On Thursday night, we saw the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense come a little more alive than in recent weeks. The offense amassed 326 yards of total offense, the Steelers still getting outgained by their opponent as has been the case the entire season, but the offense looked more explosive, especially on the ground. Pittsburgh totaled 166 rushing yards in a 20-16 win over the Tennessee Titans.
Former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher mentioned two players by name who provided noticeable juice with the ball in their hands on Thursday, suggesting that Pittsburgh should try to scheme up more opportunities for them going forward.
“The one thing that I like with this team is I wish is the two guys to me that give their offense a little bit of a spark are Diontae Johnson and Jaylen Warren,” Cowher said via video from NFL on CBS’ Twitter page. “When those guys are in the game and they touch the ball, there’s some exciting things that happen. And I think that Kenny Pickett is a guy that just as a game goes on, he has a good feel for it.”
Johnson managed to get the monkey off his back last Thursday, breaking his long-standing touchdown drought with the go-ahead score from QB Kenny Pickett to put Pittsburgh on top late in the fourth quarter. Johnson has shown out in two-straight performances, catching seven passes for 90 yards and a score against the Titans while catching eight passes for 85 yards against the Jaguars last Sunday. Johnson’s presence has been huge for Pittsburgh’s passing game since coming back from a hamstring injury that landed him on IR. He gives the offense a nuanced route runner who can generate separation with ease, giving Pickett an open target on possession downs he can rely on.
Warren looked explosive as a runner on Thursday night as well, carrying the ball 11 times for 88 yards while catching also three passes for 25 yards. Warren received five less carries than teammate RB Najee Harris, but Warren outgained Harris on the ground (88 yards to 69 yards) as well as through the air (25 yards to seven yards). Warren naturally plays with more juice and burst as a runner than Harris, getting up to full speed quickly and hitting the hole with greater acceleration to stress opposing defenses. He is a legit home run threat when he gets into the open field, operating as an effective change-of-pace back to Harris’ physical, downhill running style.
WR George Pickens wasn’t as involved as he may have hoped on Thursday night, being a weapon who can provide a spark as well on any given play. Still, Johnson and Warren provided that spark Pittsburgh needed against the Titans and should be able to provide similar contributions moving forward as the Steelers’ offense continues to work to find its stride.
