CLEVELAND — The Pittsburgh Steelers have had one of the best rush attacks in the NFL. In fact, they’re currently averaging the eighth-most rushing yards per game (135.2) in the league. That wasn’t the case in the team’s 24-19 loss to the Cleveland Browns on “Thursday Night Football,” though.
The Steelers didn’t have a player rush for more than 45 yards while averaging just 3.5 yards per carry on 34 attempts. Running back Jaylen Warren, who led the team with 45 yards and a touchdown on the ground, is not sure what caused the offense’s struggles.
“I don’t know,” Warren said. “We’re gonna have to get into the lab and watch the film and see what it is.”
Warren wasn’t the only player who was still searching for answers after the disappointing performance. Rookie guard Mason McCormick was also left trying to understand what happened.
It was McCormick’s first time playing the Browns, but he chalked it up to their stout defense before having the chance to analyze the film.
“That’s a good defense. Obviously, we’ve got to be better. We didn’t win, but it’s hard to point fingers or see what happened,” McCormick said. “I gotta go back and look at the tape.”
One reason for the Steelers struggles could have been the winter weather conditions. The stadium took on a snow globe effect as the game progressed, making things harder to see and the field slippery.
RELATED: Mistakes By the Lake: Steelers Blunder to Blustery Loss to Browns
McCormick isn’t letting that be an excuse, however.
“Everybody’s gotta play on it,” McCormick said. “So it’s just kinda the way it is.”
Either way, the Steelers will have some extra time to find those answers as they enter a mini bye week.
Left tackle Dan Moore Jr. knows they must take full advantage of the extra time to make sure their rush attack doesn’t produce a similar performance next week against the 4-7 Cincinnati Bengals.
“I think it’s just the intimacy of this matchup, divisional opponents. We knew that we were gonna get their best today and they didn’t get ours,” Moore said. “We would’ve liked to be 2-0 in the division, so I think that’s what stings the most.”
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Cleveland.