The Pittsburgh Steelers fell to 1-1 on the 2026 season after a gruesome loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday. It was Pittsburgh's first road game of the year, and the team didn't show up like the fan base hoped it might. The offense struggled in Pittsburgh's Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons, and many believed the unit would look better in Week 2. Despite that hope, that was not the case. The Patriots are coming off of a Super Bowl appearance, and Sunday's game showed just how far away the Steelers truly are from legitimately being a contender.
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Steelers' Aaron Rodgers attempts to throw during a road loss to the Patriots in 2026.
The offense seems like it is going to be a problem for the Steelers throughout the 2026 season, which is a bit of a surprise considering the organization went out and hired Mike McCarthy to be the head coach. This broke a trend for the franchise as the Steelers traditionally hired defensive-minded coaches. McCarthy, though, is an offensive mind that has been a head coach who also works as a play-caller.
McCarthy is in charge of the critical decisions in the Steel City, and it has not been a great start for him. The offense has scored just one touchdown through two games, which is a bit embarrassing. McCarthy spoke to the media after the loss, and he took a good chunk of the blame for the struggles on offense against the Patriots.
"We have got to look at the volume too." McCarthy said. "I mean, that's Marty Schottenheimer; that was his thing. It was a great lesson for a young coach to learn, and here I am, some old basta*d that didn't do it this week. You know, it's, if it's not clean, you cut the volume down. And we're not clean on offense, so we're going to cut the volume down. That's the first starting point."
McCarthy was asked about the chances of there being any changes to the lineup on offense, and he noted that other alterations would come first. One that he mentioned was the volume, and it could be assumed that he was talking about the volume in the passing game. The offensive line struggled to protect Aaron Rodgers on Sunday, and the receivers just have not been getting enough separation.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike McCarthy during 2026 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
McCarthy mentioned a lesson he learned from Marty Schottenheimer, and that lesson was to cut down the volume in the passing game if things are getting sloppy. That is what Pittsburgh might have to do in the future, but the only problem with that is that the running game has also been a massive disappointment. The offense cannot get anything going as of right now, which is why it is such a concern. There doesn't seem to be some easy fix, but McCarthy is going to do what he can.
Steelers' Mike McCarthy Keeps Taking Blame
McCarthy was honest with the media after the loss to New England, and he took a ton of blame for the lack of offensive production for the second week in a row. It is good to have a coach that will wear the blame himself, but if things don't change on the field the fan base is only going to get more restless.
The offense has some talent, but the coaching staff needs to do a better job of putting players in position to succeed. It is also on the players themselves to execute, but right now it doesn't seem like anybody that is involved with the offense is doing their job.
Pittsburgh's next game comes against the Cincinnati Bengals, and there is a chance the offense continues to struggle. The Bengals have put up two impressive defensive performances to begin the 2026 season, so things aren't going to be easy for the Steelers going into Week 3.
What did you think about the rough loss to the Patriots? Did the game change your outlook on the season? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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