The Pittsburgh Steelers offense came to life on Sunday, as they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 30-27 at Acrisure Stadium. The same offense that looked largely lifeless through the first two weeks, scoring only 16 points, showed great improvement. With rookie Max Iheanachor and veteran Brock Hoffman now starting on the right side of the offensive line, the Steelers seem to have more freedom running the ball, and Aaron Rodgers seems to have more time to get rid of the ball to his receivers.
Let’s take
a look at various media outlets to see how much of a bump the Steelers got in the rankings after handing the Bengals their first loss of 2026.
FOX Sports: No.14 (No. 21 Last Week)
“Aaron Rodgers going throw-for-throw with Joe Burrow at his age, and after his ugly start to the season, wasn’t on anybody’s Bingo card. He even dusted off DK Metcalf, his forgotten No. 1 receiver, and RB Jaylen Warren had a big game with Rico Dowdle out. Beating the Bengals was huge, surprising (at least to me), and deserving of a big jump, even if none of this is exactly how head coach Mike McCarthy drew it up. It was the first sign of life from the Steelers’ stagnant offense. There are no defensive juggernauts in the next five weeks before their bye week, so they’ve got a chance to go on a run if they can keep the scoring up.” – Ralph Vacchiano
The Athletic: No.14 (Last Week No.21)
“It’s been a big season already for NFL lip-readers. Aaron Rodgers gave them a clip to dissect Sunday in which he was either very mad at Michael Pittman Jr. after a dropped pass, very mad about the overall state of the Steelers offense or just rehearsing material for his next appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.” It’s tough to tell with Rodgers, who has Pittsburgh in a crowded race in the AFC North despite being beaten by six drops (the third most in the league). He hasn’t been great either, though. He’s 33rd in EPA per dropback (minus-0.26).“ – Chad Graff and Josh Kendall
CBS Sports: No.13 (Last Week No. 22)
“At 2-1, they are getting some good play from Aaron Rodgers. He looked like the old Rodgers in the victory over the Bengals.” – Pete Prisco
Pro Football Talk: No.13 (Last Week No. 18)
“There’s some magic left in the post-Tomlin Steelers.” – Mike Florio
NFL.com: No.19 (Last Week No.26)
“Pittsburgh’s offense woke up! It was refreshing to watch the Steelers finally produce with the approach (aggressively pushing the ball downfield) they’ve been trying to force this season. It wasn’t at all surprising that their defense was the one to finish the job, either. I won’t be taken for an easy sale, though; they’ll need to do it more than once offensively for me to emotionally invest.” – Nick Shook
Yahoo! Sports: No.17 (Last Week No. 23)
Maybe the Steelers stumbled upon a solution for their offense: Turn Jaylen Warren into a workhorse. Last season, he played 47.4% of the Steelers’ snaps, a lower percentage than Kenneth Gainwell. In Week 1, with Rico Dowdle having been added over the offseason, Warren was at 37.3% of snaps. Dowdle was injured in Week 2, and in Week 3 Warren had the backfield to himself. He had 127 rushing yards on 17 carries and 49 receiving yards on three catches. That opened up the Steelers’ offense, which hadn’t played that well through two weeks. Aaron Rodgers had a strong game with 292 yards and three touchdowns. – Frank Schwab
USA Today: No.16 (Last Week No.27)
“An unanticipated offensive breakthrough vaulted them back to a 2-1 record and a four-way tie atop (at the bottom?) of the AFC North.” – Nate Davis
ESPN: No.17 (Last Week No. 25)
“None of Pittsburgh’s skill position players was projected to be a significant fantasy contributor, but Metcalf (WR31 in ADP) largely underperformed through the first three weeks with multiple drops, 11 catches and 98 receiving yards. Metcalf, though, might be turning a corner with the rest of the Steelers’ offense after finally recording a touchdown catch against the Bengals. He put up 12.1 fantasy points in the win.” – Brooke Pryor
The Steelers jumped up at least six spots, and as many as 11 spots in the rankings. Everyone is putting a lot of stock in just how good the offense looked against what looks to be a quality Bengals defense this season. Pittsburgh will have their work cut out for them on a short week as they travel to Cleveland to take on the Browns. The Steelers have not won a road game on Thursday Night Football since the 2007 season.
Let us know what you think in the comments. Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more!
- Jerry Jones hints that Cowboys have interest in Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr.
- Steelers CB Brandin Echols in concussion protocol
- Jalen Ramsey nursing injury after win over Bengals
- The Morning After: Jaylen Warren needs to be the Steelers’ bell cow
- Mike McCarthy’s proactive approach was key component in Steelers Week 3 win
