The Steelers left Gillette Stadium with more questions than answers after New England beat them up on Sunday, and the damage showed up everywhere. The offense never settled in, the line kept taking hits, and Aaron Rodgers spent most of the afternoon under pressure with little relief.
There were still a couple of bright spots, though, and they came on defense.
TJ Watt kept looking like the kind of player who can tilt a game all by himself. After a strong Week 1, he backed it up in Week 2 with 1.5 sacks and the same explosive first step that has made him such a problem for offenses. The edge rotation in Patrick Graham’s defense seems to be helping him, and Watt is playing like a man determined to chase another Defensive Player of the Year award.
Patrick Queen also made his presence felt with a timely interception of a Drake Maye pass that looked like it was headed right to him. Jack Sawyer helped force the issue with pressure on the play, and through two games the inside linebacker group has shown real flashes, especially with Queen and Payton Wilson beginning to emerge.
The story on offense was much uglier, starting with DK Metcalf. His production never matched the volume, and that gap is getting harder to ignore.
Metcalf saw nine targets but turned them into just four catches for 27 yards, while Roman Wilson and rookie second-round pick Germie Bernard both finished with more receiving yards on fewer targets. The drops continued to be an issue, and Mike McCarthy made an early effort to manufacture touches for him that didn’t lead anywhere.
Metcalf still leads the team in targets, but that workload is starting to look tough to defend.
The protection in front of Rodgers was even worse. Dylan Cook and Troy Fautanu were overwhelmed by New England’s front seven, and the Patriots got to Rodgers four times. Mason McCormick also exited in the second half with an injury, which only adds to the concern about how much inexperience this line may be forced to absorb soon.
Rodgers did not get much help from either his blockers or his pass catchers, so he doesn’t deserve all the blame. Even so, his pocket movement was shaky at times, and his lack of mobility showed up plainly in this one. He needs better support around him.
The run game didn’t offer much relief either. Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle both finished under four yards per carry, though Warren was once again the more effective back.
Dowdle also left the game twice because of a toe injury. Pittsburgh has leaned on the run on early downs this season, but it hasn’t paid off.
Until the passing game becomes a real threat, the ground attack is going to keep running into the same wall.
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Le'Veon Bell added to the noise by publicly questioning Metcalfs performance and contract value, a move that turned an internal concern into a broader conversation. For the Steelers, the larger issue is what comes next if the passing game remains inconsistent, because the alternatives are limited and the burden may have to shift elsewhere. Somebody in that offense needs to stabilize things quickly, and the margin for more missed chances is getting thin. [Read more 🡒]
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Johnson also pushed back on the image his public workouts might create, saying those videos do not reflect his true emotional state. For a player once central to Pittsburghs offense, the message carried an unmistakable sense of urgency: his mental health is his top priority right now. The football side of his story is still unsettled, but for the moment, the bigger concern is simply where Johnson is personally as he tries to move forward. [Read more 🡒]