Madden Monday: 'Kenneth Gainwell should be the No. 1 running back' even when Jaylen Warren returns

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 24-21 win over the Minnesota Vikings in Ireland on Sunday, Mark Madden of TribLive and 105.9 The X saw some significant holes in the victory.

In particular, as he said on this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Madden wasn’t thrilled with many of Mike Tomlin’s fourth-quarter coaching decisions.

“He lived in his fears, as I’ve heard it said,” Madden said, referencing a “Tomlinism” favorite. “I didn’t like that (Aaron) Rodgers seemed to visibly overrule Tomlin, and they didn’t take a field goal that would have put him up (27-14). And then when it was fourth-and-1 (with 1:08 left), and making a simple yard puts the game away, they chose to punt and play defense. They did that better against Minnesota than they have lately. But nonetheless, it’s not the direction I would have gone.”

Aside from DK Metcalf’s 80-yard touchdown on a short catch and a long run, Madden was also underwhelmed by the Steelers’ passing game in Ireland.

“They scored enough to win. I’ll let others debate whether it’s good or not. I think if you throw out Metcalf’s 80-yard catch and run, it was a really lousy offensive day — and a really lousy passing day. It doesn’t look at all like I thought it would,” Madden said. “While I don’t like what the offense has become, I think it’s executing what it’s become about as well as can be expected.”

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Whatever proficiency the offense does have, Madden credits the neck-up game from Rodgers.

“I think (Rodgers) has become a game manager, just like Ben (Roethlisberger) at the end,” Madden continued. “But he’s really good at it. So far, he’s really buttoned up. The offense is very organized, looks crisp and fresh. It gets in and out of the huddles.”

One thing Madden actually liked was Kenneth Gainwell’s effort. The first-year Steeler was elevated into a starting capacity because Jaylen Warren missed the game with a knee injury.

He ended the day with 99 yards rushing, 35 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

Kenneth Gainwell gets his second TD of the day

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“Kenneth Gainwell should be the No. 1 running back when Warren gets back,” Madden insists. “I saw more from Gainwell in this game than I’ve seen from Warren the entirety of his tenure in Pittsburgh.”

Also, during the podcast, Madden and I talk about the Steelers’ tight end usage — or lack thereof. We get into the Marc-Andre Fleury farewell night at PPG Paints Arena. Plus, we touch on some brutal losses for Pitt and Penn State.