The Pittsburgh Steelers already spent Week 2 getting shoved around up front, and the next challenge looks even uglier. Cincinnati brings Dexter Lawrence into Week 3, and for a Steelers offensive line that has been shaky at best, that is a brutal assignment.
Lawrence is walking into the matchup with momentum and a dream setup. He will often line up across from Pittsburgh’s right guard, which is exactly where the Steelers have been leaking.
Through two weeks, Spencer Anderson has been beaten repeatedly by defensive tackles. Against the Patriots in Week 2, he gave up four pressures and was part of a strip-sack that New England turned into a defensive touchdown.
Anderson may not even be the answer on Sunday. Brock Hoffman has been getting more work with the starting line in practice, so the Steelers could make a change. But swapping one name for another does not suddenly solve the problem when Lawrence is on the other side.
The Bengals defensive tackle has been wrecking games early in the 2026 season. In Sunday’s win over the Houston Texans, Lawrence finished with five pressures and three run stops. His 91.5 overall grade from Pro Football Focus makes him the top-rated defensive lineman in the NFL entering Week 3, and he has already piled up eight pressures in his first two games with Cincinnati.
That dominance helped Cincinnati choke off Houston’s ground game and get after C.J. Stroud. The Texans were held to 60 rushing yards, and Stroud was sacked four times for minus 39 yards.
For Pittsburgh, that creates an obvious danger. If Lawrence starts collapsing the pocket, the Steelers could be in trouble fast.
So the answer has to be help, and plenty of it. Double-teaming Lawrence is the first step, with Zach Frazier working alongside the right guard, whether that’s Anderson or Hoffman.
But that may not be enough on its own. Pittsburgh may need to keep a running back in to help Aaron Rodgers in pass protection or slide Darnell Washington into the backfield as an extra blocker.
And Lawrence is only part of the problem. Even without him, the Steelers would already be dealing with a difficult week because Joey Porter Jr. has been reluctant to play amid his contract dispute, and Pittsburgh still has to handle Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the outside.
Add it all together, and this has the look of a disaster waiting to happen unless Mike McCarthy and offensive line coach James Campen come up with a smart plan for Lawrence.
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Terry Bradshaw was blunt about his own day, acknowledging how poorly he played, while the Bengals had reasons to feel like they let one slip away. Ken Andersons side had enough chances to tilt the result, but the game kept refusing to make sense, with neither offense able to find much of a foothold. In a rivalry known for tension, this one stood out because the Steelers survived more than they won. [Read more 🡒]
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In the hypothetical, the Steelers would send Porter, Metcalf and a 2027 fourth-round pick to Detroit in exchange for a first-round selection and receiver Jameson Williams. It is only an idea on paper, but it captures the kind of high-stakes roster math that can hover around a team trying to balance present talent with future flexibility, especially when one of its best young defenders is already part of the uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]
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One speculative scenario has Pittsburgh sending Porter, DK Metcalf and a 2027 fourth-round pick to Detroit for Jameson Williams and a 2027 first-round pick, a swap that would put plenty of moving parts in play for both sides. It is still just an idea, not an official move, but the fact that Porters name is even part of the conversation shows how aggressively the Steelers may be weighing long-term value against short-term stability. [Read more 🡒]