Bills share Steelers' affinity for running the ball as teams prep for wild-card matchup

Najee Harris will tell anyone within earshot that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ identity is running the football.

Lately, the Buffalo Bills have adopted that mindset as well.

Yes, the Buffalo Bills. And, for once, not just because they have a mobile quarterback in Josh Allen.

While the Bills still rely heavily on Allen, a two-time Pro Bowl passer, wide receiver Stefon Diggs and an emerging tight end group, they have carved a niche running the ball, particularly during a late-season run that led to an AFC East title and a playoff matchup Sunday against the Steelers.

The Bills have found a winning formula in second-year runner James Cook, who was selected to the Pro Bowl and finished fourth in the NFL in rushing, and complementary pieces in veterans Leonard Fournette, Latavius Murray and Ty Johnson.

Buoyed by a five-game winning streak to finish the season, the Bills ended with the NFL’s No. 7-ranked running game, which was one spot higher than Buffalo’s passing total.

“They’ve made a bigger commitment to the running game,” Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward said. “Cook is having a heck of a season. I think having that balance between Cook and Josh is huge.”

Cook enters the postseason having rushed for 1,112 yards, becoming the first Bills running back since LeSean McCoy in 2017 to crack the 1,000-yard barrier. He finished sixth in the league with 1,567 scrimmage yards thanks to 44 catches for 445 yards and four receiving touchdowns.

“Just playing against them the past seven years, I feel like they’ve honed in on their running game,” said inside linebacker Elandon Roberts, who played exclusively in the AFC East with New England and Miami before joining the Steelers this year. “Cook is doing a great job. When Leonard and (Murray) come in, they do a great job, too. Obviously, Josh Allen is big in the running game. You can’t forget about him.”

The Steelers haven’t, even if they are more used to Allen dissecting their defense through the air than on the ground. Consider that when these two teams last met in October 2022, Allen averaged more than 21 yards per completion when he passed for 424 yards and four scores in a 38-3 victory.

“He does just about everything for them,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. “He can run. He can throw. He can improvise.”

The Bills were 5-5 when coach Sean McDermott fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and replaced him with Joe Brady. Buffalo has gone 6-1 since, with Cook often being the impetus for victory. In a 20-17 win at Kansas City, Cook had 141 scrimmage yards, including 83 receiving and a touchdown. The next week, in a 31-10 win against Dallas, Cook had 179 yards rushing, 221 overall, and two touchdowns.

“His talents are significant,” coach Mike Tomlin said of the former Georgia runner and younger brother of Dalvin Cook. “He’s a dangerous guy. I was at his pro day. I’m not necessarily surprised by the things that I have seen from him.”

The Bills, meantime, shouldn’t expect to be surprised with what they see from the Steelers offense Sunday. It will feature a large dose of running backs Harris and Jaylen Warren.

The Steelers expect to keep Allen, Cook and Diggs off the field by controlling the clock much like they did against Seattle and Baltimore to close out the regular season. The Steelers had two of their three best games in terms of time of possession, and Harris rushed for 122 and 112 yards, respectively, to surpass 1,000 for the third consecutive season. Warren finished with 748 rushing yards and 1,054 from scrimmage.

“We have such a commitment to the things we already need to do in the game,” interim offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner said, mindful that adverse weather conditions may signal for an added emphasis on the running backs. “We need to run the ball, so we won’t change from that aspect.”

Considering that the Steelers are averaging 32 rushing attempts — second-most in the NFL — and 145.2 yards — fourth-most — in the past 10 weeks, McDermott knows what his Bills defense will be tasked with stopping Sunday.

“It starts with the mindset,” McDermott said when asked about the importance of defending the run. “You have to have that. That’s really where it starts. It’s a physical game, they’re a physical team. If we have to have a chance, we have to play physical. There’s no negotiating around it.”

The Steelers feel the same way about the Bills.

“We’ll have our hands full working to minimize the things that they do in the run game,” Tomlin said. “They have a collection of backs and Cook being foremost in that.”