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Steelers Report Card for TNF Loss to the Browns: Losing Control of the Classroom Edition

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From the gradebook of a preoccupied principal worrying his teacher may be losing control of the classroom, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the 2026 TNF loss to the Browns.

Maliek Collins sacks Aaron Rodgers in the Steelers 2026 TNF loss to the Browns

Maliek Collins sacks Aaron Rodgers in the Steelers 2026 TNF loss to the Browns. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers went 22-40-299-2-2. Credit Rodgers for leading 3 touchdown drives, 2 of which came in the 4th quarter. He looked smart on all three. But he struggled for much of the rest of the night, throwing two picks and missing open receivers on multiple occasions. Grade: DSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
Jaylen Warren ran for 95 yards on 17 carries and caught 3 passes for 33 yards. Travis Homer had 2 carries for minus 1 yards. Grade: B

Tight Ends
Darnell Washington caught 3 passes for 27 yards and Pat Freiermuth 3 for 17. Each man caught a touchdown and both men continued to block well. Grade: B

Wide Receivers
D.K. Metcalf had 5 catches for 115 yards on 9 targets. You’d like to say he looked like a true WR No. 1, except he gave up a taunting penalty. Roman Wilson had 3 catches for 74 yards but broke off his route to the middle of the field trying to get out of bounds. Michael Pittman Jr. had 2 catches for 15 yards. Germie Bernard had 2 grabs for 11 yards while Ben Skowronek had 1 for 7 yards. Individually each wide out had his moments, but they struggled to gain separation during the middle of the game on a night when the team needed more. Grade: C-

Offensive Line
Aaron Rodgers was sacked 5 times, but to be fair to the offensive line, the last 2 of those can likely be chalked up as “coverage sacks.” And the run blocking was better. This performance doesn’t negate the positive signs the line showed against Cincinnati, but it does confirm more progress is needed. Grade: D

Defensive Line
The Browns rushing attack didn’t make any noise until early in the 2nd quarter. Derrick Harmon left injured in the 2nd quarter after his 5th defensive snap? Coincidence? Doubtful. An excuse? No way. IF you take out Jaleel McLaughlin’s 28-yard touchdown run, the Steelers defense had a lot of success against the Browns. But that’s the problem, tackling appeared to be optional at times. Cam Heyward did force a fumble, but that can only pull the grade up so much. Grade: D

Linebackers
The inside linebackers were also complicit in the poor tackling/run containment, while T.J. Watt did register a strip sack which should have been a momentum-changer, but pressure from the linebackers was not consistent. Grade: D

Robert Spears-Jennings intercepts Deshaun Watson during the Steelers 2026 TNF loss to the Browns

Robert Spears-Jennings picks off Deshaun Watson to start the 4th quarter. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Secondary
Deshaun Watson did his best Doug Williams Super Bowl XXII impersonation throwing more touchdown passes, two, than incompletions in the second quarter. To their credit, the unit tightened up and kept Cleveland out of the end zone in the 2nd half. And Robert Spears-Jennings heads-up interception got the Steelers back in the game. But the Browns got the yards they needed to get into field goal range. Grade: D

Special Teams
Cameron Johnston boomed off 5 punts pinning the Browns at the one once. And the Steelers punt return was solid, while Kaden Wetjen had one solid return. However, Wetjen was average on kick returns, and the Steelers gave up a 33-yard return helping set up a Browns field goal drive. Chris Boswell missed a 48-yarder in what would be a 3-point game. The Steelers needed their special teams to be special. Instead they were barely average: Grade: C-

Coaching
Mike McCarthy did an excellent job with his opening script of plays. And they looked to be building on another drive until an interception short-circuited the Steelers’ performance in all three phases for an entire quarter.

  • To his credit, McCarthy made adjustments.

The same can be said for defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. His defense started strong, put in an atrocious 2nd quarter, but rebounded in the second half.

  • Objectively, the issue is consistency.

Just about every area on the depth chart put some quality sequences of plays on tape, but they also put some horrid sequences on tape. If one of them could have just managed to attain a little more consistency, the outcome could easily have been different.

Subjectively, we saw a number of players get animated either on the field or the sidelines. That’s not necessarily a bad thing – we all likely remember the NFL Films clip of rookie Jack Lambert yelling at veteran Jack Ham – but McCarthy must harness this passion and energy constructively. Grade: D

Jack Sawyer tips a Deshaun Watson pass during the Steelers 2026 TNF loss to the Cleveland Browns

Leaping Jack Sawyer tips Deshaun Watson’s pass. Photo Credit: X.com

Unsung Hero Award
Tides in football games are altered by players give everything they’ve got, who play to the whistle and who, when they can’t quite achieve their objective find other ways to make an impact. Second year man Jack Sawyer was a step to slow too reach the quarterback, but by leaping he just nicked the ball, transforming a pass interference penalty into a momentum-shifting interception. For that, Sawyer wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2026 Thursday Night loss to the Browns.

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Steelers Report Card for Win Over Bengals: Old Offense Learns New Tricks Edition

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Taken from the notebook of a teacher who is pleased to see his old offense learn new tricks, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the 2026 win over the Bengals at Acrisure.

Derrick Harmon seals the Steelers win with a strip-sack of Joe Burrow.

