AFC NORTH Steelers' ground game plummets to bottom six

Pittsburgh backs gained 60 yards on 16 tries in Kansas City.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Heavens to Franco Harris, what's going on with the Pittsburgh Steelers' running game?
Even during those 40 forgettable seasons that predated their Super Bowl years in the 1970s, the Steelers were traditionally built around a blue collar-style running game and tough defense. Even where there were Bradshaw, Swann and Stallworth, there also were Webster, Harris and Bleier.
Glance at the latest NFL statistics, though, and it's almost as if Don Coryell is coaching this team, not Bill Cowher. The Steelers are second in the NFL in passing, yet are sixth from the bottom in rushing.
What's remarkable is that two years ago, with virtually the same players they have now, the Steelers averaged 30 yards rushing per game more than any other NFL team.
That's why it's hard for Jerome Bettis to believe the Steelers (1-1) have virtually abandoned the run, rushing just 38 times so far. They threw on nearly every down while dominating Baltimore 34-15; they threw on nearly every down while being dominated 41-20 Sunday by Kansas City.
Only 60 yards
The Steelers ran 16 times for 60 yards Sunday, getting that only because Amos Zereoue gained 37 yards on two carries when the game was long since decided.
"There's always a tendency when you have some really great players in the passing game that you're going to look at that," Bettis said Monday, "but you've got to say in your mind that we're going to run the ball. We have to."
But even while leading for most of the first half Sunday, the Steelers had only 13 yards rushing before halftime.
Right tackle Todd Fordham was asked if the Steelers' sudden inability to run was a point of emphasis during their longer-than-normal meetings Monday.
"It was a point of emphasis after the game," Fordham said. "We knew we didn't run the ball effectively enough to put them on their heels. We never ran the ball effectively enough to make them have to bring an extra man down to stop the run."
Idle moments
Afterward, Zereoue complained he didn't get into a rhythm because he occasionally came out for Bettis. But Bettis pointed out Monday he had only four carries, and he remembered being on the field for only one play in the second half.
"If you only get four carries and I only get four, yeah, it seems like you didn't get into a rhythm," said Bettis, the No. 10 rusher in NFL history. "But it's not an issue of splitting time. We just didn't have a lot of opportunities to run."
Only two years ago, the Steelers ran the ball at least 35 times in 10 of 16 games. Going into Sunday's game at Cincinnati, they're averaging only 19 running plays per game.
"Before we get into situations where teams are committing seven or eight guys to the pass, we have to be able to run the football so it limits defenses and how they can attack us," said Bettis, who has only eight carries for 21 yards this season. "You can't forget about the run."
Easier to defend
The longer the Steelers go without establishing the run, Bettis said, the easier it will be for defenses to come up with more innovative ways to defend against Tommy Maddox's throwing.
"It's going to be a situation where we get a lot of yards passing the football, but it doesn't make a lot of difference in the outcome of the game," he said. "We have to start running the ball when it counts."
If they don't, Bettis said, it's not difficult to figure out what will happen to their season.
"To be a playoff-caliber football team, you've got to run the football," he said. "I don't think many teams made the playoffs last year that couldn't run the ball. It's got to be a point of emphasis."