All signs point to the Steelers matching Sunday what an actual historic defense did almost 20 years ago.
And not in a good way.
The 2008 Steelers finished second in the NFL in rushing defense (and first in just about everything else that matters). Yet they had few answers for the Patriots’ ground game in a late-November game at Gillette Stadium.
New England rushed for 122 yards, averaging 6.1 yards on 20 carries. To put that in perspective, the Steelers allowed a total of 121 rushing yards in three postseason games, including Super Bowl XLIII.