Pittsburgh Steelers: Jaylen Warren Has Emerged as Dynamic Dual Threat
The Steelers (5-2) will host the Cleveland Browns (5-2) in Week 8 with first place in the AFC North on the line.
Pittsburgh is on a three-game winning streak after a 16-10 win over the New Orleans Saints in Paris. A catalyst for the Steelers has been running back Jaylen Warren, who has emerged one of the NFL's top running backs. Warren had another huge game on Sunday with 101 yards rushing and 36 yards receiving.
After spending the early portion of his career splitting carries with former Pittsburgh running back Najee Harris, Warren has taken over as the lead back and become an offensive force. Warren set the tone with a 29-yard run on his first carry against a Saints team ranked 29th in the NFL against the run.
"We knew what we knew about them and so we wanted to, you know, use our strengths against their weaknesses," Warren said via Chris Adamski of TribLive.com.
Warren's production has taken pressure off 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who threw for 212 yards against the Saints, but didn't have to carry the offense.
"Today was really about the run game," Rodgers said. "We knew coming in we could run it against them."
Before leaving for the trans-Atlantic flight to Pittsburgh, Head Coach Mike McCarthy had already turned his attention to the Browns, who defeated the Steelers, 27-24, in Week 3. McCarthy wants to avoid being swept in the season series.
"We need to beat them," McCarthy said via Tim Benz of TribLive.com. "They got us once. It's a rival game for us. We're looking forward to playing them at home. But they're a good football team. It was a very intense rival game, like you would expect, so we're definitely looking forward to playing them."
Cleveland Browns: Deshaun Watson Keeps Delivering Clutch Fourth Quarters
Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has engineered a fourth-quarter or game-winning drive in every Browns victory.
The latest came during Sunday's 27-24 victory over the Tennessee Titans. Watson's final completion was a 36-yard catch-and-run to tight end Harold Fannin Jr. that set up Andre Szmyt's 32-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.
Head Coach Todd Monken praised Watson afterward for his ability to make plays in clutch situations.
"He has something in him to be able to make plays when it counts," Monken said via Teresa M. Walker of the Associated Press.
Watson had his best performance of the season, passing for 308 yards and running for a touchdown to help Cleveland overcome an early 14-0 deficit. Every Cleveland victory has been by four points or less, and Watson said he has become used to pressure situations.
"Being in this league for 10 years now, I understand that a lot of games are going to come down to that, if not every game," Watson said. "So, if we're close enough in it and we have those opportunities, we just got to lock in and ... that's where the pressure and the most important (thing), you got to really be on your P's and Q's."
Cincinnati Bengals: Ja'Marr Chase's Fiery Halftime Speech Sparked Bengals
Cincinnati's offense exploded against Baltimore by scoring 35 points in the second half on Sunday during a 35-13 victory.
The Bengals said they were inspired by star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who gave a fiery halftime speech using colorful language, with the Ravens holding a 13-0 lead.
"Ja'Marr went in there and got after everybody a little bit," quarterback Joe Burrow said after the game to CBS, via cincyjungle.com. "And (he) got everybody fired up. You know, that certainly plays a part. But at the end of the day, we just executed."
Chase said he felt it was the right time to show vocal leadership.
"I was pretty angry coming into halftime. I didn't like how we played," Chase told reporters after the game. "You know what I'm saying? We had 15 plays, maybe two or three possessions, and it didn't go our way at all."
In the second half, it seemed like almost everything went the Bengals' way, and Chase helped provide the spark. He finished with five catches for 62 yards and a touchdown, while fellow star wideout Tee Higgins led the team with six catches for 148 yards and a touchdown.
The Bengals have won two straight and host the Titans (1-6) in Week 8.
