The Steelers may have finally found the backfield formula they were chasing all along.
Against the Browns, Pittsburgh leaned into a two-man ground game and got exactly what it wanted: Jaylen Warren kept rolling, Rico Dowdle chipped in, and the offense walked away with a productive night on the ground. Warren matched his career high with 143 rushing yards, Dowdle added 56 on 15 carries, and the pair combined for 199 yards and two rushing touchdowns.
That kind of output makes the committee look a lot less like a compromise and a lot more like a weapon. It also marks a sharp turn from how things looked when Dowdle first arrived in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers signed Dowdle in early March after his run with Carolina, where the undrafted free agent earned a two-year $12.25 million deal on the strength of his physical style and downhill running. He had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and came in with a reputation for wearing defenses down. But the early returns in Pittsburgh were rough.
In his first two appearances, Dowdle had 15 carries for 37 yards and no touchdowns. His 2.47 yards per carry didn’t give the offense much lift, and for a stretch it looked like he might not be headed for the kind of season many expected.
Then Dowdle missed three games, and Warren took over the rushing load. That stretch made Warren the clear centerpiece of the ground attack and raised the obvious question: how would Dowdle fit once he came back?
Week 8 offered the answer.
Warren entered the game already on a strong run, and he kept it going against Cleveland. Before Week 2, he had just 89 yards on 21 carries.
Since then, he has piled up 925 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns. His 143 rushing yards against the Browns were his best of the season, and his 8.4 yards per carry trailed only Tyler Allgeier among Sunday’s rushers.
Dowdle didn’t fade into the background, either. He handled 45% of the rushing share and turned his 15 carries into 56 yards, giving Pittsburgh the kind of complementary production that can make a committee work.
The advanced numbers backed it up. According to Sumer Sports, Warren (.36) and Dowdle (.07) both finished inside the top 10 in EPA per rush in Week 8 among players with at least 10 touches. In other words, both backs were creating positive value every time they got the ball.
That’s the real takeaway for Pittsburgh. This wasn’t just a heavy dose of carries split between two runners. It was an offense getting efficient production from both sides of the committee, and it came in a Week 8 win over Cleveland that moved McCarthy’s unit into first place in the AFC North.
What started as an intriguing idea now looks like something more dangerous. The Steelers have found a backfield pairing that can actually punish defenses, and after Sunday, that’s no longer just theory.
In Other News...
Steelers Could Use Mason Rudolph To Shape The Ravens Stretch Run
With Baltimore suddenly navigating a quarterback crisis, the Ravens have become a logical team to watch for outside help as the stretch run approaches. The injuries to Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley have forced the front office into a difficult spot, and any move at the position would have ripple effects not just for Baltimore, but for the AFC North race as a whole.
For Pittsburgh, Mason Rudolph sits in the middle of that conversation as a possible trade chip with real strategic value. A deal would not only give the Steelers a chance to extract draft capital, it could also keep Baltimore from turning to a more established name at quarterback, which would change the balance of the division in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Have A DK Metcalf Problem They Cant Ignore
Even with the Steelers riding a winning streak and sitting atop the AFC North, the conversation around their passing game keeps circling back to DK Metcalf. Pittsburgh brought him in to be the kind of receiver who changes how defenses play them, but his production has been uneven enough that the team still does not have the steady, week-to-week force it expected when it made the move.
What makes the issue harder to ignore is the way Metcalf seems to fit best when another receiver can draw attention away from him. The Steelers have not really given him that kind of partner yet, and until they do, the offense may keep asking him to carry a role that does not fully match how he is most effective. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Trade Deadline Buzz Centers On A Pass Rush Gamble
Jerry Jones has made it clear the Cowboys will at least look around before the Nov. 10 trade deadline, and that has opened the door to some familiar Pittsburgh connections. One name that has surfaced in the conversation is Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith, a productive edge presence who would fit a team trying to bolster its pass rush without going all-in on a splashy deadline move.
Highsmiths contract situation only adds to the intrigue, since he is signed through 2027 after landing a four-year, $68 million extension. The Cowboys also have a recent history of doing business with the Steelers, which is why this idea has enough traction to linger even if Dallas ultimately stays in the market rather than becoming one of the deadlines major buyers. [Read more 🡒]