The Pittsburgh Steelers offense has suffered a beating and experienced debilitating injuries, and they have only played four games. The offense has taken the brunt of the problems. The line has gotten the most attention, losing Isaac Seumalo, James Daniels, and Troy Fautanu. However, the running back room also took blows of their own. Jaylen Warren was clearly playing injured the first few games, as Head Coach Mike Tomlin mentioned.
Warren usually plays a part as a one-two punch with fellow running back Najee Harris. However, he has been out with a knee injury, and there is no clear timeline for his return. That gave most worries about how effective the Steelers' run game would be without him. This was especially true because new Offensive Coordinator, Arthur Smith is noted to lean heavily on the run. Cordarrelle Patterson stepped into Warren's place and was more impressive than many expected.
During the first part of the Week 4 game against the Indianapolis Colts, Patterson was the more explosive runner. He had 43 yards on six carries and another two receptions for an additional 19 yards before leaving the game with an injured ankle. The Steelers had activated Aaron Shampklin to assist Harris, who had a paltry 19 yards total for the game.
Ray Fittipaldo from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette dropped a bombshell on the 93.7 The Fan Morning Show. He told hosts Adam Crowley and Dorin Dickerson some information that implies Patterson might be more injured than anyone realized.
"What I will tell you is Patterson was in a walking boot Tuesday morning," admitted Fittipaldo. "That doesn't mean he's really severely injured, but that was notable to me. We'll see how that goes. He was running really really well guys. So if he cannot play, that will be hit to the Steelers' offense."
He said that, as of now, he believes both Warren and Patterson are questionable for the Week 5 game against the Dallas Cowboys. He expects more indication of what to expect based on how much they play at practice during the back half of this week. He expects the Steelers to call up Jonathan Ward to join Shampklin and Harris if neither Warren or Patterson plays. He calls Ward the more explosive runner out of the two practice squad players.
The Steelers are 10th in the league heading into Week 5 with an average of 128.5 yards. That isn't necessarily a tip of the hat to the running backs, as quarterback Justin Fields is the team's second-leading rusher. Despite the criticism being directed toward him, Harris still leads the team in rushing with 228 yards.
Steelers' Offense Slowly Improving
The Steelers' offense took a surprise turn early in the preseason when Russell Wilson was injured. That allowed the incredibly athletic Fields to step up and show that he deserves a starting job.
They began the season 3-0, and every week, it felt like Tomlin and Smith were letting Fields loose little by little, allowing him to open the field up a little more each week. While Fields made some critical errors in the loss to the Colts, he did show that he can remain cool under pressure and lead his team back from a major deficit.