Derrick Harmon seals the win by strip-sacking Joe Burrow. Photo Credit: Jarden Wickerham, Steelers.com

Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers went 19 of 34 for 3 touchdowns and 1 interception on a pass his receiver should have caught. Rodgers impressed far more with his command at the line of scrimmage. A few throws missed their mark, and red zone performance late in the game could have been better. But a very good day for the veteran. Grade: B+Steelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
Jaylen Warren finally got his shot at being the Pittsburgh Steelers feature back. And he excelled running for 127 yards on 17 carries (minus  an 85-yard run nullified by a penalty), while catching 3 passes for 49 yards. And, while you don’t see it on the stat sheet, Warren delivered several critical pass blocks. Travis Homer and Lew Nichols both had a carry for naught. Grade: A

Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth only caught 2 passes for 30 yards, but his opening pancake block set the tone for the entire day. He also had a Tush-Push 3rd down conversion. Darnell Washington led the team in receiving yards, with 3 catches for 67; one converted a 3rd down where it took 4 players to stop him. Robert Tonyan caught 1 pass for 2 yards. Grade: B+

Wide Receivers
Roman Wilson started strong catching the first touchdown and converting a key third down. Then he bobbled a pass that led to an interception, setting up a Cincinnati score. He also had another drop. D.K. Metcalf only caught 3 passes for 31 yards and a touchdown, but for the first time this season he was a reliable receiver. Germie Bernard converted a third down with his lone 14 yard catch and made a key block in Washington’s 47-yard reception. Ben Skowronek caught a 23 yard touchdown that broke Steelers 1st-quarter, 2-touchdown drought that had been running for 98 games. Grade: B

Offensive Line
This is the level of play that everyone expected when Omar Khan and Andy Weidl committed to rebuilding in the trenches in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Bengals defensive line has been wrecking games thus far, yet starting two new players, the Steelers offensive line more than held their own. Yes, there were breakdowns late in the game that led to field goals instead of touchdowns, but this was a good performance by any measure. Grade: B

Defensive Line
The Steelers defensive line kept the Bengals rushing attack in check. The unit didn’t have much luck in pressuring Joe Burrow – until it counted. First, Cam Heyward forced an incompletion that set up a punt, and then Derrick Harmon strip-sacked Burrow with the game on the line, as Sebastian Joseph-Day recovered. Grade: B+

Linebackers
The Bengals knew they had to get the ball out of Joe Burrow’s hands quickly, and they did, limiting the ability of the Steelers elite pass rushers to do their damage. But the linebackers contributed in other ways, with Patrick Queen coming up with a key pass deflection while leading the team in tackles. And Payton Wilson had a key tipped pass two plays before Heyward forced his incompletion. Grade: B

Secondary
Let’s acknowledge the obvious – the Bengals offense moved through the air early and often. But their longest pass play went for 28 yards – three Steelers had receptions longer than that – yeah, we all saw that coming, didn’t we? Jalen Ramsey was excellent in run support and Jamel Dean had a key pass deflection. Grade: B-

Ben Skowronek recovers a muffed punt to set up the go-ahead score.

Ben Skowronek streams in to recover a muffed punt. Photo Credit: Jordan Perez, Steelers.com

Special Teams
Kaden Wetjen had an average day as a kick returner while the Steelers coverage units were a little leaky. But Chris Boswell was perfect and Cameron Johnston only had one punt, but it went for 51 yards and he planted it inside the 20. The real star here was Ben Skowronek who recovered a muffed punt, setting up the go ahead score. Grade: B+

Coaching
A week ago after the loss to the Patriots, Mike McCarthy manned up and took responsibility for the offense’s poor performance.

What we saw this week was McCarthy’s ability to transform accountability into action. McCarthy made the bold decision to make two changes on his offensive line. The result was the best Steelers offensive line performance since Mike Munchak moved out west.

But McCarthy did more than change personnel; he devised a game plan that systematically picked apart the Bengals defense and ensured that his players executed it.

Aaron Rodgers burning 5 timeouts to get play calls right shows that this offense remains a work in progress; the fact that the first one of those time outs converted a 3rd and 5 into a 38-yard touchdown provides evidence that progress will be made.

We know that Patrick Graham instructed his players to keep Cincinnati’s pass catchers in front of them. This “Bend but don’t break” strategy succeeded in allowing the Steelers to keep pace, until Pittsburgh’s pass rush could get to Burrow just when they needed to. Grade: B

Max Iheanachor keeps Aaron Rodgers clean.

Max Iheanachor keeps Aaron Rodgers clean. Photo Credit: Trai Essex, X.com

Unsung Hero Award
Will this game mark some kind of milestone when the history of the McCarthy era is written? Today we don’t know. But when future football historians research this game’s box score on ESPN or Pro Football Reference, there’s one name they won’t see even though his play had an immediate impact. And for that, Max Iheanachor wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2026 win over the Bengals at Acrisure Stadium.

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Steelers Offense Comes to Life in 30-27 Win Over Bengals at Acrisure

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The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 30-27 at Acrisure Stadium in Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season, improving their record to 2-1 and keeping them even in the deadlocked AFC North.

  • Like any good AFC North rivalry game this one came down to the final gun.

When it was all said and done the Pittsburgh Steelers prevailed because a bold personnel decision made by Mike McCarthy had an end-to-end ripple effect across an offense that finally looked NFL-worthy.

Roman Wilson beats Jalen Davis for the Steelers 1st touchdown in the week 3 2026 win over the Bengals

Roman Wilson beats Jalen Davis for the first touchdown. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Four Plays Signal a Dramatically Different Steelers Offense

One constant through the Steelers win over the Falcons and their loss to the Patriots has been a substandard offense. This continued a trend from previous seasons that Mike McCarthy’s hire was supposed to change that. Yet he hadn’t.

Worse yet, the Bengals defense, highlighted by the arrival of Dexter Lawrence, was looking scary good. The recipe seemed to spell disaster for the Steelers.

But it only took Mike McCarthy and his players 4 plays to prove that this offense was capable of something both different and better.

The first play from scrimmage saw Jaylen Warren line up behind Aaron Rodgers, with Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington linked up besides him in the backfield. It wasn’t exactly a Wishbone formation, but the smart money was that McCarthy was going to use his bruising blockers to challenge the Bengals up the middle.

He did not. Instead he called a pass play where Warren slipped into the flat, Pat Freiermuth pancaked a would-be tackler, and 30 yards and a blink of an eye later, Warren was in Bengals territory.

A five-yard dink-and-dunk pass to Roman Wilson and an incompletion brought up a third and five. And here is when things really changed.

  • How many times have we seen Steelers drives sputter in similar moments?

Raise your hand if you weren’t quietly hoping to avoid a sack and wondering whether Chris Boswell could make a 60-yarder. A lot of people should be raising their hands, but Mike McCarthy isn’t one of them.

