PITTSBURGH -- This is what coach Mike McCarthy's Steelers offense was supposed to look like.
The unit broke out of its early-season malaise to pile up the yards and points in a 30-27 win against the AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium in Week 3.
The unit outgained the high-powered Bengals offense led by Joe Burrow by a 413-352 margin and scored four touchdowns after managing just one through the first two weeks of the 2026 season.
Here are USA TODAY Sports' grades for the day's action from a Pittsburgh perspective.
start
Quarterback, Aaron Rodgers: B-
Aaron Rodgers finally started hitting downfield passes that have been available to him through the first two weeks. Receiver Roman Wilson caught a 38-yard pass from Rodgers on the first drive and receiver Ben Skowronek followed with a 23-yard score on the following drive. The protection was better than it was against the Patriots with Max Iheanachor and Brock Hoffman starting at right tackle and right guard, respectively. That’s always a recipe for the 42-year-old to succeed despite his relative lack of mobility at this age. His accuracy started to wane later on, but he found DK Metcalf for an important touchdown after the Steelers had fallen behind in the third quarter. He set up a go-ahead field goal in the fourth quarter by finding tight end Darnell Washington. For the second week in a row, he was picked off on an accurate pass that bounced off his intended receiver's hands on a two-minute drive at the end of the first half.
Aaron Rodgers throws a DIME to Wilson for the TD 🎯@CINvsPIT on CBS/Paramount+
— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026
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Running back, Jaylen Warren: A-
Jaylen Warren had his best game of the season with backfield counterpart Rico Dowdle out injured. He started the game with a 30-yard reception that jump-started the first offensive drive. He then looked explosive in the running game, going well over 100 scrimmage yards for the day. His long run of 35 yards set up a Chris Boswell field goal in the second quarter. He should have added 90-plus yards to that total, but a holding call in the fourth quarter nullified it.
Wide receivers: B
Roman Wilson had one of his best statistical games as a Steeler with three catches for 60 yards. The long touchdown catch was nice, but he also came back with a clutch third-down conversion to set up the Skowronek touchdown. Rodgers won’t be happy about the tipped interception that slipped out of Wilson’s hands, though. Any receiving contribution from Skowronek is nice, considering he’s primarily a special teamer. He also came up clutch on special teams, recovering a muffed punt in the fourth quarter. Metcalf's touchdown salvaged another otherwise quiet day, and a fourth-quarter holding call nullified a massive run by Warren.
Tight ends: A
You can tell Rodgers loves throwing to big-target Darnell Washington when he needs to move the chains. He creates matchup problems for defenses as a big blocker who can still slip out and catch defenses napping in the passing game. He led the team with three catches for 67 yards. That included a key 47-yard catch-and-run in the fourth quarter. Teammate Pat Freiermuth also had a productive afternoon, with two catches for 30 yards.
Offensive line: B+
As mentioned earlier, the protection of Rodgers was noticeably improved with Hoffman and Iheanachor starting in place of Spencer Anderson and Dylan Cook, respectively. Rodgers took four sacks against the New England Patriots but just two against the Bengals. And even those were more coverage sacks than blocking breakdowns. More importantly, the run blocking let coach Mike McCarthy mix up his play calls, even as the ratio still leaned heavily toward the pass, as it has throughout his first season in Pittsburgh. In years past, it might be an easy performance to dismiss, given Cincinnati's struggles along the defensive line. This was a tougher unit that featured notable offseason additions, Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen.
Defensive line: B-
The Bengals didn’t show much interest in running the ball, which helped keep the production down. Unlike last week against New England, though, this group contained any explosive, game-changing gains on the ground. Like the outside linebackers we'll discuss in a moment, this group didn’t get much pressure on Burrow. However, Derrick Harmon essentially won the game for the Steelers with his strip-sack of Burrow in the final minute.
Linebackers: C
The Bengals were the first team this season to keep T.J. Watt mostly in check. He had no sacks, and his highly paid counterparts, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig, were kept out of the backfield as well. It was a familiar script against the Bengals, as they’ve developed a knack for using the quick passing game to neutralize the Steelers’ rush.
Secondary: C-
Hard to give a good grade here, given Burrow’s efficiency. He was completing 80%-plus of his passes well into the second half and finished 28 of 37 for 281 yards and three touchdowns. Coverage needs to be tighter when Burrow gets the ball out as quickly as he was. Asante Samuel Jr. was notably outmuscled by Tee Higgins on the Bengals’ touchdown before the half. He appeared to be benched for rookie Daylen Everette in the second half. Then tight end Mike Gesicki ran past everyone to score a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter on a key 4th-and-2 play. The continued absence of Joey Porter Jr. – who was a healthy scratch amid his contract dispute with the team – didn’t help.
Coaching B-
McCarthy’s decision to replace the whole right side of his offensive line was a bold choice you rarely saw Mike Tomlin make. It paid off with an offensive performance that should calm the panic around town going into a short week against Cleveland, so he deserves credit there. Patrick Graham’s defense had few answers for Burrow and the Bengals offense until that final drive.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aaron Rodgers bounces back in a big way, but Steelers defense struggles: Report card
