Carolina Panthers rushed for 223 yards vs. Seattle yesterday - second only to Philly's 253 yards.
Seattle has the worst run D in the league over the last three weeks, allowing 225 ypg. Steelers allowed 157 ypg over the same stretch, but gave up 215 to Ravens yesterday.
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) December 12, 2022
The stats overall for the Panthers on the ground so far are all in the top half of the league. 13th in yards, eighth in touchdowns, and 14th in yards per attempt. It's nothing great, but overall solid. The thing that stands out is the ability to get over the double-century mark twice in the weeks since trading their star tailback away.
D'onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard might not be names that scare anyone, but they've shown as a unit to be able to produce an attack that does some damage. Former Jacksonville Jaguars second-round pick, Laviska Shenault Jr. has also factored into the rushing attack for the Panthers.
If Pittsburgh's run defense can figure out how to execute on Sunday in Charlotte, they should put themselves in a favorable matchup to win as the Panthers passing offense ranks 30th in yards.
Steelers.com
So, Steeler Nation, do you think the team can right the ship with their run defense? What do you think about the matchup against the Panthers? As always let us know either in the comment section or on our social media feeds.
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