Of all the things that went wrong for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens, none stood out as much as the team’s inability to slow down the Ravens run game.
Baltimore running back Derrick Henry ran roughshod over the Steelers’ defense to the tune of 162 yards on 24 carries. The image of Henry dragging Pittsburgh defenders will dance in our heads all the way until Christmas like sugar plums.
After the game, head coach Mike Tomlin acknowledges the Steelers’ shortcomings in run defense in the most Tomlin way possible.
“We didn’t control the run game,” Tomlin said. “We never did.”
In fairness, the Steelers were minus defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, safety DeShon Elliott and cornerbacks Donte Jackson and Joey Porter Jr. Losing four of 11 starters makes it tough to stop any NFL-caliber offense, much less all the weapons the Ravens bring to the table.
There’s no time for the Steelers to sit around and ponder what went wrong. Pittsburgh is working on a short week and have to prepare to take on the Kansas City Chiefs and their 13-1 record on Christmas day in Pittsburgh.