Instead he was bunching four wideouts on the weakside, allowing Roman Wilson to gain a full 5 yards to hook up with Aaron Rodgers for a 38-yard touchdown.

No, Pittsburgh hadn’t proven it could go touchdown-for-touchdown with Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ high-octane offense, but the Steelers offense had at least made the suggestion….

12 Hands in the Pile for Pittsburgh’s Offense

You can attach a lot of superlatives to the Steelers offensive performance, even if no one will or should mistake it for the Greatest Show on Turf. But what really sticks out is that it was a end-to-end team performance with 12 different players touched the ball.

  • Roman Wilson showed he was more than dink-and-dunk/garbage time wideout
  • D.K. Metcalf didn’t dominate, but caught 3 of 5 passes thrown his way, including a touchdown
  • Germie Bernard only had one catch, but it converted a critical third down
  • Bernard also made a heads-up block enabling the longest catch of the game
  • Darnell Washington made that catch, as well as a critical third down conversion

These individual performances, while important, don’t capture the full story of the step forward the offense took against the Bengals. Mike McCarthy has professed his desire for a balanced run-pass ratio.

With Aaron Rodgers throwing 34 passes and Steelers running backs carrying the ball 19 times, that ratio was once again skewed. But that ratio also shows how too tight a focus on statistics and skew the understanding of the game, as the Steelers second touchdown illustrates.

Ben Skowronek comes in motion, moves up field as if he’s a blocker, Rodgers fakes the handoff to Warren, the safety bites an in another blink of an eye Skowronek is scoring a touchdown – by forcing Cincinnati to respect the run, Rodgers burned the Bengals through the air.

Run! Jaylen Run!

Ever since he arrived as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2022, both fans and professional commentators have been screaming for the Steelers to use Jaylen Warren as a featured running back.

  • For one reason or another, that role never emerged for Warren.

Until today.

And Warren proved he was more than up to the task. How good was Warren? Well, he logged a near-All Pro level game despite the fact that his best run, an 85-yarder, was called back due to a ticky-tacky penalty.

Jaylen Warren breaks one in the 2nd quarter of the Steelers week 3 2026 win over the Bengals.

Jaylen Warren breaks free. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla

Warren hurt the Bengals through the air and on the ground, rushing for 127 yards and catching 3 passes for 49 yards. His play wasn’t flawless – he stumbled on what could have been a game-clinching touchdown run – but Warren was easily the MVP.

Special Teams, Defense Deliver When It Counts

The Steelers special teams were en route to a meh afternoon — Kaden Wetjen wasn’t scaring anyone with his kick returns, and the Steelers return coverage was a little too leaky, spotting the Bengals a little too much yardage.

Yet, when Ke’Shawn Williams let a punt bounce off of him with 11:04 left in the 4th quarter Ben Skowronek streaked in to make the recovery.

  • Four plays later, Chris Boswell was kicking the tying field goal

Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins no doubt made a lot of Fantasy Football Owners happy after this game. It is easy to see why. Each man caught a touchdown, with Burrow throwing another to Mike Gesicki, and really for much of the afternoon they made it look easy.

But the defense delivered when it counted. Going into the locker room at halftime Mike McCarthy revealed that he needed his defense to get two stops of Burrow in the second half (who can imagine Mike Tomlin saying something like that?)

And that’s what he got. Midway through the 4th quarter with the Bengals at midfield on 3rd and 2, Cam Heyward wrapped Burrow forcing him to ground it, bringing up a punt.

  • That allowed the Steelers to score the go-ahead field goal.

Giving the ball to Burrow with 2 minutes left and 2 timeouts is a very dangerous proposition, but with the Bengals passing from Pittsburgh’s 38 the Derrick Harmon strip sacked Burrow, with Sebastian Joseph-Day recovering, allowing the Mike McCarthy to send out the victory formation.

I’ll gladly trade fancy passing stats to Fantasy Football fans in exchange for defensive linemen that can rattle elite quarterbacks in critical situations on any given Sunday.

Offensive Line Provides the Foundation – Now It Is Time to Build

It wasn’t quite a shootout, but the Pittsburgh Steelers did outscore the Cincinnati Bengals. This end-to-end offensive effort was anchored by two names you won’t see in the stat sheet, Max Iheanachor and Brock Hoffman. The right side of the offensive line had been shaky through the first two games.

  • Mike McCarthy not only took note, he took action by starting Iheanachor and Hoffman.

Switching out 2/5 of your offensive line in Week 3 is a risk, but McCarthy’s decision paid immediate dividends:

Great offensive lines are built over the course of seasons, not in single games. Nor was the unit perfect, as sacks forced twin 4th quarter possessions into field goal situations. But hopefully this performance is something that both the line itself and the entire offense can build on.

Hopefully they’re fast builders, because a trip to Cleveland and another AFC North Game is just three days away….

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Steelers Report Card for Loss to Patriots — Self Sabotage at Gillette Edition

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Taken from the gradebook of a teacher sad to see his students self-sabotage, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the 2026 loss to the Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

T.J. Watt closes in to sack Derek Maye in the Steelers 2026 loss to the Patriots.

T.J. Watt seconds before sacking Derek Maye. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers went 23-39 for zero touchdowns and 1 interception. The interception wasn’t his fault; he got zero help from his receivers and he got even less from his offensive line, but even controlling for that, too many of his passes were off target. Grade: DSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
Jaylen Warren had 11 carries for 43 yards and 2 catches for 35 yards. Rico Dowdle had 7 carries for 22 yards and 2 catches for 22 yards. Travis Homer had 2 carries for 16 yards. Decent numbers, but the running backs could not establish any semblance of a rhythm. Grade: C-

Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth had 4 catches for 32 yards on 5 targets and 1 carry in the tush push. Darnell Washington had one catch for 7 yards. Hard to say the tight ends were part of the problem, but easy to observe that they failed to step up as part of the solution. Grade: D

Wide Receivers
Rookie Germie Bernard looked to be the one bright spot here, until he let a pass bounce out of his hands to kill a scoring drive when a sliver of a comeback chance remained. D.K. Metcalf had 4 catches for all of 27 yards – and that includes a 16-yard quasi garbage-time catch. Roman Wilson caught 5 checkdown passes for 28 yards. Ben Skowronek had one catch for 2 yards.

