The Pittsburgh Steelers are visiting the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday and they will be looking to win two games in a row for the first time this season. The offense has played much better since the bye week, going 2-1 and Kenny Pickett has led a balanced attack. Matt Canada and Mike Tomlin have made a concentrated effort to cut down his passing attempts and run the football with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren.
Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / Steeler Nation (Twitter: JSKO Photo)
Last week, Warren, unfortunately, missed his first opportunity to play on Monday Night Football against the Indianapolis Colts with a lingering hamstring injury from the loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Harris was off to a good start against the Colts, continuing to demonstrate a newfound decisive running style that has served him and the Steelers well over the last three games. The second-year tailback had to leave the Colts game just before halftime with an oblique injury.
Warren was pushing Harris for carries prior to the bye week with an effective no-nonsense running style. Against the New Orleans Saints, a two-headed monster approach yielded 200 yards against one of the best defenses in the NFL. Josh Rowntree, the Steelers insider for 93.7 The Fan joined the PM Show/w Poni & Mueller and addressed the Steelers walking wounded in the backfield and how the situation might unfold on Sunday.
“I think as long as he has a good day tomorrow that it is going to be Jaylen Warren,” Rowntree said after observing practice. “I’m not feeling super great about Najee Harris’s availability for Sunday. That could change with Friday’s practice but I’m not feeling good about that right now. That oblique is probably going to keep him out this week and that means that Jaylen Warren is going to go.”
Photo Credit: Karl Roser/Pittsburgh Steelers
In the weeks leading up to the Harris resurgence after the bye, the media and fans were openly questioning if Warren’s punishing style was a better fit for this offensive line and Pittsburgh. He has shown consistent burst when given the opportunity and the undrafted free agent has quickly become a fan favorite.
“He said that he feels good,” Rowntree continued. "He feels back to normal but your hamstrings are one of those things that one cut, one move and boom it can flare up again. The division of labor question is a tough one to answer because Warren is coming off of an injury and I think we will see a decent amount of Benny Snell and some of Anthony McFarland. The interesting thing about that is Snell popped up on the injury report with a knee issue and was limited in today’s practice.”
Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland were dynamite in the Monday Night game but have been in Pittsburgh for four seasons and both have occasionally shown flashes of brilliance and mediocrity. Fans have been clamoring for Warren since the preseason and if he is 100 percent, all the questions about how he can perform as the lead back for the Steelers will be answered.
The undrafted free agent is a superior pass protector, which allows him to be an every-down back. Tomlin must resist the urge not to overuse him against the Falcons. In the past, the Steelers' head coach has had a tendency to ride the hot hand at running back and forgets to spell tailbacks. Warren is clearly better than the alternatives, but he is coming off of a hamstring injury and may not be ready to be a workhorse.
Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / Steeler Nation (Twitter: JSKO Photo)
It will be interesting to see if the Steelers revert to the pre-bye strategy of allowing Pickett to attempt more passes to help out the hobbled running backs room. Pickett himself has proven to be an effective runner and may be able to use an extra-designed run or two to keep the balance on offense. Could the Steelers attempt to tear a page from Kyle Shanahan's playbook and attempt to use one of the wide receivers in the backfield like the San Francisco 49ers Deebo Samuel or the Falcons' Cordarelle Patterson? If the answer is yes, perhaps they will heed the former Pittsburgh signal caller's advice.
"That does not mean in a jet sweep kind of way," Ben Roethlisberger said in his podcast, recently.
What do you think Steeler Nation? Are you excited about Jaylen Warren carrying the load in Atlanta? Comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
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