The Pittsburgh Steelers defense has not had a satisfactory start to the season containing opposing running attacks. The unit has allowed 386 yards through two games in 2023, which is the worst in the league, per Pro Football Reference. The team was battling two of the best in Christian McCaffrey and Nick Chubb, but couldn't scheme a game plan to slow them down. Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin knows another tough test for his group is coming when they visit the Las Vegas Raiders and 2022 rushing yards leader Josh Jacobs in Week 3.
Kym Fortino / San Francisco 49ers
Steelers cornerback Levi Wallace runs toward San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey during a play that resulted in a 65-yard touchdown.
Austin spoke to reporters on Thursday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex and didn't mince words when talking about the struggles in containing the ground game that has plagued the team so far in 2023. He said he fully expects the Raiders to try to take advantage of the defense's perceived biggest weakness in the early goings of 2023.
"Right now, we're not playing the run very well," Austin said. "So I expect every team we play until we show that we can stop the run to come in and run the ball."
In Week 1, McCaffrey accounted for 152 yards on the ground for the San Francisco 49ers as they had their way with the Steelers defense in all facets of the game. The 49ers are known for getting receiver Deebo Samuel involved in the ground game, and he was essentially a non-factor there with only eight yards on two carries, but the team didn't need to get him going because of how effective their star back was.
During Monday Night Football in Week 2 against the Cleveland Browns, it was more of the same. Chubb was having his way with the Pittsburgh defense with 64 yards on 10 carries before a brutal injury on a low hit by Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick knocked him out for the year. Then Pittsburgh saw a pretty heavy dose of backup running back Jerome Ford and couldn't slow him down either, as he picked up 106 yards on 16 carries.
Tyler Kaufman / AP Photo
The Steelers were able to contain Josh Jacobs during their 2022 Christmas Eve matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Despite another potentially tough challenge against Jacobs and the Raiders on Sunday night, there are two significant reasons that Steelers fans can have some optimism entering the first-ever Steelers game in Las Vegas. In Week 2, the Buffalo Bills rendered the 2022 All-Pro into a complete non-factor as they steamrolled the Raiders 38-10. Jacobs ran for -2 yards on nine carries and became the first reigning rushing yards leader to post a game with negative yardage. He did manage to add 51 yards on five receptions, however.
The second factor is that the Steelers were able to bottle up Jacobs in their lone meeting against him in his career on Christmas Eve in 2022. The defense held Jacobs to just 44 yards on 15 carries. The caveat here is the team had leader and stout run defender Cam Heyward on the field for this matchup, and he remains out with a groin injury. Linebacker Robert Spillane was another prominent factor in stopping Jacobs in 2022, as he was in on six tackles against Jacobs during the contest. Spillane is now a Raider, and it will be up to the new group of inside linebackers to help contain the ground game, which has been a concern through two weeks.
Steelers Defense Has A New Problem: Being Gashed For Long Gains
The Steelers defense finished in the top 10 league-wide for rushing yards against and average yards per carry in 2022. They only allowed more than 200 yards on the ground once to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14. In that game, they also allowed running back J.K. Dobbins to gash them for a 44-yard run. That was the longest run they allowed in 2022. The story has been very different in 2023.
Matt Starkey / Cleveland Browns
Steelers cornerback Levi Wallace tries to chase down Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford during their 2023 Week 2 matchup.
After two weeks in 2023, the team has given up a 65-yard touchdown run to McCaffrey in Week 1 and then a 69-yard run to Ford in Week 2, after Chubb had been knocked out of the game. Austin said that the long runs are unacceptable and it's on him and the coaches to solve the issue.
"60- and 70-yard runs shouldn't happen," he said. "That becomes a thing that we've got to make sure that as we coach our guys up to do in terms of proper pursuit angles, in terms of gap-fix, in terms of hitting and wrapping (up), tackling, all those different things."
The Steelers have a lot of new pieces on defense, so it was expected to see some growing pains. Now they will try to get things going on the right track with a tough challenge against another one of the league's top rushers.
Do you think the Steelers can contain Jacobs on Sunday night? Is the run defense a concern for you as it stands? Comment below!
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