Will the Bengals try to run the ball against the Steelers? That is the question.

Finally, the Cincinnati Bengals seem to be committed to the run.

We'll see if that continues on Sunday at Heinz Field. For some reason, you will recall, the Bengals gave the ball to their running backs only 14 times during the Steelers' 42-21 win at Cincinnati on Dec. 7th.

Running back Jeremy Hill vs. the Broncos on Monday night

On Monday night vs. the Denver Broncos, the Bengals ran the ball 37 times for 207 yards.

Rookie Jeremy Hill gained 147 yards, including 85 yards on one touchdown burst.

The previous week, vs. Cleveland, the Bengals racked up 244 yards on the ground.

Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson has been paying lip service to the importance of the run since before training camp began in July, but the Bengals didn't start to truly run the ball in earnest until mid-November -- with the notable exception of the game against the Steelers.

Clearly, running the ball well helps quarterback Andy Dalton: Monday night's win over the Broncos made Dalton 29-3-1 when Cincinnati has at least 30 rushes in a game.

Examples: 

• Against New Orleans (a win), they ran the ball 36 times. 
• Against Houston (a win), they ran the ball 43 times. 
• Against Cleveland (a win), they ran the ball 45 times. 
• Against Pittsburgh (a loss) their top two running backs got the ball only 14 times.

Clearly, running the ball is a formula for winning, so ... one would think the Bengals will want to run the ball against the Steelers next Sunday night.

Whether they will be able to or not, remains to be seen

Footnote from the "Stupid Comments by a Player" Category 

Players will believe what they want to believe and will look for motivation where they can find it.

After Monday night's game, Cincinnati defensive end Wallace Gilberry said, “I heard before the game they moved our game Sunday (against Pittsburgh) to a late night game because they don’t have much confidence in us. We take that as a slap in the face and it’s up to us to — I’m not going to say prove anybody wrong because we put the work in all week and we know what we’re capable of doing — it’s just a matter of going out and doing it.”

Hey, moron, the NFL moved Sunday's game to prime time because it is considered an attractive, compelling matchup between two winning teams who have a lot at stake, not because moving the game was intended as a "slap in the face" to one team or the other. Simpleton.

Things have changed

It was only on Dec. 7th that the Steelers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, 42-21, at Paul Brown Stadium. It seems long ago, however, and it feels like a lot has happened since then.

That win was the first of a three-game resurgence that has the Steelers on the verge of winning the AFC North Division title -- if the Steelers can defeat the Bengals again at Heinz Field on Sunday night.

Since that Dec. 7th win in Cincinnati, the Steelers beat the Falcons in Atlanta, 27-20, and the Chiefs in Pittsburgh, 20-12. The Bengals demolished the Johnny Manziel-led Browns, 30-0, in Cleveland, and beat the Peyton Manning-led Broncos, 37-28, in Cincinnati on a rain-slogged Monday night.

Reviewing the arc of this season's trajectory, the Steelers seem to have solidified their game following what had been an uneven, up-and-down pattern leading to the Dec. 7th game in Cincinnati. A few weeks before that, it's fair to say that after the Steelers had hit their high-water mark of the season with lopsided wins over the Colts and Ravens, in which Ben Roethlisberger shredded the record books.

Then, the Steelers went into a down phase for the four weeks between those two victories and that key win over the Bengals.  In those four weeks, the Steelers: (1) lost to the woebegone New York Jets; (2) eked out a 27-24 win over the dreadful Tennessee Titans; (3) had a bye week; and (4) coming off the bye week, looked flat and unprepared as they lost, 35-32, to a bad New Orleans Saints team at Heinz Field.

It was at that point that Joey Porter's Pit Bulls said, "Stick a fork in 'em; they're done." To the Steelers' credit, however, they weren't done, and we are very happy about that.

Le'Veon Bell, scoring against the Bengals, Dec. 7th

The resurgence started with the win over Cincinnati, which was a game the Bengals knew that if they won, they would have buried the Steelers right then and there.

Instead, the Steelers' Le'Veon Bell ran for 185 yards and 7.1 yards per carry. Ben Roethlisberger, hampered by some sort of hand or wrist injury, often lined up in the short shotgun (pistol) formation with Bell behind him. And the Steelers repeatedly ran the counter sweep with David DeCastro and Maurkice Pouncey pulling behind Heath Miller and/or Matt Spaeth to clear lanes for Bell to find open lanes or simply trample Bengals defenders.

