Steelers Offense Comes to Life in Week 3Thriller Against Bengals

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| Source: Lastwordonsports.com - Drew VonScio, Editor

The Pittsburgh Steelers offense faced significant pressure after lackluster performances against the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots. Through the first two weeks, Pittsburgh averaged just offensive eight points per game, not including T.J. Watt’s pick six.

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However, in typical Steelers fashion, they found a way to quickly turn it around in the AFC North opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Steelers Offense Comes to Life in Week 3 Thriller Against Bengals

For the first time under Mike McCarthy, the Steelers offense looked like a legitimate offense. Jaylen Warren ran for 127 yards and averaged 7.5 yards per carry. Aaron Rodgers threw for 292 yards with three touchdowns and spread the ball around to nine different pass catchers. Pittsburgh also broke its 69-game streak of scoring fewer than eight points in the first quarter.

Michael Pittman Jr. returned to the lineup for the Steelers after missing Week 2 against the Patriots and had a major impact in the offense. D.K. Metcalf, despite a couple of holding penalties that killed big plays, caught his first touchdown pass of the season. Roman Wilson started to get involved more frequently and saw six targets, a total that was higher than any other pass catcher.

For head coach Mike McCarthy, the difference in the Steelers offense came down to one thing: production.

“The focal point, I know from my perspective, even in game planning, third downs were an emphasis,” McCarthy told reporters postgame. “I think anytime you put in more time and energy, the execution improves. “Good for the players and the coaches, so I think it really started with our third down production. … I knew big plays were going to be a big part of this one.

Pittsburgh was 7-12 on third downs against the Bengals. By comparison, the Steelers offense was just 2-12 in the same situation against the Patriots and 3-13 on third downs against the Falcons. Aaron Rodgers attributed that success to the offensive line stepping up when it mattered most.

“I thought the offensive line did a really nice job,” Rodgers said in his postgame press conference. “It seems Brock [Hoffman] and Max [Iheanachor] did a good job; Jaylen Warren was dynamic, absolutely dynamic. The guys made some plays down the field, and we had some explosion in the offense back.”

For Iheanachor, it wasn’t his debut, after he appeared for a couple of snaps on the road against the Patriots. However, it was his first career start at right tackle for the Steelers offense. The decision to start Iheanachor proved one thing to Pittsburgh: the future is now.

Iheanachor wasn’t a player that Steelers fans wanted to see the organization draft in April, but he has shown up and gotten better every day in Pittsburgh. The coaching staff is very high on him, and he played well in his first career start.

The Last Word: Defense Stands Strong When It Matters Most

While the Steelers offense will get most of the attention in the Week 3 win, it was Derrick Harmon and the defense that saved the day for Pittsburgh. After settling for a field goal following a muffed punt return, Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense were marching down the field and into Steelers territory.

That was until Derrick Harmon called game by rushing off of the left side of the defensive line, beating Dalton Risner and throwing Burrow to the ground while knocking the ball loose. Sebastian Joseph-Day picked up the loose change before Rodgers and the Steelers offense took two knees to run off the remainder of the clock.

“We just came together as a defense right before the last few drives, just really believing in one another and our coaches, and we just came up with the victory,” Harmon said postgame. “As a defense, yes, we did [have a meeting]; we got together and said it’s going to be on us to win this game.”

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Main Photo Courtesy of Barry Reeger – Imagn Images

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