Steelers' run game evoking memories of Bill Cowher, Jerome Bettis

It was Steelers-Browns, so why not go old-school?

Ben Roethlisberger evoked two names from early in his career: Bill Cowher and Jerome Bettis.

It was the team on the other side that entered with the NFL’s top-ranked rushing offense Sunday. It was the Pittsburgh Steelers, though, that continued to ascend the league rushing rankings.

For the fourth time in five games this season, the Steelers had a 100-yard individual rusher during a 38-7 victory against the Cleveland Browns. For the third time among the four games he has finished this season, Conner eclipsed triple digits in rushing, finishing with 101 on 20 carries.

“Everything starts up front with the line,” Conner said. “Our O-line, our tight ends, they get things going so any type of success that we have in the run game, it’s all up to them. We got some movement up front against a very good defensive line and a very good defense, just played hard.”

Conner and Benny Snell each had touchdowns on runs of 3 yards or fewer, and wide receiver Chase Claypool added another touchdown on a sweep for the Steelers, who totaled 129 rushing yards on 37 carries.

The Steelers have surpassed 100 rushing yards as a team in every game this season and are averaging 136.8 per game, a figure that leaves them in the top five of the NFL pending the remainder of the Week 6 results.

.@ChaseClaypool's second rushing touchdown of the season!

? CBS ?https://t.co/tI5aUTu7te pic.twitter.com/pQmsIYuLxN

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) October 18, 2020

Most of the rushing yards Sunday — 104 of the 129 — came after the Steelers built a 24-7 halftime lead.

“In the second half, come out with field position and really just start running the ball and pounding it and grinding and you know kind of our four-minute offense with a lot of time left,” Roethlisberger said. “But we really excelled in that area of football so far this year, and that really is the (offensive line). We didn’t have to throw many in the second half when you have a lead like that. It felt like an old Bill Cowher offense.”

Cowher coached the Steelers from 1992-2006. For 10 of the final 11 years of that span, he often relied on a 252-pound bruising running back.

“It felt like (the Steelers) had Jerome Bettis 20 times the second half,” Roethlisberger said. “But hey, whatever you’ve got to do to win a football game. I thought James ran the ball well in the second half, Benny coming in there and doing some things and the line really created openings for them.”

The Steelers’ second-half touchdown drives that put the game away lasted eight and nine plays, respectively. There was only one pass among either of them. The 16 rushes accounted for 60 of the 83 yards gained during them.

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