It was a good formula, and it worked well.  Whether they Steelers will reprise that game plan remains to be seen.

One thing we can count on with some reasonable of assurance, is that the Bengals will most definitely not use the same offensive game plan they employed vs. the Steelers the first time around.

In that Dec. 7th meeting, Bengals running backs Jeremy Hill and Giovanni Bernard combined for just 14 carries, with Hill gaining only 46 yards on eight carries. This, despite Cincinnati offensive coordinator Hue Jackson adamantly insisting all during training camp that the Bengals were "committed to the run." Fourteen carries is not "committed to the run." The Steelers won by 21 points.

Jeremy Hill, running vs. the Broncos on Monday night

Since then, however, the Bengals have shown more consistency and commitment running the ball with regularity and success. Jeremy Hill has gotten the bulk of the carries, and he racked up 147 yards on the ground vs. Cleveland.

Now averaging 5.1 yards per carry for the season, the rookie from LSU also ran for 146 yards, including an 85-yard dash, on Monday night vs. the Broncos.

That last performance was the fourth time this year that Hill racked up at least 140 yards rushing, making him only the third rookie in NFL history to do that. He's making a case for Rookie of the Year.

We can expect to see a lot of Hill and Bernard on Sunday night.

This may be a good week to run the ball

The Tennessee Titans, with a 2-7 record, rank 29th in the NFL in opponent rushing yards allowed, yielding 136.6 yards per game.

Last week vs. the Jets, the Steelers ran the ball only 17 times, and look where it got them. Conversely, the Jets ran the ball 36 times for 150 yards.

John Henry Johnson was fearsome.

Although this has become a passing league ... and although offensive coordinators around the NFL want to be unpredictable ... running the football still wins games. That's not to say passing doesn't also win games, as we saw when Ben Roethlisberger threw for six touchdowns in each of two consecutive games, or when Aaron Rogers threw six TD passes in the first half vs. Chicago last Sunday.

But when an opponent is weak against the run, it usually pays to run the ball. On Sunday, the Seahawks trampled the New York Giants for 350 yards rushing on 45 attempts.* The Giants couldn't stop them, and there is nothing more demoralizing to a team than realizing it cannot stop an opponent running the ball, over and over and over again. After last week, the Giants rank 32nd against the run.

The 29th-ranked Titans are weak against the run.

It doesn't have to be rocket science.

*Coincidentally, the Giants attempted just 17 rushing attempts against Seattle -- exactly the same number (17) the Steelers attempted to run vs. the Jets. 

A Crossroads Game

There may not be a more fascinating contest in the NFL this season. The Steelers vs. Browns on Sunday in Cleveland is sure to be full of intensity, drama and twists 'n turns nobody can predict.

This is a crossroads game for the Browns. Win, and they may confidently build on the momentum they've gained so far this year. Lose, and it's more of the same ole same old.

It's a pivotal game for the Steelers, too. Todd Haley's offense MUST score more than 10 points, which is all they managed in Jacksonville. That's ridiculous.

And Dick LeBeau's defense must withstand an aggressive uptempo, no-huddle offense fueled by Cleveland's impressive running game. As noted previously on Joey Porter's Pit Bulls, the Browns are No Longer a Running Joke.

The Browns run the ball even when they are way down on the scoreboard.

Fueled by their running game, the Browns have proven the ability come back from large deficits: 24 points in Pittsburgh and 25 points in Nashville. In last Sunday's game vs. the Titans, Cleveland ran the ball 25 times after they'd fallen behind by 25 points. Their run/pass ratio for the game was balanced: 36 runs and 37 passes.

• In Jacksonville, Steelers' running backs had 25 rushing attempts, and Ben Roethlisberger dropped back to pass 41 times, which includes five sacks and 35 pass attempts.

• Against Tampa Bay, Steelers' running backs had 24 carries, and Ben Roethlisberger dropped back 45 times, including five sacks.

• In the convincing win over Carolina, the running backs (Bell and Blount) had 31 carries, and Ben Roethlisberger dropped back 31 times. An even 50-50.

