The Pittsburgh Steelers lost their first game of the season to the Indianapolis Colts last weekend, but RB Cordarrelle Patterson managed to flash on offense in his limited time on the field. Patterson left the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury but provided a spark for Pittsburgh’s struggling ground game, toting the rock six times for 42 yards (7.2 YPC) while chipping in two catches for 19 yards.
THE FILM
Patterson got stuffed on his first carry of the game, but from there, it was all systems go for the veteran running back. With 8:14 left in the second quarter, Pittsburgh mounted a nine-play, 91-yard drive that Patterson headlined as Pittsburgh drove the field. He started the drive with a four-yard run with Pittsburgh backed up against their own goal line before ripping off a 12-yard run, getting a huge hole up the middle thanks to good blocks by Broderick Jones, Darnell Washington, and Van Jefferson to spring him into the secondary before getting dragged down from behind.
On the very next play, Cordarrelle Patterson manages to pick up another 14 yards through the air, giving Pittsburgh another fresh set of downs. Watch below as Patterson fakes the handoff from Justin Fields, then floats to the middle of the field as the check-down option, catching the pass from fields and pivots back to the right side of the field where he gets plenty of green grass before getting dragged down by LB E.J. Speed after picking up the first down.
On the next play, Pittsburgh gives the ball to Patterson again, taking the handoff to the left, but cuts back to the right as a big hole opens up between the right guard and right tackle. This gives Patterson enough space to burst through the line of scrimmage and take the ball into the secondary again for another first down and an 11-yard pickup.
Cordarrelle Patterson comes off the field for two plays after this run, resulting in a Najee Harris one-yard run and a Darnell Washington 20-yard reception. On Indianapolis’ 34-yard line, Patterson takes the handoff in the shot to Fields’ right, following RG Spencer Anderson on the pull, and proceeds to jump cut a couple of times to either side to evade defenders closing in on him, eventually getting gang tackled after a pickup of nine yards on first down.
The next play would be Patterson’s last as he injured his ankle during the collision, causing him to leave the game and not return. Still, it was possibly Patterson’s best play of the day as the runner took the handoff on the counter to the right, getting right up on Broderick Jones’ backside before hitting the hole to his right. Patterson proceeds to hurdle a defender coming up from the side, landing on both feet and immediately stiff arms LB Zaire Franklin coming in on his left, eventually having S Julian Blackmon come in and help bring him down.
Franklin mentioned after the game that Patterson ran harder than Harris. HC Mike Tomlin mentioned that he is excited about what Patterson showed on Sunday and that they plan to continually include him in what they do on offense. This doesn’t mean that Patterson is in any position to usurp the starting job from Harris, who only mustered 19 yards on 13 carries. Rather, he has earned more touches as a runner and possibly more looks in the passing game, thanks to the production he made with the opportunities given to him last Sunday.
It wouldn’t be fair to compare Harris’s performance to Patterson’s, as Harris faced more stacked boxes, and Patterson had the benefit of some nice holes to get him into the secondary, which helped elevate the look of his performance. However, Patterson does bring an element of burst and speed to this running game that Pittsburgh simply doesn’t have with Harris, all while still having the size (6-2, 220 pounds) to take on contact between the tackles.
Cordarelle Patterson was reportedly spotted in a walking boot on Tuesday, which may not mean anything serious. Tomlin mentioned that Patterson’s status for this Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys is still up in the air. Still, should Patterson be healthy enough to suit up Sunday night, Pittsburgh will utilize the explosive runner as Patterson looks to continue to bring some juice to the Steelers’ backfield.
