Mike McCarthy knows the Steelers’ run game will be a key in the grueling grind of the season as they navigate the AFC North, and he’s got the horses in the backfield to do it, with Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle carrying the load.
Warren had eighteen carries for 101 yards and Dowdle ran the ball nine times for 41 yards Sunday against the Saints as the Steelers ran for a season-high 148 yards.
McCarthy says Warren and Dowdle will be key this week against the Browns.
The Steelers won by only six points on Sunday and except for their 12-point win over the Colts three games ago, every one of their five wins this season have been by no more than once score. McCarthy is fine with that because he says close games can help when things get tight later in the season.
The Steelers lost to the Browns 27-24 in Cleveland on October 1st. Exactly a month later, they will get another chance at the Browns, and McCarthy says while Steelers/Browns has always been an intense matchup, he wants this year’s Steelers to put their own stamp on the rivalry.
McCarthy says the Steelers can’t let the Browns force them to play against character on Sunday.
The Steelers released veteran safety Rayshawn Jenkins last week when DeShon Elliott returned from a yearlong absence due to a knee injury. Jenkins was signed yesterday to the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad.
Steelers players had the day off yesterday after their European trip and they will have the NFL mandatory Tuesday off today as well before returning to practice tomorrow.
