Steelers' rushing attack brings back the ground-and-pound attitude

The Pittsburgh Steelers are leading the NFL in rushing after three games, and if that wasn't surprising enough, the fact that the team has shown consistency on the ground is a huge step in the right direction for an offensive unit that has lacked the ability to move the ball on the ground in recent years.

LeGarrette Blount and Le'Veon Bell both rushed for over 100 yards, which was the first time that happened in 28 years in the storied Steelers' history.

The Steelers' dual-threat backfield has been given many nicknames, but "ground-and-pound" certainly could be given to them in terms of their recent production.

Against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday night, Bell ran to the right side of the line 17 of 21 times for 147 yards. Just when the Panthers thought they knew the Steelers liked to run over top of Marcus Gilbert and David DeCastro, Blount ran to the left side of the line for 118 yards on 8 of 10 rushes following Kelvin Beachum and Cody Wallace.

The Steelers' ability to run effectively to both sides proves not only that they have a stellar offensive line from left to right, but also that opposing defenses can't rely on predictability with respect to the Steelers' front five.

A lot of the credit can be given to offensive line coach Mike Munchak, but the health of the unit, as well as the maturation of many of its players, is what truly is making a difference.

As Bell told Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, "We wanted to pound those guys out," "We knew they were patient. We wanted to continue hitting them and hitting them, and eventually they broke."

It's that relentless attitude that represents the Steelers' current ground game, and it's a large reason why the Steelers' offense has seen success heading into Week 4.