The formula was simple, effective and, ultimately, very successful. Run the football, control the clock and keep one of the best defenses in the history of the National Football League fresher than romaine lettuce. The Baltimore Ravens did this with such efficiency they thundered all the way to the Super Bowl.
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With 612 yards rushing, Jerome Bettis has had plenty to scream about so far this season. (Peter Diana, Post-Gazette) |
One year later, the Steelers are hoping to parlay the same formula into similar success. They bring the NFL's top running game and top defense into tomorrow's game against the Ravens (4-3) at 1 p.m. at Heinz Field, and the combination has allowed the Steelers (5-1) to have a share of the best record in the American Football Conference with the Oakland Raiders.
"The offense definitely has to help you out to be No. 1," said safety Lee Flowers. "I think a lot of people forget if you got a horrible offense and the offense is constantly turning the ball over, you get tired. You start playing in the third and fourth quarter, you start playing fatigued and giving up big plays left and right."
Make no mistake, the Steelers have done a good job keeping their defense off the field. Their running game, which averages a league-best 186.8 yards per game, has allowed the Steelers to rank second in the NFL in time of possession (32:26), behind only the Raiders (32:30).
In the 34-7 victory Monday against the Tennessee Titans, the Steelers controlled the ball for 34 minutes, 17 seconds -- the most this season. Not surprisingly, the Titans managed just 214 yards offense, including 57 yards rushing. The only better performance by the Steelers' defense this season was against the Buffalo Bills.
"Our offense did a great job [Monday night] by doing that," Flowers said. "It was allowing us to go on the field fresh, allowing us to play tight coverage for our corners and allowing Tim [Lewis, defensive coordinator] to let our linebackers blitz."
And big plays?
The defense has given up only one play longer than the 34-yard touchdown catch by Jacksonville receiver Jimmy Smith in the season opener, and that was a meaningless 44-yard pass from Steve McNair to Derrick Mason late in the fourth quarter Monday night.
Preventing the big plays is always an issue against the Ravens. That's because wide receiver Qadry Ismail has four touchdowns longer than 50 yards in his past two games against the Steelers.
"To have a good defense, you got to keep those guys fresh," Flowers said. "You look at all the top defenses over the past couple years -- Tennessee, Tampa Bay, Baltimore -- their offenses never really turned the ball over and they kept them off the field. Once they got on the field, they dominated because they were never tired."
"It's a good formula for success if you can keep the offense out there," linebacker Joey Porter said.
The Ravens, though, haven't had as much success duplicating the formula that worked so well last year, when they won their final 11 games after a 9-7 loss to the Steelers to claim their first Super Bowl trophy.
The reason: Jamal Lewis, the AFC's sixth-leading rusher last season, sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in training camp and is out for the season. Lewis, one of the Ravens' two No. 1 picks last season, did not burst onto the scene until Week 4 because of a dislocated elbow sustained in training camp.
Once he did, he rushed for a club-record 1,364 yards, including 927 yards in the second half of the season when the Ravens were dominating the NFL.
Without Lewis, and with the off-season acquisition of quarterback Elvis Grbac, the Ravens have become more of a throwing team. The running responsibilities have been shared by veteran Terry Allen, who missed last week's game with a lower leg injury, and rookie Jason Brookings.
"They're a completely different offense than they were," said defensive coordinator Tim Lewis. "They have a quarterback who can throw the ball with accuracy, and they're using their receivers. They've done a fantastic job throwing the ball."
But with a passing offense, the defense spends more time on the field. And the Ravens' defense, while still ranked No. 2 in the league, has shown flashes of vulnerability in the team's slow start.
The Ravens have allowed 119 points in seven games after allowing an NFL-record 165 points last season. Meantime, the Steelers have allowed a league-low 65 points in six games.
"I don't know if it's hurting them right now," linebacker Jason Gildon said. "They obviously do have a great defense. The fact their record isn't where they'd like it to be is the nature of the game. A lot of people didn't expect us to be where we are at this point."
Steelers' offense big key to defense's success 
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