The Steelers finally looked like an offense that could breathe.
After putting up only 16 points across the first two weeks, Pittsburgh broke loose for 411 yards and escaped Cincinnati with a 30-27 win over the Bengals. It was a night that featured big plays, a fresh look up front and enough chaos on special teams to swing the game late.
Pittsburgh opened with the ball and a reworked offensive line, with Brock Hoffman and Max Iheanachor stepping in for Spencer Anderson and Dylan Cook. From the start, the Steelers made it obvious the plan was to put the ball in Jaylen Warren’s hands. He caught a 30-yard pass on the game’s first snap, and a few plays later Aaron Rodgers hit Roman Wilson for a 38-yard touchdown to put Pittsburgh ahead 7-0.
Cincinnati answered with an 11-play march capped by a Ja’Marr Chase touchdown, but the Steelers weren’t about to let the game settle down. They responded with an 11-play drive of their own, and this one ended with Rodgers finding Ben Skowronek on a well-sold play design. Skowronek came in motion and slipped through the B gap like he was going to help on a run, only for Rodgers to pull it and fire a 23-yard touchdown.
Rodgers looked every bit like the veteran the Steelers needed. He finished 19-of-34 for 292 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. His third scoring throw came in the third quarter, when DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman ran intersecting crossers that helped create a collision between two Bengals defenders and left Metcalf uncovered.
The game turned on a pair of punts, and both breaks went Pittsburgh’s way. In the third quarter, Cam Johnston was hit in the knee, drawing a roughing the kicker call that kept the drive alive and eventually led to Metcalf’s touchdown.
Then, after Cincinnati grabbed a 27-24 lead in the fourth quarter, a muffed punt recovered by Skowronek gave the Steelers the chance to tie it. Pittsburgh’s defense then forced a three-and-out, and the offense answered with a 77-yard drive in eight plays before Chris Boswell drilled the go-ahead field goal for a 30-27 lead.
That still left Joe Burrow and the Bengals with a shot and just over two minutes on the clock. Derrick Harmon ended that threat fast. On first down inside Steelers territory, the defensive lineman broke through the Bengals’ line, sacked Burrow and forced a fumble that Sebastian Joseph-Day recovered to seal the win.
Warren was the centerpiece all night, finishing with 127 rushing yards and 49 receiving yards. The Steelers ran for 138 yards after totaling fewer than 100 over the first two games, and the offense nearly doubled its season production in one night.
Pittsburgh heads into Week 4 at 2-1 and opens the week Thursday night on the road against the 2-1 Cleveland Browns, with sole possession of the division lead on the line.
In Other News...
Antonio Brown Twists The Knife After Steelers Expose Bengals Again
The Steelers 30-27 win over the Bengals in Week 3 fit neatly into a familiar rivalry script: Pittsburgh found enough answers late, Cincinnati found another painful way to let one slip away. Joe Burrow threw for 282 yards and three touchdowns on 28-of-37 passing, but a late fumble helped tilt the game back toward the Steelers, and the Bengals were again left sorting through the kind of loss that tends to linger in a division race.
Burrow responded by urging his teammates to take ownership after the defeat, which is where the frustration really starts for Cincinnati. The defense had trouble slowing Jaylen Warren and Aaron Rodgers, and the Bengals are still left to reckon with the same problem teams in the AFC North hate most - a rivalry game they were in position to win, only to watch Pittsburgh walk out with it again. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylen Warrens Big Day Reignited A Steelers Frustration Fans Know Too Well
A routine play turned into a talking point all over again when a video captured something appearing to break apart or explode under Jaylen Warrens foot during the Steelers recent game. Warren kept going without any obvious issue, and the moment quickly got swallowed up by the bigger storyline of his day on offense, as he finished with 17 carries for 127 yards and added three catches for 49 yards.
Even so, the image was enough to send Steelers fans back to a familiar frustration: the playing surface at Acrisure Stadium. The field, shared by the Steelers and the University of Pittsburgh, has drawn complaints before, and the odd sequence involving Warren only reopened the conversation after a game in which his workload and production gave Pittsburgh plenty to like. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Finally Found An Offensive Spark But A Bigger Concern Remains
The Steelers got a much-needed offensive jolt in their Week 3 win over the Bengals, and for one afternoon at least, the unit looked more balanced than it had in the opening weeks. Jaylen Warren was a big part of that turnaround with a strong rushing performance, while some changes along the offensive line seemed to help the group find a better rhythm. It was the kind of showing Pittsburgh had been searching for, especially after an uneven start that had left plenty of questions about how quickly the offense could settle in.
Still, the bigger concern sits on the other side of the ball. Pittsburghs defense showed some vulnerabilities in the 30-27 win, and the absence of Joey Porter Jr. was hard to miss as Cincinnati found enough success to keep the game tight throughout. The Steelers can take comfort in finally seeing signs of life on offense, but they also know the next stretch will tell a lot about whether that improvement is sustainable if the defense remains a little less sure of itself. [Read more 🡒]