So watch out for those Steelers wideouts on those sub-five yard passes. They’ll get you every time…

…Ah, once again, Generation X Steelers fans are left longing for the days of Charles Lockett, Derek Hill, Dwight Stone  and heck, why not Weegie Thompson? Grade: F

Offensive Line
Where to start? The unit let its quarterback get hit 7 times, sacked 4 times, 2 of which were strip sacks. There were a couple of flashes of respectability in the run blocking, but nothing of any sort of consequence and certainly not early enough in the game when the Steelers needed it the most. Grade: F

Defensive Line
Cam Heyward had another tipped pass and 3 tackles. Derrick Harmon led the team in tackles with 9 and had half of a sack. If you exclude two long runs by Patriots running backs, the Steelers contained the run well enough to win. Grade: B-

Linebackers
T.J. Watt had a sack and a half. Patrick Queen hauled in an interception. Payton Wilson had a tackle for a loss. Alex Highsmith had a sack and three tackles for losses. All good. But Highsmith had an off sides penalty that gave the Patriots new life, and two plays later TreVeyon Henderson cut through the heart of the Steelers defense like a knife – untouched by any linebacker. Grade: B-

Secondary
No Patriots receiver caught more than 3 passes and only one sniffed 100 yards. Romeo Doubs did burn the Steelers for a 63-yard gain, but the defense held after that. Grade: B-

Special Teams
Chris Boswell was 1-1 on field goals, missing a 57 yarder but making a 56 yarder with room to spare. Cameron Johnston boomed off 8 punts for a 48.1 yard average and pinned the Patriots inside the 20 on three separate occasions, arguably making him the MVP of the Steelers offense. Kaden Wetjen and Eli Heidenreich had solid days as returners, but the same can be said of New England’s returners. Grade: C

Coaching
Let’s start with the positive. Patrick Graham’s defense turned out a “above the line” performance. Yes, his unit suffered two critical lapses but, to the naked eye, both issues appear to be correctable.

And everything we’ve seen and heard about Graham indicates he can and will make those corrections….

…If it were only so easy to say the same thing about the offense.

To his credit, Mike McCarthy manned up and took responsibility after the game. He went as far as to intimate that he’d seen warning signs in practice (something Mike Tomlin never would have done.)

  • Fair enough. The first step towards solving a problem is to acknowledge it.

The bigger question is now that he’s embraced the elephant in the room, what can he, Brian Angelichio and, perhaps most importantly, offensive line coach James Campen do about it? While no phase of the Steelers offense played winning football against the Patriots, the offensive line was worst of all.

Fixing that won’t magically make D.K. Metcalf win combat catches or propel Roman Wilson to do more than catch check downs, but without better play from the line none of that will matter.

  • Right now, that seems like an impossible task for James Campen.

But let’s remember that after the Steelers dropped a 26-6 decision to the Ravens in week 2 of the 2014 season, no one was calling Mike Munchak an offensive line genius. By the end of the season they were.

So there is hope even if it doesn’t feel like it today. But its up to McCarthy, Angelichio and Campen to translate that hope into reality – and they need to do it fast. Grade: F

Nick Herbig closes in during the Steelers 2026 loss to the Patriots.

Nick Herbig closes in. Photo Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images via the Lexington Herald-Ledger

Unsung Hero Award
He ended the Patriots’ first drive with a forced fumble, he had 3 tackles for losses including one on third down that wrecked another drive, forcing a punt when the Pittsburgh still had a shot at a comeback. For that Nick Herbig wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2026 loss to the Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

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Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for Win Over Falcons: New Era Edition

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Taken from the grade book of a teacher excited to welcome both new students and a new era, here is the Report Card for the 2026 Steelers season-opening win over the Falcons at Acrisure Stadium.

Darnell Washington stiff arms Xavier Watts.

Darnell Washington lets Xavier Watts know who is boss. Photo Credit: Jordan Perez, Steelers.com

Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers went 24 of 40 for 221 yards and one touchdown. Rodgers looked comfortable and in command of the offense, made good decisions and suffered too many drops. Grade: BSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
Jaylen Warren carried 10 times for 46 yards but coughed up the ball setting up Atlanta’s only touchdown. Warren also caught 5 passes for 27 yards. Rico Dowdle carried 8 times for 15 yards and caught 2 passes for 6 yards. The Steelers running backs didn’t keep any Fantasy Football owners happy but Warren did move the chains late in the game. Grade: C-

Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth had a solid afternoon catching 5 passes for 46 yards for the team’s only touchdown. He also blocked well. Darnell Washington only caught 2 passes for 18 yards and it is tempting to give the group an “A” just for his 15 yard catch (see the lead photo.) We won’t go that far, but the tight ends were easily the strongest unit on the offense. Grade: B+

Wide Receivers
D.K. Metcalf caught 4 passes on 10 targets. He was robbed of a long gain by a non-pass interference call, but dropped a highly catchable ball that he could have taken to the house. Roman Wilson caught 3 passes on 6 targets but gave up a combat catch in the end zone. Michael Pittman Jr. had the best day of the trio, catching 3 for 58, and brings the group grade up. Grade: D

Offensive Line
This was an area of worry going into the game, but the line was OK. Aaron Rodgers only gave up two sacks and had more time to pass than he did a year ago. Dylan Cook still looks uneasy a right tackle and Spencer Anderson also had some difficult moments, but the center and the left of the line had a solid afternoon. Grade: C

Defensive Line
Is there anything that Cam Heyward can’t do? He stuffed  Bijan Robinson on a number of occasions and batted down 3 passes. The Steelers defensive line didn’t put up gaudy statistics, but they contained Robinson, which was critical to the success of the rest of the defense. Grade: B+

