Steelers running back Jaylen Warren carries during the second half of an NFL football game against the Bengals at Acrisure Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Pittsburgh.
Steelers running back Jaylen Warren carries during the second half of an NFL football game against the Bengals at Acrisure Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Pittsburgh.
Mike McCarthy made crucial changes to the Steelers offense to bring back the physicality and set up a run game that worked more to Jaylen Warren’s strengths in Sunday’s 30-27 win against the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium.
The Steelers came in with the fewest points in the NFL and more yards from Cameron Johnston’s punts than total yards on offense. The Steelers had averaged just 74.5 rushing yards per game, which ranked 29th in the league.
The big change for McCarthy was using more multiple-TE sets. That allowed for the Steelers’ tight ends and linemen to use their size and athleticism to get out in space and create running room for Warren to take over the game.
Warren tallied 127 rushing yards and 176 yards from scrimmage. That was the most yards by a Steelers player since George Pickens’ 195 receiving yards against the Bengals in 2023. He was central to McCarthy’s game plan.
[Steelers running back Jaylen Warren carries during the second half of an NFL football game against the Bengals at Acrisure Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Pittsburgh.
Steelers running back Jaylen Warren carries during the second half of an NFL football game against the Bengals at Acrisure Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Pittsburgh.](https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2026/09/27/steelers-report-card-bengals-week3/stories/202609270105)
“He was the focal point,” the coach said of Warren, who was dealing with a shoulder injury all week. “You guys are at practice, and you can see how he was limited in certain things. He came up big. He was huge today for us.”
McCarthy keyed Warren up on the first snap, using both Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington in the backfield to set it up — which forced the Bengals to come out with their base defense and put eight defenders in the box.
Aaron Rodgers faked the handoff to Warren but came back to him with a designed check-down pass. Freiermuth ran upfield and turned into a blocker for Warren and pancaked Bengals safety Bryan Cook to clear space for a 30-yard gain.
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“It really started the first play of the game,” McCarthy said. “I thought Pat and Jaylen got us started with the check-down and Pat making a big block because this game we knew it was going to be about who won the big-play battle.”
Big plays certainly defined the game for the Steelers. Five of Rodgers’ completions went for more than 20 yards and Warren added three more runs of more than 10 yards, making it eight explosive plays by the Steelers’ offense.
Warren’s explosiveness in the run game came from the Steelers using their tight ends and linemen to get out in space on wide zone runs that stretched the Bengals’ defense out horizontally.
[Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson scores a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Bengals at Acrisure Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Pittsburgh.
Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson scores a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Bengals at Acrisure Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Pittsburgh.](https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2026/09/27/mike-mccarthy-offseason-bengals/stories/202609270107)
McCarthy factored in that the Bengals’ strength up front were Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen and tried to put those big defensive tackles on the move rather than letting their power in the middle dictate the Steelers’ running game.
“The Bengals went out and spent a lot of money on the interior D-linemen,” left tackle Troy Fautanu said. “Obviously, the big emphasis was just try to get those guys running. So I feel like we did a good job of that today.”
Warren’s longest run was an off-tackle run to the left for 35 yards. That play was keyed by both the Steelers’ tight ends and their offensive line.
The Steelers called a duo concept — where two pairs of linemen execute double teams — to block the Bengals’ defensive tackles. Fautanu and left guard Mason McCormick teamed up against the left defensive tackle while center Zach Frazier and right guard Brock Hoffman took on the right defensive tackle.
That allowed Fautanu to chip off the double team and get to the second level to seal off inside linebacker Barrett Carter.
Meanwhile, McCormick continued the momentum of the double team to take his man downfield and Washington, their massive tight end, teamed up with fullback Riley Nowakowski to seal the edge. Warren ran behind the blockers, found the hole and ripped off the Steelers’ longest run of the day.
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“They just let us run,” Fautanu said of the game plan. “A lot of the stuff that we were running was outside zone, getting us out in space and just running, being athletic and then the running back making us right.”
General manager Omar Khan’s investments in the Steelers’ offensive line from recent drafts didn’t look like they were paying off the first two weeks.
But McCarthy’s plan to use their athleticism in space turned that around, as the offensive line consistently changed the line of scrimmage and neutralized what had been a strong Bengals defensive front in the season’s first two weeks.
“I thought the run plan was good this week,” Rodgers said. “We had some good stuff attacking the outside and then come back and run some downhill stuff.”
McCarthy also dialed up more quick passes to Warren where the Steelers’ tight ends were the key blockers to lead the way.
Warren caught one pass to the flat and Washington sealed off the sideline with a block on cornerback Tacario Davis while rookie receiver Germie Bernard also chipped in with a block. Warren gained 11 yards down the left sideline.
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Washington credited the coaching staff for a good game plan against the Bengals. He also said the players did a better job of executing their blocks than in recent weeks, when the Steelers had trouble getting their run game going.
“I felt like I improved this week,” the tight end said.
Warren brought a balance to a Steelers offense, something that didn’t look possible through two games.
Once the running game was established, along with the threat of Warren as a receiver out of the backfield, Rodgers had an easier time in the pocket. He finished 19 for 34 for 292 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
First Published: September 28, 2026, 6:00 a.m.