Pittsburgh Steelers must recommit to the running game

Mike Tomlin’s team looks to bounce back from two disappointing seasons. The Pittsburgh Steelers will need a revival from the ground game to make it happen.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was lost for the vast majority of 2019 with an elbow injury that required surgery, playing only six quarters this past season. Now the franchise’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdown throws is back tossing the football again, via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Big Ben enters his 17th NFL season and his career numbers are simply astounding. The third member of the celebrated NFL Draft quarterback class of 2004 is now the lone performer remaining with his team. Eli Manning has opted for retirement and Philip Rivers will not be retained by the Los Angeles Chargers.

So what can we expect from Roethlisberger this season? Will last year’s injury put any limitations on his ability to throw the football? In any case, head coach Mike Tomlin, offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner and new quarterbacks coach Matt Canada would be wise to alter the team’s game plan from the last two seasons.

In 2018, Only the Arizona Cardinals gained fewer yards on the ground than the Pittsburgh Steelers. This past season, Tomlin’s squad finished 29th in the NFL in rushing offense, and this was a 2019 campaign in which the club utilized three different starting quarterbacks, including inexperienced Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges. In each of the last two seasons, the Steelers have averaged fewer than 25 running plays per game.

In fact, dating back to the team’s last 23 outings, the team has totaled less than 20 running plays 10 times. And that’s regardless of who is taking snaps under center. Understandably, Tomlin and most notably Fichtner have been the subject of plenty of criticism.

Yes, running back James Conner has struggled to stay healthy the last year or so. But even when available, the team has insisted on stressing the pass and the lack of balance has cost this club dearly.

However, 2020 is a new season. And perhaps a chance to change what has not worked as of late. The Pittsburgh Steelers are a combined 10-12 in their last 22 contests after opening 7-2-1 in 2018. The club’s lack of a steady running game isn’t the only reasons for those failures. But a return to committing to the ground attack could certainly go a long way when it comes to righting the ship.