The Pittsburgh Football Podcast

Chris Gates | The Pittsburgh Football Podcast

Four games into the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers are still searching for an offensive identity.

But… Maybe they shouldn’t be.

Because through all of the inconsistency we’ve seen from this offense, one thing has become increasingly clear: when the Steelers put the football in Jaylen Warren’s hands and commit to playing a physical brand of football, good things tend to happen.

That was true in Pittsburgh’s win over Cincinnati.

It was true again last Thursday night in a 27-24 loss to Cleveland.

And at some point, the Steelers need to stop treating Warren as simply one component of their offense and start building the offense around him.

Warren Continues to Produce

Warren carried the ball 17 times for 93 yards against Cleveland, averaging nearly 5.5 yards per carry.

He added another three receptions for 33 yards.

That’s 126 yards from scrimmage on 20 touches.

More importantly, Warren once again looked like one of Pittsburgh’s most reliable offensive players.

• He consistently creates yards after contact.
• He rarely goes down on the first hit.
• He’s producing explosive runs.

And over the last couple of games, Pittsburgh’s offensive line has started opening things up for him.

When Warren gets opportunities, he produces.

That’s why it was so frustrating to watch the Steelers’ offense lose its way in Cleveland.

Pittsburgh opened the game with an impressive 17-play drive that consumed roughly 10 minutes. The Steelers were physical. They moved the Browns at the line of scrimmage. They looked like a team with a plan.

Then it disappeared.

Cleveland began controlling the line of scrimmage. Its pass rush took over. Aaron Rodgers became increasingly uncomfortable in the pocket, and Pittsburgh’s offense sputtered for much of the next two quarters.

The Steelers eventually found some big plays in the fourth quarter and fought their way back into the game.

But once again, the offense spent too much time searching for answers when one of the most obvious answers was already standing in its backfield.

Pittsburgh Already Showed Us the Blueprint

The frustrating part is we’ve already seen what this offense can look like when the Steelers lean into their strengths.

Against Cincinnati, Pittsburgh paired Warren with a more physical approach up front and made greater use of its tight ends.

One play in particular illustrated exactly what this offense can be.

Pittsburgh lined up Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington in the backfield with Warren. Washington came out of his break and delivered a physical block at the line of scrimmage, and Warren exploded for a big gain.

It wasn’t complicated.

It was physical football.

And that’s exactly what this team should embrace.

Freiermuth and Washington give Pittsburgh the personnel to play that way because they’re not simply blockers.

Defenses have to respect both of them in the passing game.

Washington, in particular, presents a unique problem because of his size and what he can do after the catch. Freiermuth has already proven throughout his career that he can be a reliable receiving option.

Putting those players on the field doesn’t automatically tell a defense what’s coming.

Pittsburgh can run out of heavier personnel.

It can throw out of it.

It can use play action.

It can force defenses to respect Warren while creating opportunities for Rodgers.

That feels like a much more sustainable formula than asking this offense to consistently win through a traditional dropback passing game.

Make Life Easier for Aaron Rodgers

This isn’t about taking the football away from Rodgers.

It’s about helping him.

Rodgers threw for nearly 300 yards and three touchdowns against Cleveland. There were moments, particularly late, when he made some outstanding throws.

But he also looked uncomfortable for significant stretches of the game.

The Browns sacked him five times.

Their pressure started affecting him even when it wasn’t immediately getting home. As the game progressed, Rodgers appeared increasingly eager to move within or escape the pocket because he was anticipating pressure.

That’s not a formula the Steelers can live with.

Rodgers isn’t at a stage of his career where Pittsburgh should want him dropping back all night and absorbing hit after hit. In fact, at the time I’m writing this column he’s tied with Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield as the most sacked quarterback in the NFL, with 13 total take downs.

The Steelers need to make his job easier.

A legitimate commitment to Warren and the running game can do that.

• Make defenses respect the run.
• Punish aggressive fronts.
• Use Washington and Freiermuth to create additional gaps and help at the line of scrimmage.
• Force linebackers and safeties to think about Warren before attacking Rodgers.

Then use play action and allow Rodgers to take advantage when defenses begin committing additional resources to stopping the run.

Instead, Cleveland realized its pressure was making Rodgers uncomfortable and continued attacking.

Pittsburgh never consistently made the Browns pay for it.

The Passing Game Needs Help, Too

There’s another reason Pittsburgh should lean into this identity: its wide receivers aren’t consistently creating separation.

DK Metcalf finally delivered some of the downfield production Steelers fans have been waiting for, finishing with five catches for 115 yards.

But even some of Metcalf’s biggest plays required excellent throws from Rodgers and difficult contested catches.

Roman Wilson’s 49-yard reception was one of the few examples Thursday where a Pittsburgh receiver created massive separation downfield.

Otherwise, Rodgers frequently had to fit throws into tight windows.

That’s another argument for building the offense from the ground up rather than asking the passing game to carry it.

If Warren starts dictating how defenses have to play Pittsburgh, opportunities should eventually develop elsewhere.

• Safeties creep closer to the line of scrimmage.
• Linebackers become more aggressive.
• Defensive fronts become more concerned with stopping Warren.

And suddenly Rodgers has better opportunities to find Metcalf, Wilson, Freiermuth or Washington down the field.

The Steelers don’t need to abandon their passing game.

They need their running game to help unlock it.

Sometimes the Obvious Answer Is the Right One

NFL offenses can get complicated.

There are formations, personnel groupings, protection schemes, route concepts and endless adjustments designed to exploit specific matchups.

But sometimes the solution doesn’t need to be complicated.

• Who is playing well?
• Who consistently produces when he gets the football?
• What style best fits the personnel on the roster?

Right now, Warren might be the Steelers’ most consistently productive offensive player.

So feed him.

Pittsburgh has two tight ends who can contribute as blockers and receivers.

Use them.

The Steelers have an aging quarterback who is still capable of making high-level throws but shouldn’t be asked to survive relentless pressure every week.

Protect him by making defenses deal with the running game first.

This team has spent four weeks trying to figure out what it wants to be offensively.

Maybe it’s time to stop searching.

Embrace Steelers Football

There’s an obvious irony here.

For an organization with such a long history of physical football, the Steelers currently have personnel that lends itself to playing exactly that way.

Warren runs like someone who is personally offended by the idea of being tackled.

Washington is one of the most physically imposing tight ends in football.

Freiermuth gives Pittsburgh another versatile option at the position.

And the offensive line has shown signs that it can move people when Pittsburgh commits to the running game.

So lean into it.

• Play multiple tight ends.
• Run the football.
• Make teams tackle Warren 20-plus times.
• Make defensive backs deal with Washington.

Let Rodgers operate off that foundation instead of asking him to be the foundation.

There will obviously be games when Pittsburgh has to throw its way back into things. Falling behind 21-10 in Cleveland naturally changed some of the equation Thursday night.

But the Steelers shouldn’t allow the scoreboard to talk them out of their identity at the first sign of adversity.

They need something they can return to when everything else isn’t working.

Through four games, Warren has given them every reason to believe he can be that thing.

The Steelers don’t need to reinvent their offense.

They need to recognize what’s already working — and commit to it.