The Steelers head into their Week 3 AFC North date with the Bengals carrying a problem that’s hard to ignore: their offense has been a mess through two games, and the issues start up front.
Still Curtain’s Tommy Jaggi laid out three areas Pittsburgh has to clean up, and the first one is the most obvious one. The offensive line has been leaking pressure, with right guard Spencer Anderson allowing seven pressures in Week 2.
One of those snaps turned into a strip-sack that the Patriots scooped up for a defensive touchdown. Jaggi said the unit has had trouble sorting out blitzes and stunts, and that it needs to “anchor and get on the same page quickly,” because protecting the quarterback is the most basic job on the field.
That problem gets even bigger against Cincinnati. The Bengals come into the game tied for first in the NFL in sacks with eight, and Pittsburgh’s communication will have to hold up against a front that has already made life miserable for quarterbacks.
Cincinnati’s defensive line, now featuring Boye Mafe, Jonathan Allen, Dexter Lawrence II, and Cashius Howell, has already made a real impact. If the Steelers keep losing the trench battle, that edge could show up in both the run game and the passing game.
Jaggi’s second concern is DK Metcalf, and the numbers have not been kind. He called Metcalf “abysmal” after the veteran caught just eight of 19 targets for 67 yards over the first two games.
He’s on pace for 26 drops, and his production is tracking toward a career low in catches and yards. Jaggi’s message was simple: Metcalf needs to “start playing bully-ball and focusing at the catch point.”
That’s a sharp drop from what Pittsburgh expected when it gave Metcalf a four-year, $132 million extension in 2025. So far, he hasn’t looked like a true WR1.
He has finished with 40 or fewer receiving yards in each of the first two games, and his recent run has been even more concerning: 11 of his last 12 games have ended with 55 or fewer receiving yards, and he has scored just two touchdowns in that stretch. The Steelers need him to win physically and create after the catch, but that hasn’t been happening with any consistency.
The final issue Jaggi pointed to is Aaron Rodgers, and it goes straight to the heart of what Pittsburgh’s offense is trying to be. Rodgers has looked hesitant in the pocket and unwilling to challenge defenses down the field, which has left him 30th in QBR and EPA among quarterbacks with at least 50 snaps entering Week 3. Jaggi wrote that Rodgers is “a shell of his former self,” but still has to be willing to attack the middle of the field, even if it means taking a hit.
That reluctance has helped drag the Steelers into ugly offensive territory. They enter Week 3 ranked 30th in total offense at 249.5 yards per game, 29th in pass offense at 175, and 31st in points per game at 11.5. Rodgers’ quick decisions have turned too often into checkdowns, and that kind of approach is only going to play into Cincinnati’s hands if the Bengals keep dropping seven and letting the rush work.
If Pittsburgh wants any chance of changing the script, it starts with Rodgers playing better, Metcalf giving them the WR1 production they paid for, and the line finally giving the quarterback some room to breathe. Otherwise, the Bengals’ front has a real chance to make this another long afternoon for the Steelers.
In Other News...
Bengals Still Have One Awkward Flacco Question Hanging Over Them
Joe Flacco spent part of the week batting away a familiar kind of noise, this time tied to the New York Giants and the possibility of a move that would have thinned the Bengals' quarterback room. He said he has no reason to believe Cincinnati is looking to trade him, and for now he is operating exactly where the team has him, as the backup quarterback and a veteran option waiting in reserve.
Flacco also said trades can still surface out of nowhere, which is part of what keeps these rumors alive even when the player involved is trying not to entertain them. A few friends had fun with the idea of a reunion with Giants head coach John Harbaugh, but Flacco made clear those whispers are not grounded in anything real, leaving the Bengals with the quieter, more awkward question of how much longer this storyline lingers. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Enter Steelers Showdown With One Major Defensive Concern
The Bengals head into their matchup with the Steelers carrying more than the usual early-season injury unease, and the middle of their defense is the spot worth watching most closely. Defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and B.J. Hill have both missed multiple practices, with Allen's absence tied to load management and Hill's availability still unclear, leaving Cincinnati with some uncertainty right where Pittsburgh likes to lean on opponents.
Andrei Iosivas is also expected to land on injured reserve, which trims another option from the mix as the Bengals sort through their lineup for a game that already has a physical feel to it. On the other side, Pittsburgh has its own questions, with cornerback Joey Porter Jr. limited and possibly available, while Michael Pittman and Jaylen Warren were also limited as the Steelers wait for further evaluation heading into Sunday. [Read more 🡒]
JaMarr Chase Could Make Bengals History In Pittsburgh
JaMarr Chase is headed into Pittsburgh with another benchmark hanging in the balance, and it is the kind of milestone that says as much about his start as a pro as it does about what the Bengals have built around him. He is fewer than 80 yards from 7,000 for his career, a total that would underscore just how quickly he has become one of the leagues most productive receivers.
If Chase gets there in his 81st game, he would move into rare company and sit fourth all-time for fewest games needed to reach the mark, ahead of Jerry Rice and Randy Moss. For Cincinnati, it is one more reminder that every trip to the field with Chase carries history-watch potential, even before the bigger questions around the season or the matchup are fully sorted out. [Read more 🡒]