Linebackers
Payton Wilson led the group with 13 tackles including 2 for losses and was all over the field. Patrick Queen was next with 7. Nick Herbig was on the field for 60% of the snaps making 2 tackles and one QB hit. Alex Highsmith ended the Falcons opening and closing drives with sacks. The real star was T.J. Watt who was in Hall of Fame form with 2 tackles, 2 for losses, 1 pass batted down, 2 sacks and 1 pick six. Grade: A

Secondary
A brand new secondary started for the Steelers compared to what was on the field the last time they opened a season vs the Falcons in 2024. And the new unit played well. Neither Jamel Dean’s nor Asante Samuel Jr.’s name was heard much and for both cornerbacks that was a good thing. Jalen Ramsey was likely out of position on one of Robinson’s long gains, but he did step up with a critical pass defense. And Pittsburgh native Jaquan Brisker hauled in an interception that set up the first TD. Grade: A-

Special Teams
Jim Wexell quoted the legendary Bill Nunn as saying that Danny Smith was the most well-organized special teams coach he’d ever seen. After watching the Steelers special teams’ first game without Smith since 2013, that’s easy to believe.

Eli Heidenreich and Kaden Wetjen had solid though not spectacular debuts as return men. But the Steelers coverage units gave up more than you’d like to see, and had a long gain against them reversed by a penalty. Chris Boswell went 2-3 missing a makeable field goal, and the entire unit lost another with a “what was that?” moment. Clearly, Danny Crossman has work to do. Grade: D

Coaching
The last time someone other than Mike Tomlin coached the Steelers, MySpace dominated social media, Twitter was in its infancy and if you wanted to rent a movie, you drove to Blockbuster.

Outside of a handful of exceptions, this was an end-to-end overhaul of the Steelers coaching staff, and by and large new head coach Mike McCarthy and his coaches did well in their first game with Pittsburgh.

For all of the criticism of the new Steelers offense looking the same as the old offense, Mike McCarthy and Brian Angelichio’s play design and play calling choices differed greatly from what Pittsburgh has seen. And with just a little better execution, the score would have been very different.

Patrick Graham has no shortage of weapons to use on defense, and he deployed them wisely. This allowed several key players to step up at critical moments and this was the difference in the game.

September football is synonymous with sloppy football. The Steelers were no exception. But Pittsburgh was better prepared than Atlanta as the final score indicates. Grade: B

Derrick Harmon, Jack Sawyer and Payton Wilson gang tackle Brian Robinson during the Steelers win over the Falcons.

Jack Sawyer helps gang tackle Brian Robinson. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Unsung Hero Award
Sometimes less is more. T.J. Watt played well all day, but he exploded in the last 18 minutes. We’ve seen that before but not for a while. Over the past 3 seasons, Watt has played over 80% of the defensive snaps. Against the Falcons it was in the low 60s. And he was able to do that because a young, second-year defender was able to come in and spell him, and for that Jack Sawyer wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2026 opening-day win over the Atlanta Falcons.

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5 Quick Takes on the Steelers Initial 2026 53-Man Roster

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It took 2 trades, cuts of four experienced veterans, 1 surprise injured reserve designation and an unorthodox quarterback decision, but Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy have assembled the Pittsburgh Steelers initial 53 man roster for the 2026 season.

Here are 5 quick takes on their roster decisions which come after a look at the initial roster in its entirety.

Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar at Steelers OTAs in the spring of 2026

Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar at Steelers OTAs. Photo Credit: Alysa Rubin, Steelers.com

The Initial Pittsburgh Steelers 53 Man Roster

Quarterbacks (4)

Aaron Rodgers
Mason Rudolph
Will Howard
Drew Allar

Running Backs (4)

Jaylen Warren
Rico Dowdle
Eli Heidenreich, Running Back/Wide Receiver
Riley Nowakowski, Fullback

Offensive Line (9)

Troy Fautanu
Mason McCormick
Zach Frazier
Spencer Anderson
Dylan Cook
Max Iheanachor
Gennings Dunker
Brock Hoffman
Ryan McCollum

Tight Ends (3)

Pat Freiermuth
Darnell Washington
Robert Tonyan

Wide Receivers (6)

D.K. Metcalf
Michael Pittman Jr
Roman Wilson
Germie Bernard
Ben Skowronek
Kaden Wetjen

Defensive Line (7)

Cam Heyward
Keeanu Benton
Derrick Harmon
Yahya Black
Sebastian Joseph-Day
Gabriel Rubio
Kevin Jobity Jr.

Linebackers (8)

T.J. Watt
Alex Highsmith
Patrick Queen
Payton Wilson
Nick Herbig
Jack Sawyer
Carson Bruener
Cole Holcomb

Cornerbacks (5)

Jalen Ramsey
Joey Porter Jr.
Jamel Dean
Asante Samuel Jr.
Brandin Echols
Daylen Everette

Safeties (3)

Jaquan Brisker
Robert Spears-Jennings
Rayshawn Jenkins

Specialists (3)

Chris Boswell, kicker
Cameron Johnston, punter
Christian Kuntz, long snapper

Injured Reserve Designated Return

DeShon Elliott, safety
Jack Driscoll, offensive line

1. Take Mike McCarthy at His Word on 4 Quarterbacks

When Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar were the only 3 quarterbacks during OTA’s Mike McCarthy affirmed that “4 quarterbacks would be awesome.” He meant it. For the third time in 21 years, the Steelers are keeping 4 quarterbacks on their initial roster. In 1995 they did it from a position of strength, in 1999 they did it from a position of weakness.

This time it is somewhere in between, but given the dynamics of the room, McCarthy is making the right move by keeping 4 quarterbacks.

2. There’s No Numbers in Safety

The most concerning personnel move the Steelers made was to put DeShaun Elliott on the injured reserve list. Sebastian Castro got cut while Donte Kent is on the PUP list.

That leaves the Steelers with 3 safeties, one of whom is a 7th round pick and another 9-year veteran on his 6th team.

Mike McCarthy has talked about using Jalen Ramsey as a Charles Woodson like chess-piece. I suspect he’ll start 2026 the way he finished 2025 – working as a strong safety.

Jalen Ramsey and DeShone Elliott at St. Vincents in the summer of 2025.

