The AFC North season opener for the Steelers on Sunday promises a return to what has made the AFC North what it is: a physical encounter against a physical opponent.
And in the Cleveland Browns, the Steelers will face the NFL's No. 1-ranked run defense in both yards allowed per game (75.6) and per carry (3.0).
Mike Tomlin hopes his Steelers continue the progression that resulted in their best rushing performance by far this season against the Vikings in Dublin.
"We'd better block them," Tomlin said of facing the Browns. "We'd better run hard, finish off runs; better have a finisher's attitude in terms of which direction the pile falls.
"They're elite in terms of run-stopping. So, what does that mean? That means we've got to be solid. We can't have unblocked people. But beyond that, we've got to play well as a collective. We've got to play physical, and we've got to finish."
In their last game, playing without starting running back Jaylen Warren, the Steelers rushed for 131 yards at 4.5 yards per carry. Their previous highs this season were 72 and 3.4 against the Seahawks.
Against the Vikings, Kenneth Gainwell started in place of Warren and rushed for a career-high 99 yards on 19 carries (5.2).
The Steelers signed Gainwell the first day of free agency last March. He had spent four seasons with the Eagles and made four starts, his best resulted in 78 yards on 12 carries.
"We just thought he was a good player who was underutilized in the system he was in because Saquon (Barkley) was just so talented," Tomlin said. "We played against him a year ago and he made some critical plays against us in the running game, in the passing game, he covered kicks."
It's possible Warren could return this week and give the Steelers a one-two punch against the Browns.
"He missed the last game, but looked really good yesterday," Tomlin said.
There was more to the Steelers' running game in Dublin than the emergence of Gainwell. Massive tight end Darnell Washington nearly doubled his previous season high for offensive snaps with 48 against the Vikings. He was often accompanied in run formations by sixth lineman Spencer Anderson, who played in 19 offensive snaps, more than double his combinedseason total for offensive snaps (9).
Tomlin hinted that the same game plan could be in store this week against the Browns.
"We have a certain personality, particularly when we play 4-3 teams. I haven't been bashful about that," Tomlin said. "That's why we drafted Darnell Washington. You can't play 4-3 teams with 250-pound tight ends. You can't. There are weight classes in combat sport for a reason. When the people are 300 pounds, you'd better have somebody out there that looks like that animal. That was our intention against Minnesota."
The Browns are slightly bigger up front than were the Vikings, who started three defensive linemen in the 300-307 pound range and alternated a fourth who weighed either 247 or 259 pounds. The Browns, on the other hand, will check in with 315-pound rookie Mason Graham, 310-pounder Maliek Collins, and defensive ends Myles Garrett (272) and Isaiah McGuire (268).
"(Jim) Schwartz has been around a long time," Tomlin said of the Browns' defensive coordinator. "He's capable of going big in five defensive linemen versus run games and so forth that he respects. I saw a lot of that versus Baltimore."
In a loss to the Ravens, the Browns allowed only 45 yards rushing, a season best.
"We've got to understand that a successful day might be three or four-yard runs at times," Tomlin said. "We've got to take what we can get sometimes from that regard."
On the other side of the run game, Browns rookie running back Quinshon Judkins comes off his best game with 110 yards on 23 carries Sunday against the Vikings. In four games, the second-round pick from Ohio State has carried 72 times for 347 yards (4.8 ypc.).
"I can't say enough about what I'm seeing from Judkins," Tomlin said. "He had absolutely no training camp to speak of, and that really highlights what it is we're looking at. Kudos to him and kudos to them for what he and they are able to produce. He is a tough runner. He's good inside. He's got good patience and picking vision on interior running. He finishes off his runs with violence. He's underrated in terms of his ability to bounce it to the perimeter and pop long ones. He had a 60-yarder or so that got called back in London last week that kind of highlights that.
"I've seen this guy a lot. Obviously, we got a couple of his teammates from O State, and so I've seen a lot of his video. Man, he is a complete back. He's the type of guy that can wear a defensive unit down. Certainly fits their mold as an awesome replacement, if you will, for Nick Chubb, and I think it's going to do nothing but get better with him and them."
Tomlin complimented the Browns' rookie class that includes Judkins and starting QB Dillon Gabriel on offense.
"But what they don't have is inexperience up front," Tomlin said. "There are three interior people, (Wyatt) Teller, (Ethan) Pocic, (Joel) Bitonio, man, they've been doing it a long time. ... I think that interior group up front really sets the pace for them, down in and down out, from a protection standpoint and running the ball. I don't think enough is written and said about that collective and how critical that collective is to their offensive output and stability. Got a lot of respect for those guys, man, we got a full day's work ahead of us trying to minimize their run game with that runner and those three interior people up front."
To that end, the Steelers come off their best performance against the run in Dublin where they held the Vikings to 70 yards on 20 carries, an average of 3.5 per carry. It was the first time this season the Steelers held a team below 117 rushing yards and 4.0 per carry.
"Just the collective growth I've been talking about a lot," Tomlin explained. "But also, I think I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about the presence of DeShon Elliott being a major component. I thought his presence was significant in that game last week, being a down safety, a guy that plays in and around the line of scrimmage."
Tomlin also expects OLB Alex Highsmith and CB Joey Porter Jr. to return from injury and help the defensive collective.
"We've got a lot of work in front of us. We've got a long week," Tomlin said. "We're highly familiar with those guys, but they're highly familiar with us. I just think that's the fun and excitement of divisional play, that intimacy, those relationships.
"Certainly, we have some new guys to us that need to establish themselves in the North. They have some new guys that we need to familiarize ourselves with. Looking forward to an action-packed game."
