Nov 17, 2016 5 min read

PITTSBURGH – If the best offense is a good defense, as the old axiom claims, then the reverse can be true as well.

That was the Steelers’ thinking coming into this season as they hoped to lean on what they felt would be one of the top offenses in the league to prop up a defense that is still a work in progress.

Nine games into the season, however, Pittsburgh’s offense has produced in spurts, particularly on the ground, where the Steelers rank 25th in the league in rushing.

The Steelers aren’t that far off their stated goal of averaging 30 points per game, at 26.4, which is good for fourth in the league. But it’s produced those points inconsistently, particularly on the road.

While the Steelers have averaged just under 29 points per game at home, on the road, they are at 17.5.

Injuries have played a part in that, but so too has a running game that has been ineffective at times.

With two All-Pro interior offensive linemen in center Maurkice Pouncey and guard David DeCastro and an All-Pro running back in Le’Veon Bell, the Steelers should be averaging more than 90 yards rushing per game.

The cure for that struggling running game just might be staring the Steelers (4-5) in the face when they play at Cleveland (0-10) Sunday.

Cleveland ranks 31st in the NFL in stopping the run, allowing 143 yards per game.

But to run the ball effectively the Steelers might actually have to try to run it.

The Steelers have attempted more than 20 rushes in a game just once in their current four-game losing streak, that in a 27-16 loss to the New England Patriots Oct. 23.

The Steelers rank 28th in rushing attempts, with 201 in nine games.

That could change as the Steelers want to control the clock more, especially with the news this week that defensive end Cameron Heyward will be out the remainder of the season with a pectoral injury.

“I think, when a player like Cam goes out, the defense is going to be hurt a little bit,” Bell said. “We’ve got to help those guys out. We’ve got to put points on the board. We’ve got to maintain possession of the ball. We’ve got to keep them off the field. The offense is going to do that. We’re going to use it as motivation.”

But it’s not just about running the ball more often. It’s about running it more effectively.

While the Steelers are averaging 4.1 yards per carry and Bell is at 4.3 yards, in the past two games against Baltimore and Dallas, Pittsburgh has rushed the ball 37 times for only 84 yards.

Bell is perhaps the best receiver out of the backfield in the NFL, but sometimes the Steelers become too reliant on throwing him the football instead of simply handing it to him.

“We’ve got to detail some things up. We’ve got room for improvement,” Bell said. “There are certain times where we miss a play here, or miss a block there. It’s just little things. I think we’re going to get better at it.”

Running the ball effectively in a road game might take some pressure off quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who has a passer rating of 123.8 at home with 15 touchdowns in four games. In four road games, he has a rating of 74.2 with just five touchdown passes.

“It’s just the comfort level of being at home,” Roethlisberger said. “You know, we go on the road and it’s a lot louder and you have to use the silent count. So just some kind of timing could be off a little bit, but there’s no real excuses. We need to step up. We pride ourselves in years past here being a great road football team. And we need to do that.”

Getting Bell going with the running game would help.

He’s had just one 100-yard rushing game, against Kansas City Oct. 2.

“Our goals and our standard on offense is going to be as good as we possibly can, any way you cut it,” Haley said. “Does it add a little more pressure if the defense is giving up points? We count on our defense 100 percent of the time. We are going out and trying to score as many points as we can, as many points as we have to.

“At times, we’ve been close to what we are trying to get. Other times we haven’t. We need to eliminate the have nots.”

In addition to Heyward, wide receivers Darrius Heyward-Bey (foot) and Markus Wheaton (shoulder), safety Shamarko Thomas and running back DeAngelo Williams (knee) did not practice Thursday. Safety Jordan Dangerfield (groin) was limited. … After being limited Wednesday, tight ends Ladarius Green and Xavier Grimble, wide receiver Sammie Coates and Pouncey were full participants.