Steelers, Cardinals See Seasons End Because Respective Run Games Disappeared

The idea that the NFL is a “passing league” might be a bit of a myth.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals both were sent home Sunday night after losing their respective wild-card round games. One of the big reasons for both departures is that both clubs lost their running games.

Of course, both teams were without their No. 1 running backs — Andre Ellington in Arizona and Le’Veon Bell in Pittsburgh — and both teams suffered in a big way because of those losses.

The passing game is important, but balance — which includes a competent running attack — is still the most important thing, according to ex-NFL linebacker Matt Chatham.

“A similar overreaction to the ‘passing league’ nonsense would be to make everything rise and fall with the running game … that’s not what I’m saying,” he wrote on FootballByFootball.com. “You have to be able to both run and pass it with a degree of proficiency, and the ones who are really good at doing this are especially dangerous.”