Steelers running back situation not looking good vs. Rams

The Pittsburgh Steelers are dealing with injuries yet again. Here’s why they are in trouble at the running back position this week vs. Rams.

After being one of the healthiest teams in the league in 2018, the Steelers find themselves with no shortage of injuries this season. Losing Ben Roethlisberger and Stephon Tuitt for the season were massive blows to a unit on the fringe of being playoff contenders.

Last week, Pittsburgh was without the likes of running backs James Conner and Benny Snell. Unfortunately, both players have been ruled out for the second consecutive week:

I am a firm believer that the success of the running game starts with the big men up front, but losing perhaps the two best runners on your team is always going to be a big loss.

The Los Angeles Rams are 9th in the league in run defense – allowing just 96.9 yards on the ground per game. Without Conner and Snell this week, it’s highly unlikely the Steelers will eclipse the 100-yard benchmark.

Instead, Pittsburgh will turn to Jaylen Samuels and Trey Edmunds for the second straight week to help carry the load. While Samuels did some damage through the air against the Colts last week, he was wildly inefficient on the ground – averaging just 1.3 yards per carry. Edmunds, on the other hand, finished with 73 rushing yards in the box score, but 45 of those came on one run early in the game. For the rest of the game, he managed just 28 yards on 12 carries (2.3 yards per attempt).

Playing a competent team like the Rams and already struggling to move the ball through the air, the Steelers will need to find a way to get things going on the ground if they want to have a chance in this contest. Last week, Mason Rudolph managed just 191 yards passing on 35 attempts (5.5 yards per pass attempt).

Though Pittsburgh’s defense is reaching a new level, the offense – even without Roethlisberger, Conner, and Snell – needs to find a way to take a step forward. That will be a difficult task against a solid 5-3 Rams team.

Even when their top running backs are healthy, James Conner still has managed just 3.9 yards per carry on the season. The Steelers have faced several offensive woes this season, and with Jalen Samuels and Trey Edmunds leading the charge on the ground, they may have yet another disappointing showing today.