Steelers pledge to be aware of, ‘take good shots’ at Eagles’ Carson Wentz when he runs
Only nine players in the NFL have more rushing touchdowns. Only six quarterbacks have more rushing yards.
Particularly in their two most recent games, the Philadelphia Eagles have been unafraid to use quarterback Carson Wentz as a runner.
“They are capable and willing to run Wentz, particularly in those situational moments, red zone and so forth,” said Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, whose team hosts Wentz’s Eagles on Sunday. “So quarterback mobility is something that has our attention as we prepare as well.”
Carson Wentz with 16 rushes for 102 yards the last 2 games
His most over a 2 game span in his career
He has 3 rushing touchdowns
His running is a big reason they won Sunday night
? @NFL
pic.twitter.com/U8y5cycRkf— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) October 7, 2020
Wentz has a rushing touchdown during each of his past three games. During the past two, he has 102 rushing yards on 16 carries.
The Steelers made it a point this week to make their defenders aware of the threat of Wentz keeping the ball on designed runs.
Carson Wentz on more running
102 rushing yards last 2 games
“Using my legs comes down most of the time to instincts. Sometimes I think it can get the offense into a groove” pic.twitter.com/DvdjU4G3fV
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) October 7, 2020
“What we have to do is make sure we don’t put ourselves in positions where he’s going to hurt us in the running game,” defensive coordinator Keith Butler said. “They keep the ball with him like a lot of people do in the game to get in critical situations and they have to have a play. He will keep the ball as he takes the handoff.
“If he does that, we have to hit him. He’s live. If he does that, he doesn’t have any quarterback rules protecting him from that. We have to do the best we can and take some good shots on him, not illegal shots but good shots on him. If he’s going to run the ball, then he’s going to need to know what that means.”
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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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