Jaylen Warren is about to give the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the kind of run-defense exam they haven’t faced yet.
The Bucs come into Sunday with real momentum after their Week 5 win over the Dallas Cowboys, a prime-time result that only sharpened the belief around this team after a long week of rest. Tampa Bay’s defense also did its part in that game, shutting down Dallas on the ground and through the air even with Dak Prescott leading one of the league’s most explosive offenses.
Pittsburgh doesn’t bring the same kind of offensive reputation, but it’s not a cakewalk either. Aaron Rodgers has already shown he can still light up a scoreboard, and he did it last week when the Steelers put 34 on the Indianapolis Colts defense.
Still, the name that should jump out to Tampa Bay is Warren.
With Kenny Gainwell now in Tampa Bay, Warren has taken on even more responsibility for the Steelers in both phases of the offense. He was outstanding against Indianapolis, ripping off 101 rushing yards on just 15 carries for his third straight game with at least 90 yards on the ground.
On the season, he’s up to 410 rushing yards, and Pittsburgh doesn’t have another player with even 40 rushing yards. Rico Dowdle, the new signing, has had a hard time making an impact.
That makes Warren the clearest threat in the Steelers attack, and maybe the biggest test Tampa Bay’s front has seen so far.
The numbers say the Buccaneers have been excellent against the run. Their worst rushing total allowed this season was 106 yards in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals, and they followed that by holding Dallas to just 50 on the ground. The front seven looks every bit as nasty as Jason Licht and Todd Bowles hoped it would.
But there’s also a catch: Tampa Bay hasn’t really had to deal with a back like Warren yet.
He’s rolling right now, nearly averaging six yards per carry, and he’s bringing that form into a matchup with a Buccaneers defense that allows just 3.3 yards per carry, the second-best mark in the NFL. That’s a big jump in performance and it’s been a full-unit effort, but Josiah Trotter has been one of the defining pieces up front. The second-round inside linebacker has looked like the downhill enforcer the Bucs expected.
Sunday is a different kind of challenge, though. Warren’s quickness and vision will force Trotter and the rest of this defense to stay sharp snap after snap.
He also gave Indianapolis fits in the passing game, catching all six targets for 87 receiving yards and a touchdown. And he has not had fewer than 33 receiving yards in any game this season.
So this isn’t just a test of Tampa Bay’s run fits. It’s a test of whether Trotter can handle a back who can hurt you on the ground and then turn right around and do damage as a receiver. For a defense that has looked dominant against the run, Warren is the most complete challenge it has seen so far.
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Aaron Rodgers was the latest to point it out after the game, adding an unwanted layer to a season already full of frustration for Tampa Bay. The field has drawn poor reviews in the past, in part because of the extra wear from other teams and events, and every new complaint only keeps that storyline alive for a club trying to steady itself on and off the grass. [Read more 🡒]