Steelers fans still have reason to be nervous about the running game

The Pittsburgh Steelers have not been able to run the football effectively in the preseason. Here’s why we still have reason to be nervous. 

After their first drive stalled against the Detriot Lions, Pittsburgh’s offense bounced back to have two impressive scoring drives that finished with touchdown passes from Ben Roethlisberger to rookie tight end, Pat Freiermuth. Though their first-half performance was splendid, this did come against a Detriot Lions defense that is projected to be one of the worst units in the league in 2021.

It was no issue getting the passing game going under Roethlisberger. As the offensive line offered up just enough protection, Big Ben managed to throw for a whopping 13.7 yards per attempt and earned a perfect 158.3 passer rating against the Lions last week.

Rookie running back, Najee Harris, was a big part of this. His 46-yard catch and run was quite impressive as he was able to turn the corner and make a defender miss in the open field.

Unfortunately, Harris hasn’t been able to find much running room on the ground. As impressive as he has looked at times, the Steelers first-round pick only managed 2.5 yards per carry against the Lions. His production over the last three games hasn’t been much better, as Harris has combined for 13 carries for 42 yards (3.2 yards per attempt).

While Harris has impressed with a few runs in which he has made a defender miss or dragged a few tackles, it’s not equating to success on the ground, and the Steelers averaged over 2.9 yards per carry just once in their three exhibition contest this summer, according to ESPN.

Steelers fans have a right to be nervous about the running game

Though I’m not suggesting we hit the panic button just yet, Steelers fans have a right to be nervous about the running game this year – something that was the Achilles heel of this team in 2020. So far, there have been very few signs that this is going to be a drastically improved unit on the ground, despite Najee Harris’s best efforts.

While Harris is a noticeably better football player than James Conner, it may not matter much if the guys up front aren’t doing their job. So far during the preseason, this unit has done a pretty good job protecting the quarterback, but it seems like there’s always one defender who gets in the backfield free to disrupt the play.

Going back and watching the film, I thought Kevin Dotson has been phenomenal over the past two games, while Dan Moore Jr. has been a very pleasant surprise as Pittsburgh’s fourth-round pick this year. However, the rest of the offensive line has been extremely inconsistent.

Chukwuma Okorafor has graded out near the very bottom of the league in each game he has played in this summer, while rookie center Kendrick Green has been very up and down. Trai Turner certainly isn’t living up to his billing as a former Pro Bowl player, and Zach Banner has hardly played enough to make an assessment one way or another.

It’s hard to put my finger on exactly what is causing all of the struggles on the ground, but Najee Harris carrying defenders for an impressive 6-8 yard run a few times per game isn’t going to equate to success. This team has been bad at running the football so far during the preseason, and they must find a way to improve this very soon.