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Steelers hoping letdown vs. Bengals only temporary
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Philip G. Pavely/Tribune-Review
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Chaz Palla/Tribune-Review
Jerry DiPaola is the Tribune-Review high school sports editor. He can be reached via e-mail.
Statistical quirk? Hardly.
The Steelers' continued lofty standing atop many NFL categories, not the least of which is their No.1 seed in the upcoming AFC playoffs, is a testament to a season full of success that was interrupted - temporarily or not - by a 26-23 overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
Nonetheless, the Steelers, who have played the past four games without running back Jerome Bettis, just aren't running the ball with the same productivity that marked their ground game earlier this season.
The Steelers have rushed for 203 or more yards in six of 15 games this season. Five of those occurred in games in which Bettis was healthy; only one has happened in the past month while Bettis rests and rehabilitates a serious groin pull. And that game last week was played against the 1-14 Detroit Lions.
Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala, who has started four games in Bettis' absence, has rushed 84 times for 303 yards in that time (3.6 yards per carry). Against the Bengals, he averaged just 2.2 (55 for 25).
During his weekly news conference Monday, Steelers coach Bill Cowher disputed a suggestion that the running game has fallen off in recent games.
"Don't put a trend to something that was a one-game thing," he said. "You talked about kickoff coverage (needing improvement). It was a one-game thing. I understand those are things we have to address. No, it's not a problem.
"I know we didn't run the ball as efficiently as you'd like to run it, but some of it was the field (at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati). To be honest with you, (the condition of the field) was not conducive to that."
Cowher admitted, however, that footing wasn't a problem in two long Bengals runs. A 30-yarder by Corey Dillon and 36-yarder by Brandon Bennett totaled just 6 yards fewer than the Steelers' total in 28 carries.
If the Steelers' running game, which had outgained every opponent this season until Sunday, is not a problem, then Bettis' groin appears to be. Cowher listed him as questionable for the final regular-season game Sunday against the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field, and he talked about the risk involved in setting back Bettis' recovery if he plays and aggravates the injury.
Cowher said that Bettis could use some work before the playoffs, which don't start for the Steelers for nearly three weeks, but the decision to sit him hasn't been difficult in recent weeks
"If he's healthy, it would be good for him to get to play in this game," Cowher said, "considering how much time he had off, but certainly not at the risk of setting him back and not having him for the playoffs."
Cowher said Bettis ran yesterday, tested the groin and reported no problems. But he was not definitive about his chances of playing Sunday in a game that is meaningless as far as the final standings are concerned.
"We'll go through practice (beginning Wednesday) and see how he is," Cowher said. "We have to sit down and talk with our medical people and talk to him and make sure he's comfortable and we're all comfortable with the fact that we're not putting too much risk involved with him playing.
"But if he's healthy, it will be good for him to get hit a couple times." Bettis practiced with the scout team Wednesday and Thursday of last week, a big step in his eventual return, according to Cowher.
"He got rid of the degree of that apprehension that would be there (when he finally returns to the lineup)," he said. "Now, we go through, maybe, a week where the apprehension is gone and he can just practice. It's certainly going to be there the first time he steps out there, no matter what, but as much as we can lessen that we're trying to do that."
