Steelers' Arthur Smith Receives Enthusiastic Approval Prior To Matchup With Bengals: "He** Of A First Month"

The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to secure a massive win against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns and has quickly become a top beneficiary of the offensive line playing better. The Steelers will face the Cincinnati Bengals Thursday night on a short week as Pittsburgh will look to secure two victories in a row against division rivals.

The offensive line has made drastic improvements since the road win against the New York Jets in Week 1. Broderick Jones did an excellent job in stopping Myles Garrett on Sunday against Cleveland, and the young lineman has slowly gotten better as the season has moved along. Steelers insider Mark Kaboly recently shared his thoughts on the current state of Pittsburgh's offense and credited Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith for doing an outstanding job to begin the year. Kaboly believes Smith has yet to run his preferred style of offense in 2025, but the Steelers' offense has seen success regardless.

"I don't think this is a preferred offense of Arthur Smith," Kaboly stated. "Which is not a rip of him, I think that's actually a compliment of him. He knows where the downsides are, where the holes are, so he's like, 'How are we going to fix this offensive line? If it were up to me, I would rather my offense be XYZ, but I know that's not really possible right now.'"

Kaboly continued to praise Smith for having a solid first month of the season.

"So I think Arthur Smith is having a he** of a first month of the season," Kaboly admitted.

The Steelers were able to involve a number of different playmakers during the win on Sunday. Smith's offense features a plethora of talent at wide receiver and tight end, and Rodgers was able to get multiple players involved throughout the afternoon. Smith was able to incorporate the Steelers' backfield in the passing game as well as Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell combined for a total of eight receptions during the victory.

Rodgers and the Steelers' offense as a whole have played much better in recent weeks. The Steelers will look to continue their momentum against the Bengals in Week 7 as Pittsburgh is in prime position to begin the season with a 5-1 record.

Steelers' Arthur Smith Will Need O-Line To Dominate Moving Forward

The offensive line will need to be at their best once again in Week 7, as the Bengals' defensive line will look to get through to Rodgers consistently throughout the night. Superstar defensive lineman Trey Hendrickson's status for the matchup currently remains up in the air, but Jones and the rest of the big men up front will need to be at their best if the star is able to play.

Troy Fautanu and Mason McCormick have significantly improved over the past few weeks as well. Fautanu was the Steelers' first round pick in 2024 and the talented player is beginning to look much more comfortable in his role on the offense. McCormick had one of the better games of his career in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings as both linemen will need to continue playing at a very high level as the season progresses.

The Steelers' offense has slowly begun to involve a number of different targets consistently. Rodgers could continue targeting numerous playmakers in Thursday night's matchup with Cincinnati, but the offensive line will need to continue playing at a high level regardless. Pittsburgh will look to secure a huge victory against a heated AFC North rival as the Steelers have an excellent opportunity to send an authoritative message to the entire AFC.

How do you think Smith has done through the first month and few weeks of the 2025 season? Comment below!

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