The Steelers rank 31st in rushing yards and yards per rush so far, but the locker room isn’t despairing, seeing the progress made. Although there is still a lot of work to do, both DK Metcalf and Aaron Rodgers recently expressed optimism. So far, it’s mostly been Jaylen Warren’s show, but at some point, they’ll want to involve rookie Kaleb Johnson too.
“Our run game is getting better”, Metcalf said, via the Steelers’ website. “It’s just gonna take all 11 of us on the field at one time if we want to see that continue to trickle in the right direction. But we’ve just got to get our pass catchers involved more, and that starts with us being ready with the details and everything”.
Metcalf was answering a general question about the Steelers’ offense and its identity, and not just the run game. As such, it’s not entirely clear if he meant to refer to the passing game or having pass catchers help out more in run blocking. Perhaps he meant both, but either way—they’re both areas of needed growth.
Still, both he and Rodgers see the positives as the season progresses with the Steelers’ run game. “We could have broke a couple runs last week if one more person could have just made a block here or there. I think from Week 1 to now, that’s heading in the right direction”, Metcalf said. Added Rodgers, “I think we made some improvement in that phase last week. But there’s a lot more room for improvement”.
Through three games, the Steelers have just 189 rushing yards on 67 attempts, with one touchdown. They are managing just 2.8 yards per rush, the Bengals being the only team lower. Absent are the explosive plays, but it hasn’t all been bad.
Despite the 3.1 yards per rush, for example, Jaylen Warren is actually posting the highest run-success rate of his career at 53.5 percent. He has 132 rushing yards on 43 carries but with a long of just 11 yards. Last Sunday, he attempted 18 rushes but produced only 47 yards, with negative runs beginning to seep in. Still, there were times the Steelers’ run game was an asset in New England, as on the opening drive.
Warren recorded six consecutive rushing attempts on the Steelers’ opening drive, picking up 33 yards down to the 1-yard line. Eventually, the Steelers capped the drive off with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Kenneth Gainwell, whom they schemed free to the perimeter.
That’s the best the Steelers’ run game has looked all season, but is it really enough to build on? It’s more a matter of the offensive line than the running backs, particularly Warren. He is making plays and forcing missed tackles, but the running lanes are few and narrow. For weeks, including Metcalf yesterday, they have talked about being a block away from popping runs. Until they do, however, they are just another underperforming run game.
