Film Room: Jaylen Warren TD is the Steelers Offense’s Masterpiece

PITTSBURGH — The Steelers offense ripped out their longest run play with Matt Canada as offensive coordinator on Saturday with a 62-yard touchdown run for Jaylen Warren. That Warren touchdown brought plenty of eyes to the second-year running back, but the play overall was a work of art that exemplifies the vision of Canada’s offense. Left tackle Dan Moore Jr. broke it down just on a surface level, and to say the least, he was rather stunned.

“The play went, I was a little bit late off the ball, so I just tried to drive the D end as far out as I could,” Moore said. “I could just feel Jaylen run underneath me, heard fans scream, I turned and look and he’s popped 15 yards down field, I seem him hit the sideline, he breaks a tackle and that’s when I knew — damn, he’s gone. Talk about an exciting, electrifying, first drive, at home, it doesn’t get any better than that.”

Let's going through the checklist of good things on this play:

– Moore and Seumalo (at 2nd level) seal frontside to give Warren lane

– Cole turns the NT and Daniels reaches the 2nd level.

– Jet Motion holds backside edge

– Diontae downfield block

– Warren puts on the jets pic.twitter.com/rXI3ts8UNP

— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) August 20, 2023

So, let’s break this down on a fundamental level. This is an outside zone with a jet motion coming across. Calvin Austin’s jet motion is key to holding the backside edge rusher. Without that edge rusher keyed on Warren, he does not have to worry about that backside pursuit. So, from a schematic perspective that is the first box checked. Now, on the outside zone, if everything works perfectly, the two guards need to climb to the second level, and more importantly, the center needs to seal off the nose guard so the linebackers can not flow to the football as easily. All of that occurs here.

Isaac Seumalo and James Daniels climb to the second level to seal off both linebackers at the same time. Daniels does a great job of staying engaged and cutting off any path. Cole just does a fantastic job of sealing off Poona Ford. Ford has no give to disrupt Seumalo or Daniels. With Cole turning him around, he leaves his gap vacant. Chuks Okorafor does a nice job of flowing with the play and taking his man out. Dan Moore Jr. fights with the defensive end more than the others on the play, but keeps his hands and elbows tight and inside to hold the point of attack.

What makes this a 62-yard touchdown are then two things. One, Diontae Johnson’s downfield block. In order to create big plays in the run game, you better have the receivers and skill players blocking well on the play. Second, Jaylen Warren and his burst. Without those two variables, this is a solid 20 to 25-yard run, but this is what makes offenses dynamic.

“His elusiveness. Not only that, just his vision as a runner. That’s hard to coach,” Moore said of Warren. “He has that sense, just for holes. He gets the ball and just the smallest crack or crease, he can find it. He’s able to do a lot with it. Not only that, his natural leverage on defenders, he’s a little guy but he’s always falling forward with the ball.”

Credit to Warren and the rest of the crew for making the play they did here. It is about as well executed as an offensive coordinator could ask for, especially with the schematics working the exact way that Canada envisioned.