Even in recent years when the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense was a far cry from being the elite version it was from 2000 to 2010, their run defense had remained stout.
Over the last two weeks, that area has looked anything but.
It was no secret what the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers needed to do to win the game. Run the ball. The identity of each offense and the Steelers knew it.
And yet.
Seattle and San Fran controlled the line of scrimmage with the run game. The Seahawks’ top two running backs, Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny, combined for 25 carries and 122 yards, an average of 4.