As a reward for an historic performance, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren was named the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Week on Wednesday.
Warren earned the honor after becoming the first NFL player – since Herschel Walker did it for the Dallas Cowboys 40 years ago – to score a touchdown off a catch of at least 80 yards and also run 50 plus yards for another one in the same game. In total, Warren ran for 101 yards on 15 carries for an average of 6.7 yards per rushing attempt and also caught six passes for 87 yards in the Steelers’ 34-22 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy praises Warren after the game and made his position as Pittsburgh’s featured back clear.
“Jaylen is our featured player right now. Let’s be sure we all recognize that. He’s hot. He’s playing great football for us,” said McCarthy to reporters during his postgame press conference.
Warren has accumulated 410 yards on 70 carries through six games so far this season. He now has exceeded 100 yards on the ground twice, with the 127 he racked up in a win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4 as his season high. He also has 25 receptions for 230 more yards as a receiver.
The 27-year-old who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State in 2022 is on pace to put together his best professional season yet. He ran for 958 yards in 16 games last season and has 3,042 yards overall in his career, a milestone he surpassed on Sunday.
Steelers RB Jaylen Warren Earns Recognition for Historic Performance Against Colts