Steelers' run defense ready for challenge presented by Browns running back tandem

Mike Tomlin calls the Nick Chubb-Kareem Hunt pairing on the Cleveland Browns the “most complete tandem” in the NFL, with little separation between the two running backs.

“They’re not 1 and 2,” Tomlin said, “They’re 1 and 1a.”

Chubb, in search of a fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season, already is nearly a quarter of the way there, ranking second in the NFL with 228 yards. Hunt, a former rushing champion in Kansas City, has contributed 104 rushing yards, which doesn’t crack the top 10 but is 32 more than Pittsburgh Steelers starter Najee Harris has accumulated.

Not surprisingly, Tomlin expects his defense to see a heavy dose of Chubb and Hunt when the Steelers travel to FirstEnergy Stadium to take on the Browns on Thursday night.

“We’ve got our work cut out for us there,” Tomlin said.

What is surprising is the Browns, despite finishing fourth in the NFL in rushing last year, didn’t emphasize their running game in either matchup against the Steelers, who fielded the league’s worst unit at defending that aspect of the game.

Consider the Steelers allowed opponents to exceed 100 yards rushing in 13 of 17 games last season. Of those four outliers, the Browns were two of the offenders, finishing with 96 and 93 yards, respectively, as the Steelers swept the season series. And it wasn’t like the Steelers were stout against the run on those days. The Browns averaged 4.2 and 4.7 yards per carry in those games. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski just didn’t give Chubb and his backups — Hunt missed both games last season — enough carries. Chubb carried the ball a combined 28 times in the two Browns defeats.

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The Steelers don’t expect history to repeat itself Thursday, particularly because the Browns lead the NFL in rushing through two weeks. They are averaging 200.5 yards, and their 38 carries per game ranks second.

“That’s the strength of their team,” nose tackle Tyson Alualu said. “Those are things that they do well. I’m expecting them to get a lot of touches, and it will be a challenge for us, but we are up to it.”

Through two weeks, the Steelers have shown some improvement in stopping the run. No longer the league’s worst unit, they have improved to No. 22, reducing the average rushing yards per game from 146.1 to 128.5.

On the flip side, the Steelers were powerless to stop the run on the final drive of Sunday’s 17-14 loss to New England. The Patriots gained 65 yards before kneeling down at the end and exhausted the final 6 minutes, 33 seconds.

“We’re better, but we’ve got a long way to go,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. “We’ve got to continue to get better and start holding opponents down and, in those moments, we’ve got to get them off the field and stop the run. I think we’re still growing in that regard, but this week is a test and those two guys are as good as anybody we’ll see.”

Chubb is coming off a three-touchdown, 87-yard performance against the New York Jets. Hunt added 58 yards. Each running back, however, is being scrutinized for his decisions late in the 31-30 loss. With the Browns leading 24-17 late in the fourth, Hunt was forced out of bounds to stop the clock. Chubb scored on a 12-yard run on the next play but admitted he should have stopped short of the end zone to help wind down the time. The Jets scored two touchdowns in the final 1:55 to pull out an improbable comeback.

Still, Chubb and Hunt remain the focal point of an offense that has Jacoby Brissett subbing at quarterback until Deshaun Watson’s 11-game suspension is complete.

“Maybe they use them in different ways where Chubb is getting the ball and running the scheme — inside, outside and downhill,” Alualu said. “Hunt does that, but he also catches a lot of screens out of the backfield. They are both very good running backs in this league. For both of them to be on one team is definitely a challenge for anybody.”

Playing without injured outside linebacker T.J. Watt, the Steelers deployed a big front six package against New England in an attempt to stop the run. Until midway through the fourth quarter, it was working.

“They are pretty similar in the way they commit to the run,” Alualu said, comparing the Patriots and Browns. “You might get it stopped, they might not run well, but they are going to keep doing it until they break one or more. It keeps defenses on your toes, and you have to stay disciplined and do your job over the course of the game.”

The Steelers added inside linebacker Myles Jack, who had a game-high 13 tackles against New England, and defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi to help address their run-stopping issues from a year ago.

“Those guys make this defense a lot better, but it’s getting everybody to really understand the defense well so you know what you need to do, be where you’re supposed to be,” Alualu said. “It helps us play better run defense when everybody collectively understands that.”