Which Team Runs More?
For all the talk about Cleveland's commitment to the run and Todd Haley's spotty run/pass ratios, it should be noted: Pittsburgh has more rushing attempts than Cleveland: 136 (11th in the NFL) to 127 (17th in the NFL) this year.

Questions abound: Which team on Sunday will be more successful running the ball? Will Roethlisberger exploit a Cleveland secondary likely to give substantial playing time rookie Justin Gilbert, the first-rounder who has been less than impressive so far, even according to Cleveland head coach Mike Pettine?

Lots of questions, but one thing is certain: The Steelers' offense MUST put more than 10 points on the scoreboard.

Credit Where Credit is Due

We take it back. In the week preceding the season opener, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls asserted the Cleveland Browns weren't built to come from behind.

We were wrong, clearly, in the wake of the Browns' 24-point second-half rally at Heinz Field and also in light of this past Sunday's 29-28 win in Nashville, where the Browns scored the biggest comeback by a road team in NFL history, coming from 25 points behind to beat the Titans.

How wrong we were. In their first four games, the Browns have trailed by an average of 9.8 points at halftime in each game this year. Yet they gave the Steelers all they could handle; they beat the Saints; they battled the Ravens till the very end; and they gave the Titans more than they could handle.  It turns out the Browns can play catch-up in the second half of games. Who knew?

Karlos Dansby's fumble recovery in Week 1

If their first four games are an accurate indication, Cleveland has a resilient, determined team that is mentally and physically tough. How did that happen, besides the influence of first-year head coach Mike Pettine?

Joey Porter's Pit Bulls have always liked linebacker Karlos Dansby and safety Donte Whitner, the two big free-agent signings this past off-season. These two have added veteran leadership, grit, passion, tenacity, determination and toughness to an otherwise anonymous defense that's been developing young talent for the past two or three years. Dansby and Whitner lead the Browns in tackles, with 31 and 30, respectively.

Travis Benjamin, after a TD at Heinz Field, Week 1

On offense, who would have figured the team could consistently battle back from second-half deficits without star wide receiver Josh Gordon. In stepped Travis Benjamin, fresh off a year lost to an ACL injury, and he has been a revelation so far this season. He caught the game-tying touchdown in Pittsburgh and the game-winner in Nashville. He's good.

Without Gordon, we wouldn't have figured Brian Hoyer to try to throw deep very often. But he's not been shy about going deep, even if only to keep defenses honest. Benjamin's speed helps in that department.

No Longer a Running Joke 
Another surprising thing about the Browns is the success of their running game. They racked up a staggering 191 yards on the ground vs. the Steelers, including runs of 29 and 25 yards, and 6.1 yards per rush. They've been running ever since. The Browns rank fourth in the NFL in rushing at 143.2 yards per game. The Steelers are seventh in rushing, at 137.2 yards per game -- and why the Steelers' pass/run ratio went back to out-of-whack mode last Sunday is another topic for another day.

We saw in the season opener that the Browns would run the ball even when they're behind. One reason they are willing to do that is they have an excellent offensive line. They haven't been afraid to flex their muscles behind Pro Bowlers Joe Thomas and Alex Mack, veteran guard John Greco and rookie standout Joel Bittonio,  from Nevada, who has stepped in at guard as if he's a younger Logan Mankins.

On Sunday, the Steelers are going to have to prove they can stop the run. The converse is true, too: The Browns are going to have to stop the Steelers' running game. It will be interesting to see who is more committed to sticking with the run.

Even more running blues: An alarming trend on defense

It's an NFL truism for a reason. Teams that don't run the ball, and can't stop the run, lose..

The Steelers haven't run the ball, and they can't stop the run. That latter part is especially worrying.

The late Big Daddy Lipscomb
would not tolerate this.

The Steelers rank 29th in the NFL against the run, with only St. Louis, Green Bay and Oakland behind them. Worse, the Steelers' 5.0 yards-per-rushing-attempt-against is tied for worst in the league, and opponents know it.

Despite playing from behind, Cleveland kept running the ball. Baltimore ran the ball, consistently, especially to the right side of their offensive line. The Steelers couldn't stop it.

There's nothing more demoralizing to a football team than knowing it cannot stop the run.

Steelers' opponents are averaging 170.0 yards per game on the ground vs. the Steelers. That cannot continue. If it does, this is going to be a very long season.

