RB Jaylen Warren is just starting to reach his peak form after multiple injuries slowed him down at the beginning of the season. He worked hard for his yards against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday and was rewarded with his best Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade of the year.
Without George Pickens, it was one of the slower games on offense for the Steelers this year, but Warren helped carry the day with an 86.3 overall offensive grade from PFF. He was the only offensive player who made the top five list this week.
If you glance at the box score, Warren only gained 47 yards on nine carries. It was efficient at 5.2 yards per carry, but not the most impressive performance overall. He tacked on another 25 yards through the air on two receptions, so in 11 touches he got 72 yards.
One glance at the tape, and it is very clear why he was the highest graded Steeler.
He was consistently bouncing off tacklers and picking up extra yards after contact. He had more yards after contact (48) than he did actual rushing yards (47), so he was consistently creating yards for himself.
Otherwise, it was the defense that dominated the day for the Steelers. NT Keeanu Benton made the top five for the second week in a row and logged one of the best grades of his season with an 85.6 overall defensive grade. His interception was one of the clear game changers early on. It was a very smart play, and he deserves praise there. He managed the high grade despite a season-worst tackling grade of 23.1.
OLB Alex Highsmith just returned from his ankle injury and played like a man who was itching to go. He logged a sack during the first drive and was consistently creating issues for OT Germain Ifedi. He generated six total pressures, which was the second most he’s had this season. His pass-rush grade was up over 90 for the second time this year.
ILB Patrick Queen played a nice game with a new season high of 82.6 overall. That was powered by an 82.6 in coverage, allowing three receptions on four targets into his coverage for just 16 yards. He was sticking really well to TE David Njoku several times throughout the game and helped limit him to a minimal impact.
Finally, ILB Elandon Roberts rounded out the top five for the Steelers this week. He made one of the biggest hits on Browns OL Ethan Pocic that you’ll ever see to help blow up a run play.
It was a good day for the Steelers’ insider linebackers and a good day for the defense overall.
