Preseason indicators alone are unreliable signs of regular-season successes or failures. The Steelers’ rushing attack struggling in Pittsburgh’s first preseason game, however, reaffirms that it might cause issues in the regular season.

The Steelers officially kicked off their 2025 campaign with a 31-25 preseason win against the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Pittsburgh was without the vast majority of its starters, but still showcased significant firepower in the opening test.

While scoring was at a premium, and some positive offensive signs were evident, a glaring weakness throughout the game was the Steelers’ struggling rushing attack.

Lackluster Rushing Stats

The Steelers had 301 passing yards to 66 rushing yards. They had no rushing touchdowns compared to five passing touchdowns. Rookie running back Kaleb Johnson had 20 yards on 8 attempts. 

The Steelers were unable to get their running game going at any point in the first three quarters. In the fourth quarter, Lew Nichols boosted the final rushing stats, but otherwise, the ground game was rather non-existent. The Steelers may have been focusing more on other aspects of the offense, like the play-action passing game, but the hope is to see some improvement on the ground in the final preseason games.

Helping Rodgers

A strong running game will take a lot of pressure off of Aaron Rodgers. As suggested by his four MVP seasons, Rodgers is more than capable of willing his team to wins and playoff success, but the 42-year-old should not be called or depended on to do so. Alleviating his responsibilities is a crucial reason the run game must improve — otherwise there will be no way to maximize an already limited offense’s potential.

A good run game also helps play keep away from the elite offenses of the league. The Steelers defense will keep them in a lot of games, but with teams on their schedule like the Ravens (twice), Bengals (twice), Lions and Bills this year, it’s important that the O-line and run game are in sync early. That was not the case in the first preseason game.

It’s very early, and they’ve only played one meaningless preseason game, but it is something to keep an eye on as the preseason continues.

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