The Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss against the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday stung and still stings because it was a winnable game. The Steelers’ defense couldn’t shut the door when called upon on the Cowboys’ final drive, and the offense never got going, partly due to their poor rushing attack led by Najee Harris.
Former Steelers Patrick Peterson and Bryant McFadden were especially disappointed in Pittsburgh’s run game. Peterson pointed to it as one of the team’s key failings in the loss, a notion McFadden agreed with.
“It was so disappointing that we could not run the football like we thought we could do,” said McFadden on his All Things Covered podcast. “And two things to that. We really missed Jaylen Warren, and we missed Cordarrelle Patterson in the backfield, because those guys run differently than Najee Harris. Jaylen Warren, 0-60, is different. He gets there right now. And Cordarrelle Patterson has the uncanny ability to get positive yardage…Not having those two backs in the lineup really hurt how we can run the football.”
Pittsburgh is built to be a running football team, yet this season, the running game has been mediocre at best. A big reason for that has been injuries. Warren has yet to really be healthy, and shoulder any meaningful load of carries this season. Warren had 14 total carries this year in three games, with nine coming against the Denver Broncos.
Warren has been Pittsburgh’s most explosive back the past two seasons and has been a great complement to RB Najee Harris. With him out, the Steelers are missing the ying to their yang, impacting their production.
While Najee Harris isn’t completely to blame for an offensive line really struggling to open up holes for him, it also isn’t a secret that Harris often starts seasons slowly. So far this season, he’s averaging a measly 3.3 yards per carry.
Pairing a speedier back like Warren or Patterson in the game last Sunday could have given the Cowboys’ defense a different look and forced them to deal with something else. For example, the Steelers have run a lot of toss plays. With Warren and Patterson’s speed and acceleration, who’s to say they don’t break a big one or simply get more yards to put the offense in a second or third and short than the slower Najee Harris?
There is good news. Pittsburgh is getting Warren back tomorrow against the Las Vegas Raiders. That should diversify the run game a bit and keep the Raiders on their toes. It should also allow Najee Harris to play better, as he and Warren complement each other well.
Warren’s return helps, but the offensive line must improve if the Steelers rushing attack really wants to get going. Pittsburgh simply has not opened up enough lanes this year. For a team that wants to run the football and control the clock, that has to change, no matter if Najee Harris, Warren, or Patterson is in the backfield.
