There’s no dancing around the fact that the Pittsburgh Steelers had a rough Week 2 showing. Despite hanging in there with the Seattle Seahawks for a good chunk of the game, Mike Tomlin’s crew ultimately got exposed on Sunday.
Sitting at 1-1 on the year, Pittsburgh must look in the mirror and correct its issues quickly. Even in the loss, though, there was one immensely positive development.
Running back Jaylen Warren sent a statement with his performance.
Steelers Heap Praise on Jaylen Warren Despite Tough Team Outing in Week 2
After recording 13 touches on offense in Week 1, the veteran halfback upped that total to 18 in Week 2. Speaking to the media after the game, Tomlin said he believes there’s an even higher ceiling Warren can reach.
“I’m certain he can,” Tomlin said. “I know that he had a good week’s work. I know that he felt good going into today and he expressed that, so I see no reason why he can’t.”
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers echoed that sentiment.
“Yeah, Jaylen’s a great player, man,” Rodgers said. “He’s a great player. That was an awesome catch and run. He brings a lot to the table. Might have to keep giving him more opportunities in the pass game. Every time he touches it, something good happens.”
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A quick glance at Warren’s rushing numbers from Sunday — 14 attempts for 48 yards — indicates a rough 3.4-yard average. In the opening half of play, though, his 10 carries for 40 yards was a more respectable mark. He also moved the chains five times on the ground against a feisty defensive front. There’s no denying that continued improvement as a runner must take place, sure.
But Warren flashed his upside as a do-it-all back. His impact as a receiver was felt, especially on the 65-yard explosion shown above. Having been targeted 74 times in 2023 and 47 times a season ago, this just adds to what many already knew about him.
The Steelers are making good on involving Warren more after signing him to a contract extension. This wasn’t always expected to be the case, as a fumble this preseason seemed to put him on notice.
Warren’s early-season progression is something to monitor.
Kaleb Johnson Likely Won’t Challenge Warren in Near Future
It certainly doesn’t hurt Warren’s case that the shift seems to also involve others. In Week 1, it was actually Kenneth Gainwell who received 30 snaps to Warren’s 25 on offense. On Sunday, Gainwell had 5 carries and caught a trio of passes. That’s a more effective workload for him, paving the way for the true alpha back to be just that.
There’s also the matter of rookie Kaleb Johnson. During the offseason, many speculated that he could push for a significant role early on or even overtake Warren for feature-level reps. That’s been anything but the case two weeks into the year. Johnson toted the ball just once on offense on Sunday and didn’t get targeted in the passing game.
Johnson also made a costly mistake in the fourth quarter. He practically ignored a Seahawks kickoff, leaving the ball in the end zone, which was recovered by Seattle. Tomlin referred to it as a “poor judgment by a young player.” That being the case, it’s hard to envision a world where a game like Johnson’s Week 2 earns him more of a share.
For now, it’s the Warren show. With just two games of football played, it could become such at an even greater degree if he keeps maximizing new opportunities.
Steelers Find Huge Silver Lining Despite Week 2 Loss to Seahawks