Fresh off their most complete victory of the season against the Indianapolis Colts, the Pittsburgh Steelers will travel to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFL Week 6 matchup Oct. 18.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers will look to continue a streak of three consecutive games with at least three touchdown passes. Running back Jaylen Warrenwill serve as the hot hand of his supporting cast, having climbed to No. 3 in the NFL in scrimmage yards over the past three games.
Injuries, however, will loom as a problem that coach Mike McCarthy’s team must solve for if it hopes to improve to 4-2 and keep pace in a strong AFC North division.
Here is USA TODAY’s list of things to watch for from a Pittsburgh perspective.
enters road trip with abundance of injuries
Does this team have enough left at receiver?
Michael Pittman Jr. was the prize offseason addition via a trade with the Colts but hit injured reserve last week with a stubborn foot injury. Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek were subsequently injured against the Colts and have been ruled out for Week 6 by McCarthy. That leaves top target DK Metcalf, rookie Germie Bernard and fringe NFL talent beyond them. Rookie Kaden Wetjen is technically a receiver but made the roster almost exclusively for his kick return abilities coming out of training camp and the preseason. Brandon Smith and Brandon Johnson are practice squad guys with 26 NFL receptions between them. One of them will likely need to step up to draw at least some heat away from the top two options. Otherwise, it could be a difficult day for the passing game.
Can the pass rush get home?
The Steelers registered just two quarterback hits and one sack in the win against the Colts, per Pro Football Focus data. That lack of pressure gave Indianapolis quarterback Daniel Jones the time to make throws that kept his team in the game before his effectiveness began to wane late as the offense became one-dimensional. Star linebacker T.J. Watt has just one sack in the past three games after starting the season with 3.5 in the first two games. Running mate Alex Highsmith has no sacks over the same span. He had two in the first pair of games. Veteran Nick Herbig is still sitting on zero for the season after inking a $100-million contract extension in the offseason. The Steelers will want to see more from those guys to help a secondary that’s struggling with the loss of cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to a trade and injuries of varying degrees to veterans Jalen Ramsey and Jamel Dean.
What’s going on at middle linebacker?
The signing of veteran Elandon Roberts to the practice squad this week raised some eyebrows for DC Patrick Graham’s defense. This will be his third stint with the Steelers overall and second this year after he was cut from the initial 53-man roster in September. He previously manned the inside under former coach Mike Tomlin in 2023 and 2024 before joining Graham last season in Las Vegas. It could just be a depth move, but trade rumors swirled around starter Patrick Queen in the offseason, with some tying him to the same Dallas team that has already completed deals with the Steelers for Joey Porter Jr. and Broderick Jones. The NFL trade deadline looms on Nov. 10, so eyes will be on Queen to see if he could be on the move – and if Roberts is on the roster now as a known quantity of an insurance policy.
Is the running game’s momentum for real?
Over the past two games, running back Jaylen Warren has rushed for 194 yards and averaged six yards per carry. Whether or not the injured Rico Dowdle re-joins him in the backfield this week, a third consecutive solid performance would allay a lot of concerns that crept out of the first two games, when the Steelers totaled just 149 yards and averaged 3.38 yards per carry. Especially because the passing game figures to be quite shorthanded with the trio of receivers out. Continue to keep an eye on the revamped right side of the offensive line of guard Brock Hoffman and rookie tackle Max Iheanachor for continued growth.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Do Steelers have enough at WR with Michael Pittman Jr., Roman Wilson out?
