Steelers' Mike Tomlin Directly Hints At Emerging Role For Key Offensive Piece In Win Over Vikings

The Pittsburgh Steelers were playing in a highly anticipated matchup in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings. It was the NFL's first regular season game in Ireland, and the Steelers were able to come away with a 24-21 victory. Pittsburgh had a commanding lead late in the game, but the team allowed the Vikings to climb back into the contest which made for an entertaining ending. Despite the close final score, this seemed to be Pittsburgh's most complete game of the 2025 season as the defense and the offense played well at times in the win.

Pittsburgh's defense finally showed up in the win over the Vikings, although the group did have some mishaps late in the game. The pass rush was consistently able to get home on Carson Wentz, and the group forced a good amount of turnovers as well. On offense, one of the key pieces was running back Kenneth Gainwell. Gainwell was featured as the starter on Sunday due to an injury to running back Jaylen Warren, and Head Coach Mike Tomlin was asked about a growing role for Gainwell during his postgame press conference.

"I'll tell you man, Kenny is always ready for whatever we ask him to do," Tomlin said. "So I would not be surprised by that. He's just a top-notch competitor, and I'm glad he is with us."

The organization signed Gainwell in free agency during the 2025 offseason, and he has been a great addition to the offense. His role was a bit up in the air prior to the regular season due to Warren's presence and the fact that Pittsburgh selected Kaleb Johnson in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Johnson has taken some time to adjust to the NFL, so Gainwell has been featured more than most probably expected.

Gainwell spent the last four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles where he was an above-average third down back. In Pittsburgh, he has shown he is much more than that. In the win over the Vikings he ran the ball 19 times for 99 yards and two touchdowns. He also added on six receptions for 35 yards, and he was very efficient in the contest. He showed out while Warren was injured, and now Tomlin believes the veteran running back could be primed for a bigger role even once Warren returns.

Gainwell had not eclipsed 20 yards on the ground in a single game throughout the first three contests of the 2025 season, but he also never had more than seven carries in a game. He was able to find the end zone in Week 3 against the New England Patriots, and brought his touchdown total to three in Week 4. He only played roughly 40 percent of the offensive snaps through the first games of the season for Pittsburgh, and that number should rise as he has proven to be a pretty good player out of the backfield.

Steelers Are Set At The Running Back Position

Warren entered the Week 4 contest with an injury designation of questionable. He worked out prior to the game, and Tomlin stated that it was his decision to hold Warren out as a precautionary measure. Pittsburgh has its bye week in Week 5, and Warren will hopefully be able to return in Week 6. Both Warren and Gainwell have now shown great things during the 2025 season, and Johnson even played decently against Minnesota after a rough start to his NFL career. He carried the ball six times for 22 yards.

The running game for the Steelers has been questionable over the last several years, but if the offensive line can continue to improve, this group of running backs should be able to take advantage.

What did you think about Gainwell's performance in Ireland? Do you want to see more of him? Comment below!

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