Whenever there is a persistent issue in a game over a set period of time, it’s generally safe to assume that thee were multiple factors contributing to the negative result. That is certainly the case for the manner in which the Pittsburgh Steelers’ run defense suddenly turned into papier-mâché clones in the fourth quarter on Sunday against the New England Patriots.
The Patriots’ running backs picked up 49 of their 118 yards during the game on that final drive to run out the final six and a half minutes of the game. They had six successful runs on eight carries between Rhamondre Stevenson and Damien Harris, including five out of their final six carries before they got to kneeldown time.