The Pittsburgh Steelers are searching for some answers on offense as they get ready to take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season. Following just a single offensive touchdown in Week 1 and only a field goal mustered up against the New England Patriots, they are at an important crossroads where they have to start finding some things that work. One of the frustrating aspects about their offense struggling is that their defense has played great and is giving them a chance each week so far. However, there is one young player on offense that is already showing great flashes.
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Mike McCarthy watches from the sideline during a Week 2 game against the Patriots.
The Mike McCarthy offense has not lived up to the expectations in the Steel City thus far, but rookie wide receiver Germie Bernard may be able to help that out. Despite having just 35 yards on four catches in Sunday's contest, that was good for an average of 8.8 yards per reception. He is starting to show some great signs of growth at the position already as well.
On Tuesday, Steelers insider Nick Farabaugh hosted an episode of his Steelers Breakdown podcast. During the show, he discussed the play from the rookie for Pittsburgh and mentioned that he likes a lot of the little stuff that he does. He also made it clear that he feels Bernard is already doing things that you see from veterans in the NFL.
“I think [Bernard] did,” Farabaugh said. “He makes some really nice plays. Some little veteran stuff that he does. Working back to the ball, running his routes in a right way, late hands. These different concepts that you hope that veterans do, I think Germie did a really nice job with. I was really impressed by a lot of what he did.”
This is an important development for the offense considering that not a lot has gone right through two weeks. One thing to consider with this performance Sunday is that he also received the second-most targets only behind wide receiver DK Metcalf. Oftentimes, it takes rookies some time to get their feet wet in the NFL by getting playing time before they start to blossom, but it seems to be the opposite so far with the former Alabama wide receiver.
Entering the season, there was a lot of speculation as to if he would get significant looks as a rookie or if that would go to Roman Wilson. Wilson had a rough first couple of seasons with the franchise and was looking to put that in the rearview mirror for his new coaching staff with the organization. However, he saw less targets than his first year teammate at wide receiver in the Week 2 contest.
Steelers Have A Chance To Shake Up Offense With Bernard's Emergence
The hope entering the season was to see a more productive offense under McCarthy's direction, they have a chance to shake things up following an underwhelming first couple of weeks. Adding Bernard into the game plan against Cincinnati could provide a spark plug that they need while also helping quarterback Aaron Rodgers to get the ball out quicker as his offensive line is still working to figure some things out right now. Putting more trust into the former Crimson Tide standout can help his quarterback stay upright more often and maybe inject some rhythm into an offense that desperately needs it.
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Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers talks with wide receiver Germie Bernard during NFL preseason game in August of 2026.
This would be a big week for the offense to get going as quarterback Joe Burrow leads Cincinnati and their explosive offense into the Steel City. This is also a chance to step up to a challenge put out by their head coach as McCarthy called out the offense recently when speaking to the media. He also put a lot of that pressure on himself. However, he just may have a perfect fix by inserting Bernard into the offense to get them to where they want to go in 2026.
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