PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Steelers have faced running quarterbacks before, they are in the same division with the best in the NFL. Now the Steelers face a new challenge Sunday in Atlanta.
Sixth in the NFL in rushing yards by a quarterback, Marcus Mariota is averaging five yards a carry with four touchdowns.
“He’s very strong,” said Steelers OLB TJ Watt. “He fights for the extra yard. He’s not a guy that’s going to slide after getting the first down. Has good ball security, looks to create and throw the ball late in downs. We’ve seen quarterback mobility a good amount of times.
We haven’t been in a stadium with him before. It will be a challenge.
“He can run and he's a strong guy,” said Steelers Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin. “That's the one thing you don't watch—I think it was last week, the guy comes off the edge at Washington and has him in the grass down in the red zone. He kind of just shakes a big guy off. But he's strong, he can shake guys off. He's decisive when he runs, he still can accelerate, you see him accelerate out of some things and make positive yards.”
“Mariota’s mobility is a challenge,” said Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin. “Their schematic use of his mobility is a challenge. I think it starts there. I think anytime you're looking at a quarterback with a unique skill set in the area of mobility and they have schematics to match, that has your attention. Those are the type of things that level the playing field, that create space, that produce splash plays or big plays, and we just can't have that.”
They scheme a lot of different running plays, they’ll use what helped get Mariota the Heisman Trophy in 2014. The read-option.
“He’s been doing that since college,” said Steelers linebacker Myles Jack. “I remember playing him when he was at Oregon and I was at UCLA. Getting out in space, getting outside of the pocket and hitting receivers on the move. Even in certain scenarios sitting in the pocket and making passes. He’s a great player. It’s always fun playing against Mariota for sure.”
He ran for 770 yards and 15 touchdowns to win the Heisman Trophy his junior season. Mariota also threw for 4,454 yards and 42 touchdowns his final season with the Ducks.
“I think that's what, in the run game, makes him good,” Austin said. “When he gets outside the pocket and he can find some guys downfield, he can throw on the move. With those guys, that's really the biggest thing. You’ve got to keep them in the pocket. You can't allow them to get outside, because now the whole field opens up to them and then if you're covering, you're in a bad position.”
A part of slowing down Mariota’s running is just not letting them have success in traditional runs. The Falcons ran for 167 yards against Washington. 149 against Chicago, they ran for 201 yards narrowly losing to the Chargers.
“I think the number one thing is you stop the main runs,” Austin said. “The main runs, they do all the time. They're going to have some quarterback runs that they do that they mix in, they sprinkle in, to keep you honest, but the bottom line is the main run game is the main run game, and you better defend that.”
“They have a really good run game.
They run that stretch where they're getting guys on the ground. They're cutting you on the backside and they're creating holes and seams and the guys run hard.
They're one-cut runners and they get vertical. So, that's the one you better defend. And then you have a plan for quarterback mobility, quarterback runs, but you better defend the main stings first.”
Tyler Allgeier has been their leading rusher, but they have four with at least 347 yards. Allgeier is steady with 552 yards, but it’s Cordarrelle Patterson who is dangerous. The 10-year veteran and former wide receiver has rushed for 506 yards on 97 carries, that’s 5.2 per rush with a team leading five touchdowns.
“I happened to be up in the NFC North when he was in the League, and he was at Minnesota and he's playing a little bit receiver and a couple of times you'd see Norv [Turner] move him in the tailback and give him a toss,” Austin said. “You obviously know about him when he gets the ball in his hands as a kick returner, and he did some good things as a receiver. So, the guy has been a quality player for a long time, but I really think the way they use him down there really suits him. They get the ball in his hands, let him play some tailback, you'll see him out at wideout, he'll get it on multiple different ways.”
“I think that's what you do with a guy like that. That guy's a good football player, and you try to get him the ball as many ways as you can because he'll make things happen. But he is a good football player and trying to defend him, he's going to be all over the place, and we'll do the best we can.
“He’s a great running back,” Jack said. “He plays behind his pads. He’s bigger than people think he is. He’s very sturdy, runs very hard. He will run through tackles, run you over if you are not expecting it.”
“He’s in his own league, you got to give him his flowers. He’s a great player.”
Watt said Patterson runs downhill, loves contact. Safety Arthur Maulet says Patterson runs angry and they need to match that intensity.
The Steelers defense hasn’t allowed more than 120 yards rushing since the loss in Cleveland. That defense will be challenged on multiple levels and must come through if the Steelers are going to win two in a row for the first time this season.