The Pittsburgh Steelers have spent the first seven weeks of the 2026 NFL season turning run defense into a calling card, and the numbers back it up.
According to Pro Football Focus, Pittsburgh owns the league’s top-graded run defense at 82.7. No other team has cracked the 80-point threshold, which leaves the Steelers alone at the top of the rankings.
Steel City Underground posted the latest list Saturday, and the gap between Pittsburgh and the pack is noticeable. The Jacksonville Jaguars sit second at 76.3, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings are tied at 74.6. The Los Angeles Rams close out the top five with a 71.1 grade.
The Steelers have backed up the grade with the kind of weekly production that changes games. Their front has made it tough for opponents to get anything going on the ground, forcing offenses into more obvious passing situations and letting Pittsburgh control the flow.
That showed up clearly in Week 7 against the New Orleans Saints in Paris. The Steelers held New Orleans to 18 rushing yards on 17 carries, with Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller both bottled up. Pittsburgh walked away with a 16-10 win after limiting the Saints to 281 total yards and 10 points.
There’s also another layer to what Pittsburgh is doing up front. The Steelers are allowing just 0.7 yards per carry before contact, which Yahoo Sports says is the best mark in the NFL.
Still, the next test comes quickly. Pittsburgh hosts the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, and that matchup carries some built-in pressure for the defense.
The Browns beat the Steelers 27-24 in Week 4, and they did it with two rushing touchdowns. Cleveland finished that game with 112 net rushing yards, a reminder that Pittsburgh’s run defense has already had one rough night against this opponent.
Now the rematch shifts to Acrisure Stadium, where the Steelers get a chance to show how far that unit has come since the first meeting. If Cleveland can get its ground game rolling again, it could end up deciding whether Pittsburgh stretches its winning streak to four games.
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Steelers Defense Is Chasing The Identity Fans Have Been Missing
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Sawyer acknowledged the group gave up some ground against the run last season, but he also pointed to steady growth as this year has unfolded. The goal now is clear enough: tighten the front, control the line of scrimmage and make opponents win through the air instead of leaning on the ground game. [Read more 🡒]