Mike Tomlin admits Steelers running game is 'below the line'

Mike Tomlin no longer is downplaying the problems with the Pittsburgh Steelers run game.

Two days after insinuating his undefeated team could continue to thrive despite a stagnant rush offense, Tomlin reversed course Tuesday at his weekly news conference, calling the running game “ineffective.”

“We spent a lot of time talking and thinking about that in an effort to move forward,” Tomlin said.

When the 9-0 Steelers face the 1-8 Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at TIAA Bank Field, they will try to improve on the past three weeks, when they totaled 139 yards on 54 carries, an average of 2.55 yards per attempt.

Before that, the Steelers had five consecutive 100-yard performances to open the season and gained 94 yards in the sixth game.

After the Steelers managed just 44 rushing yards on 20 attempts in a 36-10 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals, Tomlin brushed aside concerns, saying, “We can give it to you however you want it.”

For the Steelers, that has meant a heavy dose of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who is having perhaps the best season of his 17-year career with 22 touchdown passes and just four interceptions. After rallying the Steelers from 10-point second-half deficits against Baltimore and Dallas, Roethlisberger had season highs with four touchdown passes and 333 yards as the Steelers never trailed against Cincinnati.

Roethlisberger has averaged 40 pass attempts in the past three games compared to the Steelers averaging 18 runs. The Steelers have dropped to No. 24 in rushing yards per game and No. 27 in yards per carry.

“You always go through lulls in a season where components of your play are lacking, and it requires a re-center of energy and attention and focus,” Tomlin said. “I believe that’s where we are with the run game right now.”

Tomlin said the Steelers will focus on improving the run game during their three days of practice this week. He ruled out a change at running back, emphatically stating James Conner remains the starter. Conner has gained 105 yards on 37 carries in the past three games, yet ranks No. 12 in the NFL with 556 yards.

The Steelers have three Pro Bowl players on the offensive line but are playing a first-year starter at right tackle, and Matt Feiler is in his first season as a starter at left guard after playing right tackle last year. Even before Derek Watt missed three games — he returned against Cincinnati and played six snaps — the Steelers hardly used a fullback to block for Conner. The Steelers also continue to use a jumbo blocking tight end in tackle Jerald Hawkins on occasion.

No matter.

“I look forward to getting in the lab with the coaches and the guys in attacking this run game situation,” Tomlin said. “It’s something we shouldn’t have difficulty pushing through, to be honest with you. We have very capable people, but it is below the line as we sit here today.”

The Bengals stacked the line of scrimmage in an attempt to stop the run. Although the Bengals were successful in that area, they were unable to stop Roethlisberger from having his best game of the season. Tomlin didn’t fault that philosophy given Roethlisberger missed an entire week of practice because of being on the reserve/covid-19 list.

“We stepped into a stadium where we hadn’t seen our quarterback all week,” he said. “It was reasonable to expect them to have an agenda to push us toward that in an effort to check his readiness and our collective cohesion.

“But sometimes we’re not doing good enough.”

Aside from the Ravens, the Steelers didn’t face a run defense ranked in the top half of the NFL in the past three weeks. The Cowboys are ranked No. 31 and the Bengals No. 27. The Jaguars aren’t much better at No. 25.

“We’ll roll our sleeves up,” Tomlin said, “and get about the business of attacking it this week.”