The Pittsburgh Steelers were barely able to come out on top against the division rival Cleveland Browns in Week 1. Pittsburgh won by three and rarely got one of their best offensive weapons involved with Le'Veon Bell rushing for only 32 yards on 10 carries.
Apparently, the team wanted to run the ball more against the Browns. Offensive lineman David DeCastro claims Bell wasn't being punished for his contract holdout but rather penalties piled up on the Steelers, via ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
But it turns out the Pittsburgh Steelers wanted to run the ball more during a 21-18 win over the Cleveland Browns, according to guard David DeCastro, who said that Bell was not squeezed out of the game plan. But a mix of four first-half penalties, a screen-heavy attack early in the game, and the Browns' run defense steered Pittsburgh off its plan.
The Steelers will go head-to-head against the Minnesota Vikings at Heinz Field in Week 2. Mike Zimmer's squad is coming off an impressive win over the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football in which they contained Adrian Peterson and the running game.
Article Continues BelowHowever, DeCastro and the rest of the Steelers will likely be looking to get going on the ground, via Fowler.
DeCastro is eager to regain the Steelers' power-run form.
If the ground game is firing on all cylinders with Bell and the passing game is on point with Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown on the same page, it could be a long day for the Vikings defense as these two teams try to start the season with a perfect 2-0 record.