Entering the Week Nine Thursday Night Football matchup against the Tennessee Titans at Acrisure Stadium, the Pittsburgh Steelers were looking for a spark offensively. The Steelers brought offensive coordinator Matt Canada down from the booth to sideline to try and find that spark and put rookie tackle Broderick Jones into the lineup at right tackle.
Turns out, second-year running back Jaylen Warren was the spark that the Steelers needed offensively.
Warren rushed for a career-high 88 yards on 11 carries and added 25 receiving yards on three catches, putting together a rather impressive display on Thursday Night Football. He helped the Steelers storm back from a late 16-13 deficit to win 20-16, moving to 5-3 on the season.
Along with his impressive performance and the production that starting running back Najee Harris put together on Thursday night, the Steelers got a great performance overall from the running back position. But it was Warren who provided the spark Pittsburgh ultimately needed offensively.
Let’s dive into the tape.
Right away Thursday night the Steelers showed how they wanted to use Warren in the passing game, which was by getting him into space with blockers in front in a sort of tunnel screen to the boundary.
I like how they get to this one, motioning Warren from sidecar right of quarterback Kenny Pickett out to the flat to the left, getting him to the strong side of the 3×1 formation with blockers in front.
Pickett does a nice job of putting this ball out in front of Warren, letting him catch it in stride and get up the field in a hurry. He has good vision here to hit the seam and get upfield, eating up yardage quickly to get near the sticks and keep the Steelers’ offense in rythmn on the game’s opening drive.
Nice block on the boundary by rookie tight end Darnell Washington, too, clearing a lane for Warren.
The Steelers seemingly made it an emphasis to get Warren the ball out of the backfield in the passing game Thursday.
Twice they ran the swing screen — once to the left and once to the right. They also threw a quick swing route on a three-stop drop from Pickett, getting Warren clear of the blitz from that side of the field and getting him the ball quickly.
Warren is very good in space, and he turned this into a nice play, making the first defender miss to pick up a few additional yards on a quick throw.
The second-year running back was at his best as a runner though on Thursday night. He ran with great burst, was very decisive, and was a north-south runner, hammering away at the Titans’ defensive front, pairing with Harris for a great complementary duo.
When he gets the ball, he puts his foot in the turf and goes. There’s no wasted movement with Warren, which works very well behind this offensive line.
Warren reads Broderick Jones’ kick-out properly and slams this one upfield right off Dan Moore Jr.’s outside hip at left tackle, stressing the Titans’ defensive front on the play for a good gain.
Another good run on a trap play that he nearly houses.
On these types of runs, you have to get it and go. The traps are so quick, so the runner has to be quick, too. Warren understands this and gets upfield in a hurry. Good vision at the second level to cut this run back towards the middle and find the open ground. If that defensive tackle doesn’t get a hand on Warren’s foot there early in the run, the Steelers’ running back probably has a house call with his speed.
This was my favorite run of the night from Warren. He reads this properly with the Titans’ defensive back diving down inside to try and get underneath Jones’ pull. Warren sees that quickly and knows to bounce it outside.
His speed and explosiveness help him turn the corner with ease. It all happens so quick, but this shows just how good Warren’s vision is and how quickly he processes what’s happening in front of him.
Great gain on a play that should have been blown up.
Often, Warren is called a bowling ball in cleats. He personified that on this run, letting Titans cornerback Elijah Molden learn about that the hard way.
This run should be up for an “Angry Runs” Scepter on Good Morning Football early next week, too.
Look at the way Warren just explodes into Molden in the hole, gathering himself to barrel right through the defensive back. Jones and wide receiver George Pickens make sure to let Molden know about it at the end of the run, too.
Late in the game, with the Steelers driving for the go-ahead score, Warren put together one of his best plays of the season.
This should have been blown up in the backfield due to the penetration that occurred quickly, pushing Jones into Warren’s lap right after the handoff, but Warren’s ability after contact and his overall body control are quite remarkable here.
Warren’s ability to maintain his balance, get outside and hit top speed in a hurry is eye-opening here. He’s an explosive player and he makes this look easy, turning the corner and nearly housing the run, stepping out at the 1-yard line.
It’s an exceptional run, and it capped a career night for Warren. He’s done wonders with his touches and is starting to garner more and more work from the Steelers. Together, he and Harris could take over in the second half of the season if they play like they did on Thursday night.
