The Steelers didn’t stumble into this stretch offense. They built it.
After a quiet opening two weeks, Pittsburgh has put together three straight games that look nothing like the group that started the season. Since Week 3, the Steelers rank fourth in EPA per play, according to Sumer Sports, with only the Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, and Cincinnati Bengals ahead of them.
Aaron Rodgers has been right in the middle of it, too. Over that same span, he ranks 13th in EPA per play among quarterbacks with at least 10 snaps, sitting ahead of Dak Prescott, Josh Allen, and Matthew Stafford.
He’s also thrown a league-high nine touchdown passes since Week 3 and piled up 827 passing yards, good for seventh.
That’s a decent answer to everyone who keeps treating Rodgers like he’s past the point of leading a team anywhere meaningful.
But the bigger story is what Pittsburgh is doing on the ground. Since Week 3, the Steelers trail only the Atlanta Falcons in EPA per rush, and their 5.58 yards per carry leads the NFL. That success has largely run through Jaylen Warren, who has turned the offense from ordinary into something with a clear identity.
Over the last three games, Warren has shown exactly what Pittsburgh can be when he’s used as the every-down dual threat so many have wanted. Among running backs with at least 10 touches, he leads the NFL in total EPA.
Not Bijan Robinson. Not Jahmyr Gibbs.
Not Derrick Henry. Jaylen Warren.
He’s also second in total rush EPA, second in rushing yards, second in impact place, second in yards per carry, third in missed tackles forced, and first in receiving yards among running backs.
His best day came in the win over the Colts, where he finally broke through for more than 100 rushing yards and more than 50 receiving yards in the same game. Zachary Smith noted that his 87 receiving yards set a new career high.
That’s the formula now: get No. 30 involved on the ground and in the short passing game, then let the efficiency open up the middle of the field. It keeps Rodgers upright, too, because defenses can’t just sell out with five- or six-man pressure when Warren is a live option on a swing pass or a threat to explode out of the backfield. It took a few weeks, but Pittsburgh appears to have done the math.
The end result? As the day after game day arrives, the Steelers offense looks capital G Good.
Germie Bernard also made his presence felt. Pittsburgh leaned on the rookie, and he delivered with six catches for 80 yards.
His 2.42 yards per route run in Week 5 finished ahead of Ja’Marr Chase, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Malik Nabers, and Justin Jefferson.
With Michael Pittman and Roman Wilson out for multiple weeks, and DK Metcalf still searching for more, Bernard could wind up becoming the Steelers’ top target by the end of the season.
Pat Freiermuth keeps giving the offense another boost, too. His return to form has been one of the more encouraging developments in Pittsburgh’s passing game.
He’s on pace for 65 catches and 14 touchdowns, a massive jump from his current career high of seven. After Sunday’s performance, he moved past Bennie Cunningham for second place in franchise history.
The Steelers are getting the version of Freiermuth they needed.
There were still a few things that stood out on the film and in the numbers. The offensive line was excellent, and Rodgers posted the lowest pressure percentage of any quarterback to take at least 10 snaps in Week 5.
There are also areas that need cleaning up. The secondary still has issues, and Jaquan Brisker’s play is a concern. The Steelers are operating without Jamel Dean and leaning on rookie Daylen Everette, with hope that DeShon Elliott returns soon.
The edge rush hasn’t delivered enough pressure, either. Nick Herbig still has zero sacks through five games, and that production has to improve.
On the positive side, Asante Samuel came up with two huge pass breakups in the end zone. He hasn’t been perfect, but those were encouraging snaps from No. 22.
In Other News...
Steelers Finally Got A Breakout They Desperately Needed In This Win
The Steelers needed a spark in a game that could have gone sideways against Indianapolis, and they got one from Jaylen Warren in a way that immediately changed the feel of the afternoon. Pittsburgh moved to 3-2 with the win, and Warren was central to it, giving the offense the kind of explosive plays it had been searching for while Pat Freiermuth, Germie Bernard and Asante Samuel also turned in notable contributions.
Pittsburgh will take the result, but the broader picture still has a few familiar stress points. The edge rushers on this roster carry real talent, yet the pass rush did not consistently look like a strength, which keeps the conversation around this defense from being settled even after a much-needed victory. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Defense Is Trying A New Fix That Has To Work Fast
The Steelers are trying a different setup on defense for Sundays game against the Colts, shifting defensive coordinator Patrick Graham from the booth to the sideline. Graham had been calling games from above, where the view helps with sorting out offensive personnel, but Mike McCarthy wanted him closer to the action for more direct face-to-face communication with players.
The hope is that the move will speed up adjustments and make the in-game communication cleaner when problems start to pile up. McCarthy said he will keep evaluating whether the change actually helps, so for now it remains one of those fixes that sounds practical on paper and needs to show it can work fast. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Offense Just Got Scarier Despite Another Injury Concern
Aaron Rodgers kept the Steelers offense humming in Week 5, and Jaylen Warren gave it a burst of big-play juice in a 34-22 win over the Colts at Acrisure Stadium. Warren topped 100 scrimmage yards for the third straight game and found the end zone twice, while Rodgers continued his recent run of production with another three-touchdown performance, giving Pittsburgh the kind of balanced attack it has been chasing.
The concern, as usual, came with the celebration. The Steelers were already dealing with questions in their wide receiver room when Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek both left late in the first half with injuries and did not return, leaving more uncertainty around a group that has been trying to stay intact. For a team whose offense suddenly looks far more dangerous, the next test may be whether it can keep enough healthy pieces on the field to sustain it. [Read more 🡒]