Our breakdown of the offense continues with...
The Running Backs
What can you say about Willie Parker? There's always small reasons to doubt the man, but he keeps producing at a remarkably consistent clip, especially against mediocre defenses. A week after making us nervous with his fumbling proclivities, Parker had a clean game against the Bills. He rushed the ball 23 times for 126 yards and 1 TD. His long run of the day was 24 yards, so he methodically picked up chunks of yards throughout the afternoon. No fumbles this week either.
Parker's consistent play has the Steelers offense flying high again
As was mentioned, this offense seems to want to jump out on top with the passing game, and suffocate defenses in the second half with the running game. Parker's had two straight 100+ yard games, and a bunch of his yards have come after intermission. Through Week 2, Parker is 3rd in the NFL in rushing yards with 235 yards. Dating back to last year, Parker has had 5 100+ yard rushing games in his last 6 outings. Not bad my friends. Still, it should be noted that Parker tends to struggle mightily against elite run-stopping teams (but then again, who doesn't, or else why would they be categorized as such). When he plays mediocre run defenses though, Parker typically carves them up and hits the century mark.
Najeh Davenport continues to improve from a year ago. He had his number dialed 6 times on Sunday and he made the most of them, rushing for 46 yards. Both Parker and Davenport hauled in two receptions a piece. Davenport, Davis, and Kreider all did a solid job blocking, so no real complaints or concerns with this unit.
Grade: A