The first quarter was pretty, at least on offense. The rest of the game? Not so much. But the Pittsburgh Steelers won yet again, continuing a lose-one-win-two pattern up to a 6-3 record with eight games to play. They remain in second place in the division behind the Baltimore Ravens, who just fell to the Cleveland Browns, all three teams now with three losses. The Ravens are at seven wins, however, while the Cincinnati Bengals just lost to the Houston Texans to fall to 5-4.
And for the second game in a row, the run game was the driving force of the win, with second-year RB Jaylen Warren stepping up. After claiming his first 100-yard game from scrimmage against the Tennessee Titans, he finished Sunday’s win over the Green Bay Packers with the first 100-yard game rushing of his career, the visiting team learning a lot about the former undrafted back this week.
All told, he finished with 101 rushing yards on just 15 carries, averaging an impressive 6.7 yards per attempt with a long of 20 yards. He also scored his second rushing touchdown of the season, and outrushed teammate Najee Harris, who also had a commendable 82 yards on 16 carries, adding his third touchdown.
As an offense, the ground game’s 205 yards accounted for nearly two-thirds of the Steelers’ total output, managing just 119 net passing yards. WR Calvin Austin III and QB Kenny Pickett also contributed a combined 22 yards to push the tally north of 200 for the first time this season. For Mike Tomlin, it’s been an eye-opener to see what their backfield combination can do at full strength.
While the two lead backs are playing at a high level, credit must be given to an offensive line that is beginning to play at another level. Rookie Broderick Jones at right tackle has been an asset the past two games, but praise is owed to the two guards, Isaac Seumalo and James Daniels, as well.
This is the same formula that the Steelers rode in the second half of last season, relying upon an efficient running game and an opportunistic defense that does just enough to keep an otherwise meager offense in the game. Sunday’s win relied very much on bend-but-don’t-break principles, including two late interceptions.
The difference from last season, of course, is the fact that the Steelers were 5-3 in their first eight games rather than 2-6. And they are zero games in the loss column behind the AFC North-leading Ravens, so their playoff hopes remain very much legitimate.
They still have four tough divisional matchups ahead of them, however, so they must be able to continue to run the ball within their own territory. The increased role of Warren and the one-two punch that he and Harris provide will be perhaps the biggest factor in where this team goes over the next two months.
Over the last last two games, Warren has rushed for 189 yards on 26 attempts, averaging nearly 7.3 yards per attempt. But we don’t need to have a discussion about who should be the lead back. This offense doesn’t need one—it has two.
