Steelers' Winners And Losers From Week 3 Battle Against Bengals

The Pittsburgh Steelers took on the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3 at Acrisure Stadium. The AFC North showdown was highly anticipated but not because both teams were on the rise. Mike McCarthy's collective was 1-1 heading into the contest following a loss while Zac Taylor and his bunch began the year with two solid victories. For the Steelers, there were some clear winners and losers following the 30-27 win.

Steelers Winners In Week 3 Vs. Bengals

1.) First-Quarter Offense

The Steelers have started slow out of the gate in way too many games for several years now. That wasn't the case on Sunday. Rodgers led the unit to a quick touchdown to start and then found Ben Skowronek for a score with :52 left in the first quarter to add onto that. It was an extremely good sight for fans to see Pittsburgh put up 14 points and 159 yards in the initial 15 minutes. It had been 98 contests since the franchise had more than seven points in the first.

2.) Brock Hoffman & Max Iheanachor

McCarthy made the decision to completely change the right side of his offensive line and it paid off. Brock Hoffman and Max Iheanachor may not have completely changed the Steelers' firepower; however, the duo did provide stability. Rodgers had a lot more time to throw the football for the most part and it appears as if Pittsburgh has its new right guard and right tackle combo.

3.) Ben Skowronek

A touchdown on offense and a crucial fumble recovery after a punt return mishap from the Bengals. That is how Skowronek made an impact for the Steelers on Sunday. He is one of the best special teams players in the entire NFL and showed why against Cincinnati. He may not be the most elite playmaker on the roster, but he shows up when the team needs him to.

4.) Jaylen Warren

The toe injury for Rico Dowdle is certainly unfortunate, but the best thing a player can do for himself is to be available. That's what Jaylen Warren was on Sunday. He has always been an underrated ball carrier and proved that at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday.

Warren was phenomenal and should now be — without question — the feature back moving forward. His ability to break tackles and wreak havoc on defenses is something that has never been fully appreciated. Warren was arguably the MVP of the offense for the Steelers.

5.) Jalen Ramsey

There is no reason for McCarthy to give Jalen Ramsey a defined position. The hybrid defender was all over the line of scrimmage throughout the matchup. It was exactly what the Steelers needed on the defensive side of the ball. He also made a big tackle early in the second quarter on Samaje Perine to force Taylor to kick a field goal. He was part of a communication breakdown on Mike Gesicki's fourth-down touchdown; but, Ramsey played well overall.

6.) Aaron Rodgers

The 42-year-old quarterback has faced plenty of criticism for his play through the first two weeks of the regular season. He was back to his old self versus the Bengals. Points were scored and the offense looked much more fluid. He threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns. His lone interception was not his fault, which will be touched on shortly.

7.) Derrick Harmon

The Steelers have been waiting for Derrick Harmon, and he did so on the final drive of the game for Cincinnati's offense. His strip-sack of Burrow is what sealed the win for Pittsburgh. It was the only sack of the contest for the defense, but it was as timely as it could have been. The second-year defensive lineman is starting to really show up.

Steelers Losers In Week 3 Vs. Bengals

1.) Jason Simmons - Steelers' Defensive Passing Game Coordinator

Pittsburgh knew that defending Joe Burrow would not be an easy task. One of the ways to limit him is to take away his best playmaker. Ja'Marr Chase torched the Steelers defense and made things difficult during the course of the game. Jason Simmons and the secondary were not prepared Cincinnati's signal-caller was extremely efficient in the first half, which somewhat ruined the exciting offensive start for Rodgers and Co. Burrow completed his first 14 attempts.

2.) Dylan Cook

Dylan Cook had a golden opportunity to be the left tackle for the Steelers. He performed well in the back-half of the 2025 campaign on the right side, but didn't continue that on the opposite end in 2026. The result was Iheanachor starting in front of him, and that's not going to change anytime soon. The rookie had a very respectable outing against Cincinnati.

3. Asante Samuel Jr.

The Steelers were without Joey Porter Jr. once again as the disgruntled corner continues to stand on the sideline for conditioning/non-injury related/contract issues. It was not ideal to have him inactive against Chase and Tee Higgins.

Asante Samuel Jr. was targeted because of Porter's absence. The task was not easy, and he was exploited several times. Playing on a one-year deal, the cornerback has performed well with Porter not playing. However, it wasn't very pretty on Sunday, and he may have even been benched.

The Steelers' secondary is now completely in limbo. Porter isn't playing yet, Samuel was sat down, and here isn't too much depth behind those two. The good news is that 

4.) Edge Rushers' Pass Rush

The Steelers got elite play from TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig through two weeks. The Bengals' offensive line had a strong game plan and Burrow was able to operate with relative ease. 

Steelers' Head-Scratcher Of The Week

Wide receiver Roman Wilson made his presence known immediately with two catches that went for 43 yards and a touchdown on the possession that started the contest for Pittsburgh. The third-year pass-catcher has the ability to separate arguably more so than any other wideout that Rodgers has access to. However, a crucial drop at the end of the second quarter led to an interception that killed momentum.

#SteelerNation