Aaron Rodgers thinks Jaylen Warren should get the ball more. Mike Tomlin seems to disagree. Despite Warren being the Pittsburgh Steelers’ best, and often only, source of offense, Tomlin rejected the idea that the team needed to run more on the heels of a 25-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday night. Asked if the team abandoned the running game, Tomlin chided the reporter for the question.
“Guys, you’re 0-for-9 or 10 on third down, you not gonna have enough snaps,” Tomlin said via the team’s website. “We’ve been over that discussion a lot. Next.”
It was the final question before Tomlin exited the media room.
Pittsburgh finished the game with 16 rushes. Warren saw a majority of the workload with 14 carries for 70 yards and a strong 5.0 per-carry average. But Warren had to create many of those yards himself, breaking tackles or hurdling defenders to find running room. Los Angeles came into the game near the bottom of the league in run defense and while the Steelers mirrored those numbers on a per-attempt basis, the Chargers played a physical brand of football and generally won the line of scrimmage.
There was also at least one instance in which Warren was removed from the field for three-straight plays, including a timeout to offer even more of a breather, ending in a failed third-down attempt. Warren finished with just 24 snaps while RB Kenneth Gainwell had 27. However, some of that work came at the end with the game over and Gainwell closing things out.
During his post-game presser, Rodgers made a veiled comment of Warren needing more chances.
“Jaylen made some really nice plays, Rodgers told reporters postgame, also via the team’s website. “He’s a talented guy. We gotta get him more touches.”
The Steelers were dreadful on third down. Pittsburgh began the game 0-for-9 before WR DK Metcalf converted on 3rd and 10 late in the outing. Had the offense finished with a goose egg, it would’ve been the Steelers’ first such instance since 2005. That inefficiency coupled with game circumstance of falling behind in the second half made it harder to run.
A simple lack of offensive plays continues to plague the team. Pittsburgh was out-snapped 69-50 and has run fewer plays than the opposition in every game this season. Unlike the Minnesota Vikings game, the Steelers’ drives weren’t short because of explosive touchdowns. Three-and-outs were the norm Sunday night.
There were also a handful of moments of Rodgers choosing to throw out of run calls. In the second half, he attempted to hit Metcalf on a slant but had to eat the ball after the Chargers’ EDGE rusher dropped into coverage.
“I was looking at the back side,” Rodgers said. “We had a huge cavity to throw at the DK. And they just for whatever reason the guy dropped out right in the window. So we had nothing. Kind of live with those plays sometimes. Usually they work for big gains.”
Whether it’s on the ground or through the air, the Steelers need more points and more production. That could come against a weak Cincinnati Bengals defense in Week 11, a unit Pittsburgh posted 31 points on just last month. But playing the Bengals isn’t a magic wand to fix all of the Steelers’ ills. Of which there are many. And ensuring Warren has a healthy number of touches is key to getting back on track.
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