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Pittsburgh Steelers Postseason Success Depends on Run Defense

The Pittsburgh Steelers defense will need to be able to stop opponents from successfully running the football in order to advance in the NFL playoffs.

In the Pittsburgh Steelers first match-up with the Miami Dolphins this year, Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi ran for more than 200 yards and two touchdowns.  Ben Roethlisberger injured his knee and missed time with a torn meniscus despite returning to the game.  Darrius Heyward-Bey led the Steelers in rushing yards with 60 that he accumulated on a reverse for a touchdown.  Le’Veon Bell led the team in receiving with five receptions for 60 yards.  In case you forgot, here’s the “Pittsburgh Dad’s” recap of the game against the Dolphins back in the fall.

Pittsburgh Steelers Postseason Success Depends on Run Defense

The major difference in the game was the fact that the Steelers defense gave up 474 yards of total offense to the Dolphins.  222 of those yards came on the ground, which is the most the Steelers have given up this season except for the season finale against the Cleveland Browns.

When looking at the Steelers rushing yards compared to their opponents, a pattern emerges.  The Steelers win when they are able to stop the run, and lose when they are not able to stop the run.  (For this next group of stats, the final regular season game against the Browns was omitted since the Steelers didn’t play all of their starters.)

Defending the Run

The Steelers average 142.6 yards rushing when they win, compared to only 72 for their opponents.  In games that the Steelers lost, they averaged 67 rushing yards and gave up an average of 132.8 yards to their opponents.  The Steelers held their opponents to under 100 yards rushing in every victory except for the game on Christmas night against the Baltimore Ravens (122 yards).  The Steelers out-gained their opponents on the ground in every win except for their match-up with the New York Jets (61 yards to 72), which was Bell’s first game back from his three-game suspension and he was used primarily as a wide receiver.  The stat that stands out the most is that the Steelers have allowed more than 100 yards rushing in every loss this season except for the first match-up with the Ravens.

Make Moore Throw

The best way to beat the Dolphins is to force Matt Moore to throw the football.  The Dolphins will be looking to run the ball without starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill, especially after the success Ajayi had back in week six.  The Steelers should stack the box on defense to defend the run, forcing Moore to make throws.  Blitzing on third downs will also be a key to forcing Moore into poor decisions.

Time of possession will be crucial in this game.  The Steelers need to establish the run early on, run the clock and score points when they get onto Miami’s side of the field.  Making Miami play from behind will force Moore to rush things more and make mistakes.  With a successful run game, the Steelers will be able to chew the clock, which will force the Dolphins and Moore to potentially have to run more of a hurry-up offense.

Tuitt and Hargrave Expected Back

Stephon Tuitt has been outstanding this season, especially since Cam Heyward has been out with an injury.  Check out this hit Tuitt had on Browns quarterback Josh McCown earlier this season.

Tuitt has four sacks this year, all coming in the second half of the season.  Javon Hargrave has also been solid on the defensive line this season.  Along with fellow rookies Artie Burns and Sean Davis, Hargrave has made quite an impact in his first season as a member of the Steelers.  The defensive line needs to stuff Ajayi on the ground and force Moore to beat them through the air.  Since the Steelers will likely be loading the box to stop the run, don’t expect a lot of blitzes except for third-and-long situations.  This means the defensive line will be responsible for generating pressure on early down passing plays.  If the pattern holds true, the Steelers will win if they’re able to hold the Dolphins under 100 yards rushing; easier said than done.

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