Steelers’ run defense shredded again in loss to Ravens
After finishing last in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers had climbed as high as sixth in the league in that category in 2022.
Their past six quarters have all but whittled that away.
Seven days after allowing 128 yards in the second half of a win at the Atlanta Falcons, the Steelers allowed a season-high 215 rushing yards in a 16-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
Playing for the first time in almost two months and for only the fifth time since the 2020 season, J.K. Dobbins averaged 8 yards on his team-high 15 carries to lead a rushing attack that also got 66 yards from Gus Edwards and 31 from quarterback Tyler Huntley.
“The running game was it,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “The running game was what we needed in this game.”
"That's just a testament to our offensive line."@Jkdobbins22 credits the O-line with clearing the way for his big day. pic.twitter.com/0g4VblSSwj
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 11, 2022
The Steelers had allowed 229 rushing yards over a 3½-game span since their bye week through halftime of last week’s game. The Ravens almost matched that themselves in a 58-minute span Sunday (until losing 5 yards on three kneeldowns to end the game).
It was the second-highest rushing total of the season for Baltimore, which got a 44-yard run by Dobbins, the longest rushing play the Steelers allowed this season.
“They run a good offense,” Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt said. “We just need to do a better job of being assignment sound and making plays when it matters the most.”
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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