No Jaylen Warren, no problem?
That was the case Sunday at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland, for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Without their standout running back due to a knee injury, the Steelers turned in their best rushing performance of the season in their 24-21 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Led by veteran backup Kenneth Gainwell, the Steelers rushed for 131 yards and two touchdowns on just 29 attempts, a healthy 4.5 yards per tote. The Steelers also had a 57.7% successful run rate, which is an outstanding mark.
That it came against a great defense in the Vikings, and without their top running back, was a bit surprising. But that’s a testament to the work the offensive line did throughout the game.
For The Athletic’s Derrik Klassen, Sunday was the first time the Steelers’ offensive line has truly dominated someone since they started investing so heavily in the trenches under GM Omar Khan. That dominance is a good sign moving forward.
“I do think both of their fronts played the well. And I think this is actually part of why [Aaron] Rodgers was able to play as comfortably as he did. Their run game was insane,” Klassen said, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “They dominated the Vikings up front, beat the bricks out of them in pretty much every phase. They had a 57.7% rushing success rate, which you’ve seen flashes of this maybe with the Steelers’ offense and I think we’ve wanted them to be this.
“But this was the first time where it really felt like they actually dominated another team up front. They were getting the edges whenever they wanted them. This was just a really convincing performance from that front.”
The Steelers’ offensive line has been under fire much of the season, and rightfully so. The return on investment hadn’t quite shown up yet with the big men up front. But on Sunday in Dublin, the group showed up in a major way.
Though things didn’t get off to the best start with an unblocked sack allowed on the first snap from scrimmage, the group settled in. It helped that Aaron Rodgers got the ball out quickly and was more point guard than quarterback. But none of that works without a strong, consistent running game.
That’s exactly what Pittsburgh had while improving to 3-1. The Steelers utilized their heavy package a lot with tight end Darnell Washington and backup offensive lineman Spencer Anderson, and they had a great deal of success with it. Washington was dominant as a blocker, and Anderson had some good reps, too, helping Gainwell to get the second level.
At times throughout the matchup the offensive line really started to feel it. When right guard Mason McCormick is playing with confidence, he’s having fun on the field and really getting on a roll. That was evident throughout the game. Broderick Jones played with force and snarl, and it resonated with the rest of the offensive linemen.
They dominated, plain and simple. It was a great sign, especially with a late change in the starting lineup before kickoff with Gainwell in for Warren. They never skipped a beat and had an awesome day. Hopefully they can build on it through the bye week now.
