Steelers Veteran Exposed What Ignited The Offensive Spark Against Bengals

The Pittsburgh Steelers moved to 2-1 in Week 3 as the group was able to take down the Cincinnati Bengals to begin play in the AFC North. The entire division has a record of 2-1 through the first three weeks of the season, but the Steelers are atop the division as they are the only team to win a game within the AFC North. The Steelers were not expected to win the game against the Bengals as Pittsburgh has struggled mightily on offense to begin the 2026 season while the Bengals' defense had looked good. Pittsburgh managed to turn things around offensively, which should give fans some optimism moving forward.

The Steelers put up 30 points in the win over the Bengals, and it probably should have been more. That is nearly double what the offense was able to put on the scoreboard through the first two weeks of the season, so it is a sign that the unit is moving in the right direction. Head Coach Mike McCarthy shared after the embarrassing loss to the New England Patriots in Week 2 that he felt like he needed to trim down the game plan for the offense, and it seems like that is exactly what he did. Wide receiver Ben Skowronek confirmed this while speaking to the media after the win.

"Yeah, I just liked the way he let us play," Skowronek said. "We cut down on the game plan, we did stuff we've been doing since you know, Latrobe, or even the spring during OTAs and all of that. So we cut the plan down and we just executed. We have the talent, it was just a lack of execution the first couple of weeks. That's behind us now."

McCarthy seemed to honor his word of cutting down the offensive game plan, and it clearly worked. That is probably something that should be exercised moving forward as long as it continues to work. The game plan was probably going to be cut down a bit already for the Week 4 matchup with the Cleveland Browns since the game is on Thursday Night Football.

McCarthy clearly found his groove calling the offense, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers was also looking good running the show on the field. His arm is still there, and he seemed to be moving around better during the win over the Bengals. Obviously his legs are never going to be a major factor, but it is good to know that he can evade pressure and manipulate the pocket how he needs to.

It is still clear that there is some room for growth for Rodgers and this offense. More points could have been scored on Sunday, but the signs of progression are certainly encouraging. Hopefully this offensive group can continue carrying this momentum into Week 4, which is another important matchup within the AFC North.

Steelers Also Had Some Major Personnel Changes

In addition to McCarthy making the appropriate changes when it came to the offensive game plan and how he was calling the game, the Steelers also made some important moves up front. Spencer Anderson and Dylan Cook were moved to the bench while Brock Hoffman and Max Iheanachor were inserted into the starting lineup. All eyes were on Iheanachor as he was the team's first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and he looked extremely good. He wasn't a glaring issue at any point in the game, and he seemed to hold his own when he was left on an island. The running game also looked the best it has all season long, so the offensive line changes seemed to work greatly.

It would be great to see the offense put together another performance like this on Thursday against Cleveland, as the winner of that game will be atop the division.

What do you think about Skowronek's explanation of what changed for the offense in Week 3? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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