When the Green Bay Packers come to town, they will be rocking a notable running back tandem in the backfield that will look to give Pittsburgh fits in the running game.
RBs Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon have become quite a 1-2 punch in the league the last several seasons as Jones has been the slasher that wins with speed, quickness, and his receiving prowess out of the backfield while Dillon is the big bruising back that can churn out the tough yardage in-between the tackles, wearing down opposing defenses.
Speaking to Bob Pompeani on his keys to the game segment of The Mike Tomlin Show, Tomlin pointed to the battle of the backfields as a significant component of this game that Pittsburgh must attempt to win on both sides of the football on Sunday.
“We have two capable backs,” Tomlin said to Pompeani on video from the Steelers’ YouTube channel. “They have two capable backs. It’s important that we convert third downs to allow our backs to make their presence felt in the game, and I’d imagine that we’d better win some on the other side to minimize their two backs. [A.J.] Dillon in particular, him being a finisher. We played him up there two years ago in 2021. I thought he wore us down at the end of the game. And so, possession down-play, teeing up the running game component and the attrition component I think is going to be a significant undercurrent of this game.”
Aaron Jones hasn’t had a great season in 2023, missing three games due to injury while struggling in others with the inefficiencies in their offense, similar to what Pittsburgh’s offense has dealt with. However, Jones came alive last week, carrying the ball nine times for 41 yards and a score while catching two passes for 86 yards and a score, including a 51-yard strike. Jones has been one of the most effective backs on a per-touch basis since coming into the league in 2017, being a threat to take it to the house on the ground as well as through the air. Dillon has also had a bit of a down season compared to his previous two years, averaging just 3.3 yards per carry. Still, the 6-0, 247-pound Dillon is a big man that is hard to bring down as Pittsburgh experienced last time they played, carrying the ball 15 times for 81 yards as Jones and Dillon went for nearly 130 yards on the ground.
Pittsburgh will look to have their backfield tandem of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren surpass the output of Green Bay’s backfield, likely meaning that they have done a better job of converting possession downs and sustaining drives throughout the game like Tomlin mentioned above. The running game hasn’t been great to start the season, but Harris and Warren are coming off a strong performance last Thursday against the Tennessee Titans where the two combined for 157 yards rushing. Warren is the Aaron Jones of Pittsburgh’s backfield, bringing more juice and splash play to the table whereas Harris is similar to Dillon, being that big-bodied back that can pick up the tough yardage and wear down the opposing defense in the second half.
There are a lot of things that can dictate the outcome of this game, but the team that establishes the better run game is a key component that may stick out above the rest. Pittsburgh will be tasked with getting their backs going for a second consecutive week while relying on their defense to minimize Green Bay’s duo in the backfield.
