The Pittsburgh Steelers had what should be considered their most crushing loss of the 2023 season in Week 11 against the Cleveland Browns. Both teams came into the game at 6-3, and were fighting for second place in the AFC North. The Steelers offense looked atrocious against the tenacious Browns' defense, with the only bright spot for the Steelers being Jaylen Warren. Despite being effective nearly every time he touched the football, he was only given nine carries on the day.
Tyler Moody / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Jaylen Warren celebrates after a big play in the Week 11 loss to the Cleveland Browns
Steelers' Warren Under-Utilized In Big Loss
Warren finished the game with nine carries for 129 yards and one touchdown. He also had three receptions for 16 yards during the game. Warren averaged over 14 yards per carry on the day, with the majority of his production coming on a long touchdown run that spanned 74 yards. This was the longest rushing touchdown for the Steelers since Willie Parker's 75-yard touchdown during Super Bowl XL.
Head Coach, Mike Tomlin spoke to the media following the game, as usual. He talked a lot about the talent Cleveland has on defense and how difficult it is to prepare for such an elite unit. He was eventually asked if he had any regrets for not getting Warren involved in the game more.
"I don't. You know, when you're unsuccessful you can look back and make a lot of those kind of adjustments. We don't live like that. We don't live in our fears. We don't second guess. We just live. So, I stand by whatever play selections or ball distributions we had today."
Tomlin stands by all decisions made on offense today. He said it himself. So, when Warren single handedly got the Steelers back into the game by scoring their first points on a 74-yard touchdown run on the first drive of the second half but then only received five more carries, that's a decision Tomlin stands by fully. Warren not touching the ball once, on either of the Steelers last two drives, is also a decision Tomlin stands by.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris during a regular season game against the Cleveland Browns
The Steelers had the ball twice with the game tied and under six minutes to go and both drives starting with relatively good field position. With the way the game was going and how the Browns were playing on offense, the Steelers could have kicked a field and felt relatively good about their chances to win the game.
The first drive started on their own 48. They got one first down through the air on a catch by George Pickens, and then called another pass for an incompletion, and then lost five yards on a run by Najee Harris which all but killed the drive. Warren had zero carries on either of the Steelers last two drives.
The Steelers had been having success on the ground with Warren, and for what seemed like no reason at all they just went away from it. Instead they began to have Kenny Pickett throw the ball more as if they were playing from behind. Once the game was tied up, the Steelers were in full control.
They moved the ball well in the second half, scored some points, and had a good thing going with Warren. For some reason it was decided to go in a different direction the rest of the game. Just add it to the long list of questionable coaching decisions by Matt Canada and Tomlin.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Jaylen Warren runs the ball against the Cleveland Browns
Saying that Warren should have gotten the ball more in the game is by no means saying that Pickett or Harris are bad players. It was just clear as day that Warren had a better feel for this specific game. Harris had a few decent runs, but he averaged less than three yards per carry. He was not efficient against this Browns defense and it was clear Warren would give the Steelers the best chance to win, yet his role was minimal late in the game.
On the seven plays that were run by the Steelers on their last two meaningful drives Pickett threw the ball six times. He completed two of those passes for 14 yards. One was a 12-yard play on first down, the other was a two yard pass on a 3rd down and 15. The play calling was way too pass heavy in these late game scenarios when the score was tied. With the game Warren was having, especially in the second half, he should have had a lot more rushing attempts and the Steelers could have ran the clock down and played for a field goal.
What do you think about Warren's usage? Let us know in the comments below!
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