Jalen Ramsey and DeShone Elliott at St. Vincents. Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images, via SI.com.

3. Steelers Lean into the “Fail Fast” Principle

The first major move that Omar Khan and McCarthy made was to deal 2023’s first round pick Broderick Jones off to Dallas, after just 3 seasons with the Steelers. The duo didn’t stop there, shipping off 2025’s 3rd round pick Kaleb Johnson to Green Bay for a 6th round pick.

During the spring McCarthy promised Johnson a clean slate moving in 2026. And he clearly got a long-look early in training camp.

But he fell out of favor with the coaches and will now follow his NFL dream with the Packers. Clearly neither Omar Khan nor Mike McCarthy are allowing sentimentally to cloud their decisions.

Kaleb Johnson heads for the open field in the Steelers August 2026 preseason loss to the New York Jets at Acrisure Stadium.

Kaleb Johnson almost breaks won. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

4. Youth Over Experience

The entire Steelers 2026 draft class has made the final roster. Some of these guys could be headed to IR if veterans are re-signed and this may not be a first, but it is a rare occurrence.

  • Much has been made about the age of the Steelers roster.

And while the average age of the Steelers roster is a bit skewed by the presence of Aaron Rodgers and Cam Heyward, Mike McCarthy and his staff clearly opted for youth over experience.

Veterans such as Dean Lowry, Elandon Roberts, Malik Harrison, Travis Homer and Esezi Otomewo all got visits from The Turk.

Some of these players could be back either in the next few days or after the opener, but McCarthy clearly isn’t beholden to something that a player has done for the team or done in the league in the past, but instead is focused on what he believes players can do in the future.

5. The Ball is in Porter’s Court

The Steelers also had to decide to activate Joey Porter Jr. from the PuP list or keep him there for the first 4 games of the season. The Steelers activated him.

  • In doing so, they put the ball in Porter’s court.

The Steelers would like to extend Porter’s contract, and Porter purportedly wants to stay in Pittsburgh. But the two sides can’t agree on a number.

  • Mike McCarthy, unlike Mike Tomlin, doesn’t seem to have much use for “hold ins.”

Word is the Steelers want Porter to participate in practice before engaging in serious contract negotiations. Now that he’s off the PuP list he has to decide whether he’ll do that or not.

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5 (Not So) Random Takes from the Steelers 28-9 Preseason Win Over the Packers

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Mike McCarthy’s Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Green Bay Packers 28-9 to open their 2026 preseason campaign on a hot and steamy night at Acrisure Stadium.

The win gave fans their long-awaited look at quarterbacks Will Howard and Drew Allar as well as wide receivers Germie Bernard and Kaden Wetjen along with cornerback Daylen Everette.

  • After watching a game chocked full of ESPN-worthy highlights, what are hard takeaways?

How about Mike McCarthy now has one more thing in common with Mike Tomlin than he does with Bill Cowher or Chuck Noll because McCarthy, like Tomlin, won his preseason debut whereas Cowher and Noll lost theirs….

Now that you’re prepared for a “Steelers Preseason” Final Jeopardy, let’s acknowledge that injuries are about the only hard truths that come out of the first preseason game of the summer. And fortunately the Steelers appeared to emerge relatively clean on that front.

But it was an exciting win, and it did leave commentators with a lot to comment on. So let’s comment.

Mason Rudolph evades Warren Brinson in the Steelers 2026 preseason opener vs the Packers.

Who doesn’t like a quarterback who knocks the helmet off of a defender? Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune Review.

1. Front and Center Focus Gives Us a Mixed Bag

The most important thing for the Steelers to get right this summer is to solidify their offensive line and strengthen their defensive spine.

  • The Packers game gave them their first test and results were mixed.

Pass protection was erratic. Mason Rudolph was only in for a handful of series and he was still sacked twice. Both Dylan Cook and Troy Fautanu got beat in critical snaps. The Steelers also averaged 2.6 yards on the ground, so the offensive line wasn’t exactly road-grading either.

Still, with that understood, the offensive line did give Rudolph enough protection to complete 10 of 11 passes and march the team to the one yard line.

On the flip side, the Steelers defense had a strong night overall, keeping the Packers out of the end zone for the entire game. Although Keeanu Benton got the start at nose tackle, both Yahya Black and Gabriel Rubio saw extended time and both men looked good, with Rubio logging six tackles.

2. Rudolph, Howard, Allar and the Quarterback Derby

Both Will Howard and Drew Allar made their NFL debuts and both men played very well.

Howard impressively ran the two-minute drill to set up Lew Nichols touchdown just before the end of the first half. Allar relieved him at the end of the third quarter, throwing two touchdown passes while running one in on his own.

Allar went 10 of 13 for 2 TDs and 163 yards with no sacks, while Howard went 10 of 11 for 93 yards and one sack. That’s about as good as anyone could have hoped for or expected.

But if you were to judge their performance by reactions on social media, you’d think the Steelers suddenly had a Joe Montana-Steve Young situation on their hands. OK, perhaps that exaggerates things slightly, but it is amazing to see the number of people who are ready to cut Mason Rudolph after watching Howard and Allar.

Yes, both Howard and Allar looked good, but they did most of their work playing against guys who, in a month’s time, will count themselves lucky if they land a tryout with the Brooklyn Pharaohs.

In contrast, the vast majority of the men Mason Rudolph played against will make the Packers’ opening day roster, and many will start. What really stuck out about Rudolph was his poise.

He didn’t have great pass protection, and Travis Homer wasn’t exactly “pounding the rock.” Yet he remained in command of the offense at all times to the point where his best pass of the night was officially an incomplete one:

Yes, we can and should be pleased to see Howard and Allar get off to good starts. But if Aaron Rodgers should become unavailable, this is the kind of quarterback I want taking his place.

3. Reclamation ROI in Real Time?

The Steelers defense put up a lot of stats, and several players made eye-catching plays. But the one man who really stood out was cornerback Asante Samuel Jr..

When Joey Porter Jr.’s hold-in began, someone on social media speculated that he might be in the process of Wally Pipping himself. That’s a bit extreme. But Asante Samuel Jr. played extremely well, and at this point looks to be a real asset in the secondary.

