4 takeaways from Steelers blowout win over the Bengals
By Tommy Jaggi
Steelers running game is non-existent
I wrote an article earlier this week on why the Steelers running game is non-existent. Unfortunately, they have yet to prove me wrong. Though James Conner made the Pro Bowl for the Steelers in 2018 (albeit with some controversy), he has yet to show why he can be relied on to effectively carry the load.
On 13 carries against one of the worst run defenses in the league, Conner managed 36 yards (2.8 yards per carry), and nearly half of those came on one draw play up the middle. Many of his touches actually lost yardage in this contest and put the Steelers offense in 2nd and long and 3rd and long situations often.
But Conner isn’t the only reason for the struggles. In his defense, there didn’t seem to be a lot of holes on the ground, with the exception of just two or three runs. The offensive line hasn’t been moving bodies as they have at the beginning of the season. In addition, Randy Fichtner dialing up obvious runs during inopportune times certainly plays a factor as well. The Steelers will need to figure this out in order to have a balanced offense moving forward.
Must Read. Steelers will need to cut Haden or Nelson to improve CB room. light
Overall, I can’t really complain anytime the Steelers are able to take it to a team as they did to the Bengals on Sunday. However, they still have some things to work on. Let’s hope they continue to build off this impressive performance.