Never saw that one coming.
It wasn't so much the outcome. But the manner in which it was achieved? No way. Didn't think it was possible. Not after what they had done, and not done, during the previous fortnight.
During the first two games of this regular season, the Steelers totaled 31 first downs, 499 total net yards, 149 yards rushing, 350 yards passing, had an average per play of 3.8 yards, were 5-of-31 on third downs, scored 2 touchdowns and 23 points, and they punted 12 times. Again to be clear, those numbers represent totals over two games, not an average per game over the first weeks of the season.
On Sunday against the Bengals at Acrisure Stadium, the Steelers had 22 first downs, 411 total net yards, 138 yards rushing, 292 yards passing, an average per play of 7.0 yards, were 7-of-12 on third downs, scored 3 touchdowns and 30 points, and they punted once.
In the above paragraph where it says the Steelers scored 30 points, that's not a typo. They defeated the Bengals, 30-27, and the victory not only put them in first place in an AFC North that currently has all 4 teams at 2-1, but it also had to energize a group of players and coaches who were dealing with the outside noise that resulted from a lot of unrealized expectations since the season opened on Sept. 13.
"Most importantly in the preparation part of it, we felt that we needed to score points to win this game," said Coach Mike McCarthy. "I wrote down 31 in my notes going in as far as a target. That's the last time I'm going to say something like that because that was stupid for that to come out of my mouth. I just knew that I felt we needed to score points because I think play-calling a lot of times is mindset. We respect their football team and really the way they played. They played well in Weeks 1 and 2, but that's an offense that's been playing together for a while. When your quarterback and top perimeter guys are playing (well) and their offensive line is better -- when you have that continuity and consistency, you know that's going to be a challenge for your defense."
But really, this game was going to be more about what the Steelers did on Sunday – and what they hadn't done in the season's first two weeks – and how that was drastically different. To go to a football cliché and apply it here, it all started up front.
With a couple of No. 1 picks and a No. 2 pick in the previous 3 draft classes, the Steelers had made a significant investment in their offensive line and it didn't seem to be paying off. Things appeared to reach a tipping point following a 20-3 loss in New England where the play of the unit was a significant impediment to everything the Steelers tried to do on offense.
And so it was that rookie Max Iheanachor – 2026's No. 1 pick – got his first NFL start at the position he was drafted to play, which is RT; and fifth-year pro Brock Hoffman, who had 16 regular season starts on his resume and was signed as an unrestricted free agent, was given the start at right guard.
The impact of those moves on the unit, and by extension the entire offense, was immediately impactful and very noticeable.
The Bengals won the coin toss and elected to defer, and so the Steelers got the ball first. Their first possession lasted 4 plays, covered 73 yards, and ended with a 38-yard Aaron Rodgers pass to WR Roman Wilson for the touchdown.
After the Bengals answered with their own touchdown drive that was capped by a 3-yard Joe Burrow pass to WR Ja'Marr Chase, the Steelers responded to that with an 11-play, 86-yard drive capped by Rodgers' second TD pass of the game – a 23-yarder to WR Ben Skowronek. Those 14 points in the first quarter marked the first time in 98 games the Steelers had scored 10 or more in the opening 15 minutes.
By the end of the first quarter, Rodgers had completed 8-of-11 for 143 yards and 2 TDs, and it was telling that 6 of those 11 were down the field and that he was hit only once.
"It's something that we talked about after the (Patriots) game, but also Max is a talented young man," said McCarthy. "I think that's evident. His injury was a setback in training camp, but he's ready. It was time to give him that opportunity. Brock has been playing every position inside, and he's been pushing for an opportunity. So to do that with both those guys, that decision was made earlier in the week."
Another personnel decision was made for them, because Rico Dowdle injured a toe vs. the Patriots and was unable to practice all week before being ruled out of the game on Friday. That meant Jaylen Warren went from being part of a 1-2 punch at RB to being the head of the spear for the Steelers' running attack. And boy did he deliver.
Warren finished with 127 yards rushing (7.5 average) and 176 yards from scrimmage in the victory, and were it not for a couple of holding penalties and a mishap with the turf monster he might have broken Le'Veon Bell's single-game franchise record of 236 yards that was set on Dec. 11, 2016, vs. Buffalo.
"Jaylen is so slippery back there," said Rodgers. "First guy rarely brings him down. He actually brings himself down more than the first guy … I thought the run plan was good this week. We had some good stuff attacking the outside and then came back and ran some downhill stuff. He's such a man of smaller stature. Sometimes he can get lost back there, but he's so quick, and the first guy never brings him down. He is actually a really good inside, between the tackles, runner."
So the Steelers would find themselves in a shootout with a team that has the best QB-WR-WR trio in football, and a 23-yard Chris Boswell field goal gave them a 30-27 lead. That was the score when the Bengals took possession at their 30-yard line with 2:15 left to play, and the first AFC North showdown of 2026 was going to belong to the team that made the next big play.
It would be the defense, because on first-and-10 from the Steelers' 38-yard line, DT Derrick Harmon used a bull-pull technique to get past RG Dalton Riser and then execute a strip-sack of Burrow. Sebastian Joseph-Day, the only other DL on the field for the Steelers at the time, beat Riser to the loose ball and then scrounged around on the bottom of the pile until he secured the football. There were 44 seconds left, and because the Bengals had just 1 timeout remaining, it was over.
Ross Tucker, the analyst on the CBS telecast of the game, said, "It's hard to over-estimate how important this win is for the Steelers."
No argument there, but I would add that it's hard to over-estimate how important it is for the Steelers to have won this game the way they did.
