Steelers fans are starting to feel better about where this team is headed, and Sunday’s game in Tampa Bay could push that feeling even further.
Pittsburgh heads into its matchup with the Buccaneers carrying injuries to Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson, but the bigger picture is still pretty encouraging. The Steelers are looking for their first road win of the season while staying perfect at home, and this is the start of a stretch that could shape the rest of their year.
What comes next is no easy lift. After Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh gets another NFC South team in the Saints, then back-to-back division games against the Bengals and Browns before finishing that run with an interstate meeting against the Eagles. A 3-2 record over those five games would leave the Steelers at 6-4, but there’s clearly a path to something better if they can keep stacking wins in the division.
The offensive line has been a real bright spot, with Troy Fantanu and Max Iheanchor holding down the tackle spots and Mason McCormick and Zach Frazier doing strong work on the interior. Jaylen Warren has also been on a tear, and there’s at least a conversation building around how much of a workhorse role he can handle even with Rico Dowdle back.
That optimism showed up in the latest fan poll. After Pittsburgh’s 34-22 win over the Colts, 49 percent of Steelers fans said they’re confident in the direction of the team.
If the Steelers beat the Buccaneers and move to 4-2, that number probably climbs again.
In Other News...
Aaron Rodgers Is Giving Steelers Fans A Real MVP Debate
Aaron Rodgers has given Steelers fans plenty to watch already, and now he has dragged himself into a familiar kind of conversation. The veteran quarterback, who has won the NFL MVP award four times and last took home the honor in 2021, is drawing fresh attention after a stretch that has reminded some observers of his best form. For a Pittsburgh team still measuring what Rodgers can mean in the bigger picture, any whisper of MVP talk is bound to travel fast.
Former defensive lineman Osi Umenyiora was among those willing to say the quiet part out loud, comparing Rodgers' current run to the kind of season that once carried him to the league's top individual prize. It is still just a prediction, of course, and plenty can change over a long season, but it speaks to how quickly Rodgers has shifted the conversation around the Steelers. When a quarterback with his rsum starts stacking up performances like this, the debate becomes less about nostalgia and more about whether he can keep it going long enough to make the idea real. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Get Another Big Test As AFC North Pressure Builds
A week after beating the Indianapolis Colts, the Steelers are headed back into the kind of game that can quickly tell you where a season is going. Pittsburgh is 3-2 and now gets the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, with the matchup airing on CBS and available through streaming, a timely checkpoint for a team trying to keep pace in a crowded AFC North.
The Buccaneers bring a different kind of pressure into the afternoon after picking up their first win of the season against the Dallas Cowboys, so this one has the feel of a measuring-stick game on both sides. Pittsburgh will be leaning on the same balance that has helped it stay afloat early, while Tampa Bay arrives with enough momentum to make this more than just another early October date on the calendar. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Get Needed Backfield Help Before A Bigger Offensive Question
Rico Dowdle is on track to give the Steelers a much-needed boost in the backfield in Week 6 after being sidelined since the toe injury he suffered in Week 2. In a season where the offense has had to juggle injuries at multiple spots, getting another running back back into the mix should at least help stabilize one area as Pittsburgh tries to keep things moving.
Mike McCarthy also made it clear the depth chart at running back is not shifting just because Dowdle is available again, with Jaylen Warren still holding the featured role. That leaves the Steelers in an interesting spot as they deal with injury issues at wide receiver and tight end, a situation that could push even more of the offense onto the backs and force the group to do a little of everything. [Read more 🡒]