Steelers' Troy Fautanu Receives Clear Message About Uncertainty In His Play

The Pittsburgh Steelers' 20-3 loss on the road Sunday against the New England Patriots gave the coaching staff plenty to think about on their trip back home before they take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3. As a whole, the Pittsburgh defense put together a nice performance, especially with one of the Patriots' scores coming on a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham has his unit playing well enough to win games through two weeks of the season. However, the Black and Gold have a lot of work to do in front of them on offense.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers went 23-for-39 with 187 yards and an interception. To make matters worse on offense, the running game once again struggled to get going, just like they did in Week 1. Those are just a few areas in which the team has great opportunity to grow following their first road test of the season.

On Monday, former offensive lineman Trai Essex broke down some things he noticed that can be improved following the road loss. On a recent episode of The Snap Count podcast, he pointed specifically to the offensive line. He mentioned that he had high hopes for offensive lineman Troy Fautanu entering the season, but has noticed one critical issue with his game so far.

“I said Troy Fautanu had Pro Bowl capabilities,” Essex said. “He’s not aggressive. What his superpower was on the right side was his punch, how active he was with his hands, how accurate he was with his punch into the chest of the defender. At the left side, he has lost that superpower. His punch is way up on the shoulder pads and outside. So, he’s exposing his chest.” 

There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the offensive line entering this season and how they could protect their 42-year-old quarterback to give him time to get the ball to some new weapons. However, with a lot of guys on that unit moving around, the experiment has not gone well so far. Through the first two games, the new-look Mike McCarthy offense has been underwhelming. Fautanu moving to the left side of the line is already starting to give him fits and it is not a good sign as the season progresses.

He spoke to the media following the game on Sunday in Foxborough and admitted that something has to change. While he did not specifically highlight the change needed, it will have to change quickly as the AFC North division leaders are up next for the Black and Gold. The low numbers from their four-time NFL MVP quarterback as well as continued struggles in the running game need to improve quickly if McCarthy is going to transcend the offense.

Steelers Must Get Their Offensive Attack Going To Support The Defense

The Steelers built this team to be much better on offense in 2026 with the additions of wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Germie Bernard. So far in 2026, it has been much of the same as what was seen in 2025 especially in the first-round playoff loss to the Houston Texans. To get that offensive attack moving, they are going to have to play better up front in front of Rodgers. Improving on the offensive line starts with Fautanu himself, but also goes for the entire unit as a whole in the Steel City.

One area that could help the offense get moving is if they are able to start establishing a running game early on in games. That would then open the door for Rodgers to get the ball out to his new weapons that were brought in for this season. If they can start doing this early in games, then the full potential of the McCarthy offense can start to show. There is plenty of work for the unit to do as the defense has played well and it starts up front, especially with Fautanu.

#SteelerNation