PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – After leading the NFL in rushing last year, Josh Jacobs rushed nine times for -2 yards for Las Vegas last week. He’s averaging 1.6 yards-per-carry this year. Jacobs believes the Raiders rush game will start coming together and eyeing Sunday night to make that happen.
“I think the reason they'll look at is because we've given up a whole bunch of yards rushing and a few extremely long runs,” said Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. “I don't think it will have anything to do with the fact that he hasn't had the touches he normally has or maybe the yards he normally has. I think it has everything to do with us and what we put on tape. Right now, what we put on tape is not good enough in the run game.”
No one had given up more yards heading into Week Three than the Steelers on the ground. Teams are averaging an amazing 5.6 yards per rush against the second highest paid defense in the NFL.
They seem to understand why.
“It’s little details,” said linebacker Alex Highsmith. “We have to all be disciplined. Stay in our gaps, stay in our fits. There are still times when we can be better at tackling. Josh Jacobs can be a physical back. We got to be able to bring him down. It starts with getting off blocks and being disciplined and everyone doing their job. When everyone does their job and communicates well we can be a very good defense.”
“It’s a lot of little things,” said Steelers defensive lineman Isaiahh Loudermilk. “It’s guys responsible for their 1/11th. That’s really what the run defense comes down to, everyone doing their job. We just got to be sound, stay in our gaps, being disciplined.”
“That’s all it takes, one guy being out of their gap, they find it and an explosion play happens. That’s really what we are trying to clean up. Even if you are out of your gap a little bit, good backs find it.”
“Got to be ready to hit and take the ball away like last week,” said linebacker Kwon Alexander. “Just finishing tackles, everyone gets to the ball, we have to finish tackles.”
“Being gap sound, everybody doing their job and at the end of the day, it’s just tackling,” said Steelers defensive co-captain TJ Watt. “It’s been a big issue for us. We have guys to the ball, it’s a matter of getting them down to the ground.”
The other co-captain is out until November, that should be mentioned, Cam Heyward is a key member of the Steelers rush defense. Nose tackle Breiden Fehoko was activated off the practice squad to potentially be a part of that mix. Fehoko played for the Chargers the last three years and he faced Josh McDaniels and the Raiders a few times. He said they like to run a lot of lead and they have respect for 6’3”, 255-pound fullback Jakob Johnson.
“He’s the key to their running game,” Fehoko said. “They like to get a hat on a hat. I think it’s really important interior-wise this week that we are physical at the point of attack. This is the week where you have to eat up space inside. Josh Jacobs wants to run north and south, he doesn’t want to run east and west. That’s not his strength, it’s in-between the tackles running downhill.”
While not a speed demon, Jacobs had seven runs over 20 yards last year and a couple of those went over 40 yards.
The Steelers defense have given up a pair of 65+ yard runs in the first two games.
“I feel like those long runs, especially last week, we had him bottled up and he gets out,” Watt said. “It’s a matter of getting the guy on the ground. We’ve had tough challenges every week with good runners. This week is no different.”
“We were just talking about how three weeks in a row against good running backs,” said linebacker Markus Golden. “We got Jacobs out there, he’s a really good, really good running back. He runs really hard, vision with breakaway speed.”
“You got to be excited for games like these. It’s why you want to make the NFL, to go against the best.”
With all of their issues, more offense than defense, the Steelers can get to 2-1 Sunday night with a game at Houston next week.