Where are the linebackers?  Where's the front seven? So far, this defense is not even a shadow of the legendary Steel Curtain. This defense has shown itself to be anything but stout. It has shown no ferocity. It does not strike fear.

If personnel changes need to be made, make 'em. It's early in the season, but it's later than you think.

As for the offense ...
As noted in yesterday's post, Todd Haley, Ben Roethlisberger and Mike Tomlin's Steelers' offense can run the ball effectively, when they do it, averaging 4.8 yards per attempt.

It's just that Haley and Company don't run the ball much, with just 47 rushing attempts in the first two games. Cincinnati had almost that many carries (45) in one game, last Sunday's win over Atlanta.

Le'Veon Bell had just 11 carries in Sunday night's loss at Baltimore. This, despite the fact that Bell was on the field for 30 of the offense's 33 snaps in the first half, and the game stayed close until the fourth quarter.  It's curious, too, in retrospect, when we learn that Roethlisberger still remains sore from the hit that Courtney Upshaw delivered on the first series of the game. No wonder his passes were off. And the Steelers were on the road in a noisy environment. You'd think that Haley and Co. -- whomever was doing the play-calling -- would have wanted to run the ball more. They just chose not to.

The Steelers have a lot of problems. They may not be able to fix the lack of talent in certain spots immediately, but they can fix play-calling and schemes.  So farm there's been no consistency or traction in the offensive running game.

Of course, then, too, players have to make plays. So far, too many players aren't making the plays that need to be made.

Run, run, running blues

Steelers' great John Henry Johnson,
circa 1963, getting it done.

The Steelers are tied with Tampa Bay for 26th in the NFL in Rushing Attempts, with just 47 rushing plays in the first two games.

Some teams talk about committing to the run. Other teams do it. All during the off-season, Cincinnati offensive coordinator Hue Jackson insisted the Bengals would commit to the run this year.  Now, the Bengals rank second in the league with 71 attempts, behind only Houston's 80. On Sunday vs. the Falcons, the Bengals ran the ball 45 times for 171 yards, led by Giovanni Bernard's 27 carries and Jeremy Hill's 15 caries. The Bengals won convincingly.

Even the Dallas Cowboys demonstrated a newfound commitment to the run during their convincing win over Tennessee. Dallas's defense was on the field for only 49 snaps, as the Cowboys racked up 241 yards rushing and a whopping 41 minutes time of possession behind DeMarco Murray's 167 yards rushing on 27 carries. Dallas is tied with Buffalo for fourth in the league with 66 rushing attempts.

Cleveland is 8th in the league with 60 rushing attempts. Just ahead of them is San Diego, with 61 rushing attempts. San Diego had the ball for a whopping 42:15 time of possession during the team's convincing victory over Seattle on Sunday.

The Steelers are running the ball okay, with a 4.8 yard average per attempt, which is ninth in the league. Todd Haley, Ben Roethlisberger and Mike Tomlin just can't commit to it.

The Running Blues

"Poor old Otis, dead and gone, 

Left me here to sing his song, 

Pretty little girl 
with the red dress on, 

Poor Old Otis dead and gone." 

— "Running Blues," by  Jim Morrison, presumably invoking Otis Redding

Three of the four teams playing in the NFL Conference Championship games this weekend ranked among the NFL's Top 10 for yardage gained running the ball. They are: San Francisco (No. 3), Seattle (No. 4) and New England (No. 9). The Broncos ranked 15th.

The Steelers ranked 27th.

Although the offensive line seemed to improve as the season progressed, the offensive line could never be counted upon to get a reliable push in the run game. That lack of push hampered the Steelers badly on third-down  attempts and in the red zone.

John Henry Johnson

As noted by by the Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac:
"The Steelers finished 27th in the league in rushing and averaged 3.5 yards per carry. Only the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars averaged fewer yards per carry. Last season, the Steelers were ranked 26th in rushing and averaged 3.7 yards per carry. The Steelers also allowed 43 sacks this season, six more than last season (2012), when Sean Kugler coached the offensive linemen."

And this all points back to an issue we hate to raise, but ... if Bruce Arians was fired and Todd Haley hired to help the Steelers get back to the run and protect Big Ben, those twin objectives have not been attained.