Rookie safety and 7th round draft pick Robert Spears-Jennings also looked good.

4. Wetjen Strikes Just When You Least Expect It

The only real eyebrow raising choice in the Steelers 2026 draft class was using a fourth-rounder on Kaden Wetjen. The Steelers drafted him as a kick returner, as he had a total of 13 catches in his college career.

And throughout training camp wise scribes such as Jim Wexell and Roy Countryman have been telling us that Wetjen’s been looking extremely sharp as a return man, but didn’t figure to be a factor in the passing game.

Against the Packers, Wetjen got to return 3 kicks and 2 punts and, while he didn’t do anything to look bad, he also did nothing special. No sooner did that thought occur to me than Drew Allar found him on this slant route:

  • Quite impressive, even if a stumble cost him a touchdown.

Yet, Allar found him later in the end zone, and the evening ended with Wetjen leading the Steelers in receiving yards and catching a touchdown.

Kaden Wetjet catches a touchdown from Drew Allar during the Steelers 2026 preseason win over the Packers

Kaden Wetjet catches a Drew Allar touchdown. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

The odds favor Wetjet’s 79-yard streaking reception to be more of a Matthew Thomas type play (name ring a bell but can’t quite place this one? Then click here) than Franco Harris taking it to the house in his preseason debut, but he did show us that we shouldn’t sleep on him being a part of the wide receiving room.

5. A Word About the Offense

The Steelers offense scored four touchdowns, had 17 first downs, converted 7 of 13 third downs and had a slight edge in time of possession. The numbers alone, of course, in a preseason game tell us next to nothing.

  • But the unit passed “the eye test.”

In the heyday of Kenny Pickett’s preseason glory days the Steelers offense put together some nice drives, but they had a video game feel too them dissipated immediately once the games counted for real.

In the booth during the game Art Rooney II described Mike McCarthy as “meticulous” and this is how his offense felt. Even when you control for the quality of competition, the Steelers offense played like a unit that knew what it wanted to do, and was going out and doing it. And the maintained that same “look and feel” with three separate quarterbacks.

Finally, seeing rookie fullback Riley Nowakowski lining up in a Power-I Formation early in the game? That was a true cherry on top.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is only preseason. Let’s keep it real. But it’s far better to look good than to look bad.

 

 

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Steelers 2026 Draft Class Emphasizes Offense and Versatility

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The 2026 NFL Draft is in the history books.

Record crowds came to Pittsburgh. We saw a veritable parade of Steelers Hall of Famers strut the stage, from Jerome Bettis, to Mel Blount, to Lynn Swann & John Stallworth to Hines Ward. Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger embraced.

Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy selected 10 players to form the Steelers 2026 Draft Class. Khan traded up twice, traded down once, made one rather infamous phone call, and closed the draft with a hometown hero story that Barry Levinson couldn’t have scripted better. (Hum, could Levinson, a Baltimore native, have had a hand in scripting the Lemon trade….?)

Steelers 2026 draft picks Germie Bernard, Daylen Everette, Drew Allar and Gennings Dunker.

Germie Bernard, Daylen Everette, Drew Allar and Gennings Dunker. Photo Credit: Jared Wickerham, Steelers.com

Before we can unpack what it all means, let’s take a look at the newest members of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Steelers 2026 Draft Class at a Glance:

Round 1: Max Iheanachor, Offensive Tackle, Arizona State
Round 2: Germie Bernard, Wide Receiver, Alabama
Round 3: Drew Allar, Quarterback, Penn State
Round 3: Daylen Everette, Cornerback, Georgia
Round 3: Gennings Dunker, Guard, Iowa
Round 4: Kaden Wetjen, Return Specialist/WR, Iowa
Round 5: Riley Nowakowski, Fullback, Indiana
Round 6: Gabriel Rubio, Defensive End, Notre Dame
Round 7: Robert Spears-Jennings, Safety, Oklahoma
Round 7: Eli Heidenreich, Running Back-Wide Receiver, Navy

So what grade do Khan and McCarthy get for this draft?

Ask me in 5 years.

Seriously. Chuck Noll waited 5 years to judge draft classes, and if that was good enough for him, it is good enough for me. With that said the Steelers 2026 draft class has already given us a few early lessons.

The obvious one is that Khan and McCarthy leaned in heavily on offense. Given the JVness of the Steelers offenses in 2023, 2024 and 2025 that’s logical. But there are other, deeper lessons to be found.

Putting the Malik Lemon Draft-Day Miss in Historical Perspective

As everyone knows, Omar Khan was on the phone with Malik Lemon while Dallas was on the clock, only to have the Eagles trade up and draft Lemon, leaving the Steelers to scramble and draft Max Iheanachor instead.

The social media general managers in Steelers Nation pounced, torching Omar Khan for mishandling the situation.

Let’s put this phone call and the draft day “miss” with Malik Lemon into perspective…

…Once upon a time the NFL had an 800 pound gorilla that dominated the draft. This gorilla used the draft to transform a team that won 4 games in two seasons into a team that won 3 Super Bowls in 4 years with only 3-year ramp. The gorilla’s name was Jimmy Johnson

During the 1992 NFL Draft, Johnson sent an assistant coach, contract in hand, to Leon Searcy’s home. The idea was to draft Searcy, sign him and get him on a plane before the ink dried.

Alas Jimmy Johnson ran into a little problem.

Tom Donahoe and Bill Cowher drafted Leon Searcy before he could. This was long before the digital age, yet the story dominated draft coverage on Big 3, CNN and especially ESPN….

…Except it didn’t.

The world had to wait for Jim Wexell’s On the Clock to tell that story.

Leon Searcy was an excellent tackle and, in the Heinz Field era, likely would have been a life-long Steeler. But after missing out on Searcy, Jimmy Johnson traded down and drafted Kevin Smith.

