Jaylen Warren went absolutely off against the Bengals on Sunday, compiling a career-high 176 yards from scrimmage, with 127 rushing and another 49 receiving. This dude was the engine that dragged the Steelers’ offense out of the abyss and straight into relevancy. Think about this: in Weeks 1 and 2, the Steelers ranked a dismal 27th in EPA per rush. Now, heading into the final game of Week 3, they are sitting comfortably in seventh place out of 30 teams. Their yards per rush also skyrocketed from 27th in the league at 3.39 to a staggering second at 6.0!
Jaylen Warren, Unchained
Warren did all that damage as the sole running back on the field. Rico Dowdle was out with a toe injury he picked up in Week 2, which meant Warren got to carry the ball a new career-high 17 times. And in his first game as a true bell cow, he proved he is more than capable of being the straw that stirs the drink in the Steelers’ backfield. While Pittsburgh will definitely feature Dowdle when he is healthy, it absolutely should not be a 50-50 split. Warren showed it when he shared a backfield with Najee Harris and he’s showing it now, he is the Steelers’ most dynamic playmaker when he gets the ball in his hands. Feeding No. 30 has to be priority one for Pittsburgh.
The O-Line Flexes, Rodgers Cooks
But it wasn’t just Warren. The offensive line play from Week 2 to Week 3? Night and day. After being the fourth-most pressured quarterback in the NFL across the first two weeks, Aaron Rodgers was the ninth-lowest pressured quarterback of 30 qualified QBs against a Bengals defense that ranks fourth in the league in sacks. That’s a huge flip! The O-line kept Rodgers clean throughout most of the afternoon. Troy Fautanu allowed just two pressures after a shaky performance against the Patriots. Zach Frazier and Mason McCormick cleaned up their sloppy play, but the new right side was the ultimate game-changer for Pittsburgh. Right guard Brock Hoffman allowed zero pressures on 59 snaps, and rookie Max Iheanachor gave up just two pressures, not even getting credited with a sack. That extra time let Rodgers really push the ball downfield. Two of his three touchdown passes were on deep balls, over 20 yards downfield, and he averaged 8.34 yards per attempt when he had a clean pocket. That’s good for ninth in the league.
This is the type of play the Steelers need if they want to get into the playoffs and actually make a run: keep Rodgers clean, let him push the ball downfield, and balance it out with a dynamic ground game. They just showed they are capable of doing exactly that. Next up? A Thursday night game against a Browns team that ranks 26th in defensive EPA per rush. Get ready to feed Warren, Pittsburgh. The Steelers have life.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Behind the Steel Curtain.
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