The Pittsburgh Steelers had their way with the Cleveland Browns in their Week 8 contest. They took an early lead and never looked back en route to a 27-6 victory to take total control of the AFC North heading into their bye week. Even with the long regular season home win streak against Cleveland, this was as dominant of a win as this team has had in a long time. There is a lot to love with this whole squad, and if it can keep it up, the AFC may need to watch out.
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Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (30) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026 in Pittsburgh, PA.
Offensively, it starts where it usually does: running back Jaylen Warren. On his birthday, he exploded for 143 yards on just 17 carries and a touchdown, including a season-high 51-yard run.
The offense as a whole had 200 yards on the ground, and it would have been more if not for the final drive of the game for the Steelers. Either way, it's obvious that the Steelers have to keep pounding the rock until anyone can stop it.
Warren refuses to take the credit for his amazing play. In his postgame press conference, the running back praised his rookie teammate that has helped open up some of these massive gaps for him.
"[Riley Nowakowski's] been great, he's willing to take somebody's head off," Warren said. "You couldn't ask more from him. That's what you want from your fullback. He's willing, and that's Riley for you."
Fifth-round rookie Riley Nowakowski has been a forgotten piece of this team with all the other big names eating up the headlines, but he still deserves his praise. He never gets the ball and only got his first career target in Week 8, which fell incomplete. While he's never seen on the stat sheet, the work he does to help this run game get going is a big reason for the breakout on that front.
Nowakowski has gotten more usage as the Steelers have leaned into the run game more often, and he has earned every rep and then some. When Pittsburgh comes out of their bye week, it should continue to find ways to get the rookie on the field offensively more often. Opening those gaps in the middle of the trenches can be the difference in a big run and getting stuffed at the line of scrimmage.
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Pittsburgh Steelers’ Riley Nowakowski participates in training camp drills at Saint Vincent College in 2026.
He has also been utilized on special teams a lot. Nowakowski has five total tackles on the year, including one against the Browns. That's where the rookie gets most of his work, but as is typical with the Steelers, thriving on that front helps to get you more reps on offense or defense, depending on the player. That should be the case for the fifth-round pick as he keeps growing along with this team.
Steelers' Personnel Grouping Will Help Nowakowski Get On The Field
While the Steelers have gone with bigger sets out of necessity due to injuries at the wide receiver position, that has clearly led to the offense being more efficient overall. Having more blockers helps to keep Aaron Rodgers upright, so he can make his reads while also creating more gaps in the run game. In some cases, having these big sets requires a fullback to be on the field to really bring it all together.
As long as Nowakowski keeps taking defenders' heads off like Warren said, he needs to be on the field to lead him into the second level and beyond. Pittsburgh has been weak in the red zone for the most part, so having that extra blocker in the backfield could help to spring the running backs in the end zone more often. Then, they won't try to keep passing the ball inside the 10-yard-line as often as they do.
What do you think about Warren praising Nowakowski for his efforts in the run game? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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