The Pittsburgh Steelers are getting set to to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road as head coach Mike McCarthy looks for his victory away from Acrisure Stadium. In Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts, running back Jaylen Warren had a very impressive showing, as he led his team in both receiving and rushing yards in the contest. His head coach did not give him praise Sunday following the victory when speaking with reporters. That praise instead came on Monday during his weekly media scrum. One former player is now calling out the coach for not giving praise sooner.
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Steelers' Mike McCarthy before a game in Ohio against the Cleveland Browns during the 2026 season.
With veteran running back Rico Dowdle set to come back from injury soon, it is not clear yet as to how much he will factor into the offensive game plan with how dominant Warren has been. However, Warren has done a tremendous job showing his ability to be one of the better starting running backs in the entire NFL with Dowdle sidelined.
On Friday, former quarterback Charlie Batch appeared on an episode of the Snap Count podcast to preview the upcoming matchup. During the episode, he brought up the running game situation as both guys are now healthy. He was not hesitant to call out the Pittsburgh head coach for his delayed praise following a Week 5 victory.
“I would like to see him give the Jaylen Warren praise immediately after the game,” Batch said. “That didn't come until Monday press conference. This is Jaylen's team.”
The former undrafted running back has worked for and earned every opportunity he has received in the NFL. When Dowdle was signed in free agency this offseason, the hope was that McCarthy's group would have two prominent running backs that could each rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
However, when he went down, the former Oklahoma State ball carrier stepped up a massive way for his team. Should these types of performances continue to happen, even with a veteran healthy alongside him once again, his head coach needs to publicly instill that confidence in him sooner than later.
The passing game will probably be another aspect to Warren's game that the Steelers look to early and often in their game against Tampa Bay. With wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson out due to injury, they need another option to go to behind DK Metcalf in the passing game. Additionally, Metcalf was added to the injury report because of an illness.
That strategy worked in Week 5, as he had six receptions for 87 yards as well as a receiving touchdown. That aspect to his game gives him a favorable advantage to be heavily featured in their offense even with the return of Dowdle for Week 6.
Steelers Must Use Week 5 Formula For Success On Offense
The offense from McCarthy's group in Week 5 put up its highest amount of points to date in the 2026 NFL season. Tight end Pat Freiermuth also stepped up for the team in their Week 5 win, as he had two receiving touchdowns in the game.
He is a guy that had his usage limited in 2025, as the offense for Pittsburgh struggled mightily. They will need Warren to get the ground game going early to avoid third down and long scenarios, which will open up opportunities for players like Freiermuth to step up with the absence of two wide receivers.
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Steelers running back Jaylen Warren rushes the ball in Week 4 of the 2026 NFL season against the Cleveland Browns.
While the praise from his head coach came later than one would have expected it following his Week 5 performance, it is good to see someone with big notoriety like Batch give Warren the much-deserved praise for his play so far this season.
He will be a big part of the Steelers offense moving forward, as they try to navigate a few injuries on the offensive side of the ball. He will also be able to step up for them with wide receivers out because he has proven his ability to attack defenses in different ways.
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