Emmit Smith, Levon Kirkland, Greg Lloyd, Carnell Lake, Steelers vs Cowboys, Super Bowl XXX, Super Bowl 30

Levon Kirkland and Greg Lloyd tackle Emmitt Smith in Super Bowl XXX. Photo Credit: Steelers.com

Kevin Smith played 103 games for the Dallas Cowboys, started 93 of them, made 19 interceptions, forced 7 fumbles and made UPI’s 2nd team All-Conference squad in 1996. He retired with 3 Super Bowl rings, including one for the Cowboys win over the Steelers in Super Bowl XXX.

The moral of the story is this: Judge not by who you missed, but who you picked after pivoting.

Why Versatility Defines the Steelers 2026 Draft Class

“Versatile.” “We won’t know exactly how he fits until we see him work with the group as a whole.” In some form or fashion, we heard those words from the Steelers coaching staff throughout the 2026 NFL Draft.

  • Yet, many Steelers commentators acted as if that’s a bad thing.

This started with the Eagles swooping in to draft Malik Lemon, forcing the Steelers to go back to their board and draft Max Iheanachor instead. Judging by his non-verbal behavior, Mike McCarthy was: 1. Glad to get Ihenachor and 2: Had little idea of how he’d fit into the Steelers line up.

  • Let’s embrace the elephant in the room.

Watching a beaming head coach or general manager explain exactly how a first round pick fits into their system breeds confidence.

But let’s acknowledge the flip side: The NFL Draft is a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get.

The point is that one of the worst things an NFL coaching staff can do is try to force players into a system that’s not suited for them. Bill Parcells drafted James Farrior as an outside linebacker where he was OK. Kevin Colbert brought him to Pittsburgh, Bill Cowher moved him inside, and he’s one of the best Steelers free agent signings ever.

By and large, forcing guys into systems they were unsuited for wasn’t a major issue during the Tomlin era.

But those who remember Joe Walton and Kevin Gilbride stints as offensive coordinator know just how caustic coaches trying to force square pegs into round holes can be.

Based on the post-draft press conferences, this won’t be an issue under Mike McCarthy.

The Draft = NFL’s Land of Hope and Dreams

It is fitting that the Steelers book-ended 2026 NFL Draft with Ben Roethlisberger and Terry Bradshaw hugging and drafting Mt. Lebanon native Eli Heidenreich because the draft is all about reconciling hopes with dreams.

Ben Roethlisberger and Terry Bradshaw hug at the 2026 NFL Draft.

Ben Roethlisberger and Terry Bradshaw hug at the 2026 NFL Draft. Photo Credit: Jared Wickerham, Steelers.com

It will be a while before we know how strong the Steelers 2026 Draft Class is. If 5 of the 10 newest Steelers “make it” as pro football players then that will make this draft an outstanding success.

Some guys won’t make the cut. Injuries will fell others. At least one will be a numbers game causality. That’s just the harsh reality of the NFL.

  • But let’s worry about that another day.

The NFL draft is a veritable “Land of Hopes and Dreams” (yes, that’s an intentional shout out to Springsteen.) Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy gave 10 men legitimate hope of realizing their NFL dream. Let’s let them enjoy that for a time, and as they continue to strive to be the best they can be.

And best of all? They’ll do it in Black and Gold.

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Steelers Draft Kaden Wetjen, Return Specialist, Iowa, in 4th Round of 2026 NFL Draft

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The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Kaden Wetjen, a return specialist out of Iowa, in the 4th round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

For the first time in this draft class, Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy ignored the Steelers 2026 Draft Need Matrix as special teams positions were not considered, but with Calvin Austin and Kenneth Gainwell playing elsewhere, the Steelers needed to add a reliable kick returner to their roster.

The Steelers turned to Kaden Wetjen to upgrade their return game, prioritizing special teams impact over traditional positional needs.

Kaden Wetjen returns a kick for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Steelers 2026 4th round pick Kaden Wetjen

Kaden Wetjen boasted the Big 10’s best punt return average, clocking in at 26.8 yards while returning 3 punts for touchdowns. His kick return average was 29.8 last year which represented an improvement from his from average of 28.0 in 2024 when he led the conference.

Looking at his complete resume, he’s returned 56 kickoffs for an average of 27.5 yards per return and scored 2 touchdowns. Wetjen has also returned a total of 54 punts for an average of 17.7 yards per return and he’s scored 4 touchdowns.

But Wetjen isn’t strictly a one-trick pony. He caught 23 passes and a touchdown in college while also rushing the ball 23 times for 2 touchdowns.

  • The Steelers however see him primarily as a kick returner first, wide receiver second.

New Steelers special teams coach Danny Crossman explained to Jim Wexell why the Steelers were attracted to Wetjen:

Number one, he makes great decisions, good ball security. And then he is what I refer to as a catch-run-cut player. A lot of guys are looking to cut, maybe before they need to. He is fearless and he’s not going to make the cuts until he has to, and he can do it late.

Responding by email, Steel City Insider’s Matt C. Steel critiqued the decision, explaining, “I didn’t like the Wetjen pick. That’s too early for me for a return specialist.”

Kaden Wetjen Highlights: Why the Steelers Drafted a Return Specialist in Round 4

Matt C. Steel’s skepticism is understandable as the 4th round does seem to be a little early to draft a return specialist. But when you look at his tape, you can see why the Steelers gave in to the temptation to bend the rules:

Wetjen consistently identifies return lanes and makes defenders miss in space.

Kaden Wetjen’s Role: Immediate Impact on Steelers Special Teams

As a both a 4th round pick and someone filling a role that no one else on the roster is dedicated to, Kaden Wetjen is almost assured a roster spot.

Still, like the other rookies, he’s going to have to prove he belongs, but special teams is the place where rookies can make an immediate impact, and the Steelers drafted Wetjen to give their return game a shot in the arm.

And while my instinct is to agree with Steel that a 4th rounder is too early to draft a kick returner, it is also important to remember that Omar Khan and Andy Weidl have drafted Nick Herbig, Mason McCormick and Jack Sawyer in the 4th round, so their track record at this spot in the draft is pretty strong.

Let’s hope they go 4-4.

Welcome to Steelers Nation Kaden Wetjen.

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