The Pittsburgh Steelers bested the Green Bay Packers in a narrow 23-19 game at Acrisure Stadium. It came down to the last play with a game-sealing interception by Damontae Kazee.
One of the biggest reasons the Steelers were able to come out with a win was the performance of their running game. RB Jaylen Warren led the way with his first career 100-yard rushing performance with 101 yards. RB Najee Harris was close behind him with another 82. QB Kenny Pickett and WR Calvin Austin III rounded things out with another 16 and six yards respectively. That was good enough for their best rushing output of the year with 205 yards. Warren and Najee also scored one touchdown each on the ground.
Head coach Mike Tomlin was asked if the run game was starting to round into shape during his postgame press conference.
“It feels that way, it really does, but keep watching,” he said.
Tomlin is starting to trust in the ability of this team to sustain drives while primarily running the football and that can only mean good things for a stagnant passing attack.
“He runs hard. He plays hard. He’s a tough hard-working young man,” Tomlin said about Warren’s first 100-plus yard rushing game. “He’s deserving of the recognition and the production that he’s providing.”
Coincidentally or not, the Steelers’ rushing success has occurred in the two weeks that Broderick Jones has started at right tackle. He replaced Chukwuma Okorafor in Week Nine after Okorafor was reportedly benched for questioning play-calling decisions.
“I think he’s been really good.” Tomlin said of Jones. “I think we have been really good. You can’t deny that.”
It is tough to deny, with 371 yards rushing in the last two weeks. That is more than their previous four games combined. It also coincides with the Steelers’ first two games of the season scoring a touchdown on their opening drive. This week, they scored on their first two.
Harris spoke about the offensive line propelling the rushing success and the quicker starts on offense in a postgame press conference posted by Chris Adamski of TribLIVE.
“We are scoring on the first drive now two weeks in a row, it’s all the O-line,” he said.
The two-headed backfield of the Steelers is suddenly performing at one of the highest clips in the league, a far cry from the beginning of the season. The last two weeks account for just a hair under 40 percent of the Steelers’ total rushing yards this season.
