The Pittsburgh Steelers had their best game on the ground in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings, running for 131 yards with 99 of those coming from Kenneth Gainwell. Pittsburgh employed a heavy package for a big part of the game, with TE Darnell Washington on the field for 48 offensive snaps and backup offensive lineman Spencer Anderson playing 19 snaps. While starting RB Jaylen Warren was a surprise inactive ahead of the game, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said the plan would’ve been the same had Warren played.
“Oh yeah. Because we thought we had the advantage there. Those guys played, and that’s a good defense. Spence [Anderson] and Darnell [Washington] did a great job. If you had told me about the plan of attack, three hours before kickoff, whatever it is, two-and-a-half, those things have worked all week. It didn’t affect who was back there running, or how we were trying to attack in that phase. There were certain things I had for Jaylen that you just hold,” Smith said via video by The Pat McAfee Show’s Mark Kaboly on Twitter.
It’s not a surprise at all that the Steelers didn’t just suddenly tailor their game plan to Gainwell with Warren unable to go. Warren was working out ahead of the game in an attempt to play, and Pittsburgh wasn’t going to change its plan on the fly. As Smith said, it’s something that worked all week and they thought they could take advantage of the ground game against a Vikings defense that’s better against the pass than the run.
The big question is going to be if the Steelers continue to try and stick with their jumbo packages. Against the Vikings, they thought they had the advantage, and now that it’s on tape, it’s something opposing teams can try to game-plan against. But the Steelers could stick with until it stops working, and with Warren expected back after the bye week, Pittsburgh could continue to prioritize the run game and stay with their heavy packages.
The Steelers also may be without WR Calvin Austin III, who Gerry Dulac reported was expected to miss “multiple games.” That could work two ways for the Steelers. For one, the team is down their No. 2 receiver which could lead to more emphasis on winning on the ground. But with Austin out, the Steelers could look to use TEs Pat Freiermuth or Jonnu Smith more, which could potentially lead to fewer opportunities for Washington.
Either way, the game plan wasn’t going to change no matter who led the backfield against the Vikings, and it led to Pittsburgh’s best overall offensive output of the season. Given their success, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a similar strategy from the Steelers in Week 6 against the Browns.
