Steelers Fans Get An Unusual Response Regarding Obvious Missing Piece From The Offense In Week 1

The Pittsburgh Steelers managed to open the 2024 season with a victory over the Atlanta Falcons on the road. It wasn't a pretty win, as the offense failed to find the end zone once and consistently had their drives stall out. The defense showed up and dominated the Falcons, and Pittsburgh controlling the turnover battle was a large factor in the win. The offense for the Steelers didn't seem to be operating fully, as they changed their starting quarterback shortly before kickoff and had some key pieces battling through injury.

Pittsburgh's rushing attack has been a crucial part of the offense over the last few seasons, mainly due to the success of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Harris was able to produce against Atlanta on Sunday, rushing for 70 yards and hauling in a nine-yard reception. Warren on the other hand seemed to be missing from the game plan. Head Coach Mike Tomlin was asked if Warren was fully healthy during his press conference on Tuesday, and his answer wasn't necessarily inspiring.

"Again, that's a slippery slope in the football world. He's healthy enough, certainly."

Warren had suffered a hamstring injury during the Steelers' second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, which kept him out for some time. These types of soft-tissue injuries are difficult to handle in the NFL, as they are extremely easy to re-aggravate. Warren had been practicing up until the Week 1 contest, oftentimes in a limited capacity. He was deemed a full go at the end of the week of practice, but his lack of touches and production say otherwise.

Warren had just four touches during the game against the Falcons. He ran the ball twice and caught two passes which totaled just 20 yards. There was clearly some concern about his injury, which explains his lack of involvement. Pittsburgh's third running back, Cordarrelle Patterson, had four carries on the day. 

This trend probably won't continue, but he was an obvious missing piece of the offense on Sunday. In 2023, Warren touched the ball 210 times, and after the first matchup of 2024, he is on pace for just 68 touches. Warren offers a good complementary running style to Harris, as Warren is a bit more effective running outside of the tackles. Pittsburgh tried to run Harris in this way on a few tosses, but they often didn't work. Tomlin and the rest of the coaching staff are clearly trying to make sure Warren is back to full health before thrusting him back into his usual role. 

Steelers Could Have Used Warren To Extend Drives

A common trend in the Steelers' victory over the Falcons was Pittsburgh's offense being unable to get the ball into the end zone. They were often able to get the ball onto their opponent's side of the field, but that is where drives would stall out. The Steelers won 18-10, off of six Chris Boswell field goals. Warren made a habit of extending Pittsburgh's drives during the 2023 season, as he recorded 55 first downs on his rushes and receptions.

Pittsburgh tallied 287 first downs throughout the 2023 season, meaning that Warren accounted for just over 19 percent of them. This was a missing piece for the Steelers as they were desperate to get into the end zone on Sunday. Warren certainly could have kept a few of the drives going and given the Steelers an opportunity to likely score more points and eat up more of the clock.

Hopefully the back gets back to his old self in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos. The Steelers' offense was obviously missing his production, and if he is a full participant in practice throughout the week, fans should expect a different version of the third-year running back in Denver.

What did you think about Warren's usage in Week 1? Let us know in the comments below!

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