Steelers tasked with slowing down another mobile QB in Falcons' Marcus Mariota

Seven quarterbacks in the NFL have exceeded 400 yards rushing this season. The Pittsburgh Steelers already have faced two and will go against two more in as many weeks.

Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens await Dec. 11 — and the two teams meet again Jan. 1, 2023 in Baltimore. First, the Steelers must deal with the Atlanta Falcons’ Marcus Mariota, who has 421 yards rushing heading into the matchup Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

That means the Steelers will face mobile quarterbacks in three of their final six regular-season games.

“Because we face those running quarterbacks, guys who can run and throw, I think we’re better prepared as staffs, as teams, to handle those challenges,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said Thursday. “Each guy gives you a unique challenge based on who they are. We are more prepared and ready to handle these things nowadays than before when you’d see a guy like that maybe once a year, maybe twice a year. Now, you see it more often.”

The Steelers were helpless against two of the NFL’s top dual-threat quarterbacks in a 38-3 loss to Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills and a 35-13 defeat against Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles. And while they have won two of their past three games, they have done it against two of the least mobile quarterbacks in the league, Andy Dalton and Matt Ryan.

Mariota is averaging 5.1 yards per carry and has four rushing touchdowns this season, his first in Atlanta after spending five seasons with Tennessee and two with Las Vegas.

“He’s strong, he can shake guys off, he’s decisive when he runs and he can still accelerate,” Austin said. “In the run game, that is what makes him good. When he gets outside the pocket and can find some guys down the field, he can throw on the move.”

Mariota, though, is just the third most productive runner on the Falcons roster. Tyler Allgeier has 522 yards rushing, and veteran all-purpose back Cordarrelle Patterson has 506 and a team-high five touchdowns.

The Falcons rank fourth in the NFL in rushing yards, averaging 160 per game. They are third in attempts.

Patterson, one of the NFL’s premier kick returners, was drafted as a wide receiver but has evolved as a runner in recent seasons. He had 1,166 scrimmage yards for the Falcons in 2021.

“It’s hard to compare him to anyone,” linebacker Myles Jack said. “I don’t know if anybody truly is doing what he’s doing. He’s in his own league. You’ve got to give him his flowers. Transitioning from receiver to running back late in his career is unheard of.”