Pittsburgh running back Rico Dowdle sat out due to a toe injury, his third straight absence.
He was limited in practice all week and was ruled questionable, but was ultimately inactive. The Steelers activated running back Lew Nichols from the practice squad to be the backup. Jaylen Warren dominated offensive snaps, similar to the last two weeks.
Warren played 90.3% of snaps, with over 85% of snaps in all situations. He ran 17 times for 127 yards and caught three passes for 49 yards. Homer and Nichols took three snaps each as the backups. Given that Warren and Dowdle had been used interchangeably, it’s easy for Pittsburgh to change their usage going forward if they want to. When some teams have a clear early-down back and prominent third-down player, even if one of the backs has a big game, they are unlikely to see a significantly increased role
Unlock full player intel
Go beyond the surface with trusted beat-writer insight on every player.
