The Pittsburgh Steelers enjoyed a Week 1 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Despite the fact that Mike Tomlin is no longer on the sideline for the organization, everything appeared to be the same. The defense bailed out an ineffective offense with turnovers and big plays. Mike McCarthy's unit still has plenty to work on and that was evident in a Week 2 contest versus the New England Patriots. The winners and losers of the brutal loss were very clear throughout the showdown.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike McCarthy during 2026 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Steelers Winners
1.) Edge Rushers
The trio of TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig was always supposed to be dominant. The Steelers' rushing defense was not stout, but the pass rushers were all over the place throughout the game. The group is going to give opposing offensive coordinators plenty of headaches as the season goes along. The performance in New England was extremely impressive.
2.) Patrick Queen
Early on in the first half, Payton Wilson had a really poor coverage route that led to not only a Patriots catch, but a pass interference. The veteran in Patrick Queen showed his teammate how it's supposed to be done. The linebacker was hovering in a zone scheme and perfectly timed a pass from Drake Maye. It led to an interception and a momentum-shifter.
3.) Joey Porter Jr.
He may have been a loser in Week 1, but he certainly wasn't in Week 2. The Steelers' zone defense had plenty of lapses versus the Patriots. The secondary was seen being beaten way too often. There is no expectation for Pittsburgh to break its tradition of negotiating contracts after the first game of any given campaign, but it might be worth it after Sunday's loss.
4.) Germie Bernard
Welcome to the NFL, Germie Bernard. A drive midway through the second quarter was certainly a turning point for the youngster. He hauled in four catches for 35 yards in the first half. This transpired while no other pass-catcher really stood out.
Michael Pittman Jr. was inactive due to injury, and it gave the rookie an opportunity to prove that he has what it takes. His drop in the fourth quarter was extremely unfortunate because it led to an interception, but he still deserves credit for showing up when most of his other teammates did not.
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Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen (#6) makes the signal for fourth down as the team practices during 2024 training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Steelers Losers
1.) Offensive Line
When your quarterback is 42 years old, he needs to be protected. That simply was not the case for Aaron Rodgers on Sunday. Dylan Cook had an especially bad outing in New England. McCarthy detailed during a halftime interview that the big me up front were really hurting the offense.
"We've had some protection issues that negated us having some potential big plays," McCarthy said to Tracy Wolfson.
It didn't get any better for the Steelers in the second half. It takes time for offensive lines to gel in-season. That process needs to speed up for the Steelers. The collective has a lot of work to do in order to protect Rodgers moving forward.
2.) Aaron Rodgers
The Steelers will struggle to finish the season above .500 if the offensive line performs horribly and Rodgers turns the ball over on top of that. It wasn't a good showing from the four-time MVP. He looked slow, indecisive, and flat out scared when the pressure came across the line of scrimmage. Overall, he may be regretting his decision to not retire.
3.) Every Other Steelers Wide Receiver
Separation is extremely important for professional wide receivers. Unfortunately, that was not something that Pittsburgh's pass-catchers displayed on Sunday. Rodgers was pressured a bunch, and rarely found the open guy quickly. Bernard may have stepped up; however, there should be concerns about what the rest of the season will look like in this area.
3b.) DK Metcalf
DK Metcalf is not playing like a $30 million per year guy, either, which has to be concerning for the front office. He hasn't been able to hold onto the football through two weeks. There is no excuse regardless of circumstances. He will continue to be Rodgers' guy because of the payroll situation; however, there isn't a lot of positive with Metcalf right now. He was productive in the fourth quarter, but that doesn't excuse the mistakes that happened prior to then.
4.) Jalen Ramsey
Pittsburgh has a pretty easy decision upcoming in the 2027 offseason. Jalen Ramsey's release would give the franchise over $20 million in cap space. He had ridiculous taunting penalty in the first half. Additionally, he didn't act as the chess piece that he is supposed to be. The Steelers' defense was solid, but Ramsey could have been much better.
5.) Tackling
The defense is paid handsomely in the Steel City. It didn't always at as such on Sunday afternoon. There were way too many missed tackles during the contest. The extra yards that were given should be called out because it will continue to hurt the team if the issues are not corrected.
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