The Pittsburgh Steelers were finally able to deliver Head Coach Mike McCarthy his first road win as head coach of the organization on Sunday in Tampa Bay. Despite struggling through the first three quarters, their offense was able to step up in the fourth quarter and overtime to ultimately push them to a victory. However, the offense still showed some inconsistencies in the win. Some of that can be attributed to the absences of wide receivers Roman Wilson and Michael Pittman Jr. There is another issue though that has been mentioned with the offense led by Aaron Rodgers that was recently brought up by a former player.
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Steelers' Aaron Rodgers looks to pass during the 2026 season opener at home against the Atlanta Falcons.
The one player that stepped up in the absence of the veteran wide receivers was rookie Germie Bernard. He was able to find the end zone in overtime for his first NFL touchdown in his young career. Despite the youngster stepping up, there may be a simpler way to get the offense going earlier on in games.
On Tuesday, former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hosted an episode of his Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger podcast to recap the Week 6 victory. During the episode, the lack of offensive production throughout the first three quarters was a subject the legendary signal-caller honed in on. He thinks that one tweak to it could really help get the offensive attack going quicker moving forward.
“If you don't have time, then you're stuck in what you have,” Roethlisberger said. “And sometimes you can get in a situation where you're at the line of scrimmage, you're a little late getting there and it's like, ‘Oh man, the play we have called is no good.’ Like it is a loser. We can't manufacture something here."
Communication is something that was a big focus for Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham heading into the first year of his tenure in Pittsburgh. That issue now has spewed over to the offensive side of the ball. Rodgers, a four-time NFL MVP, is known well for his ability to pick apart defenses. However, Roethlisberger's comments make it clear that he is noticing he does not have enough time to do so through six weeks of the 2026 NFL season.
Getting play calls in quicker would go a long way in preventing an offense that is stale through three quarters like it was Sunday in Tampa Bay. It would also allow the Pittsburgh signal-caller to line up and get a chance to read the opposing defense with the ability to change the play as needed. That aspect to getting the play calls in is where the former Steelers quarterback sees the potential to try and manufacture something on offense throughout a game. However, as it currently stands, the calls are just not coming in quickly enough for the four-time MVP to be able to do that.
Steelers' Offense Has Still Not Reached Its Full Potential Through Six Weeks
One of the big goals in mind with the hiring of McCarthy was to have an offensive-minded head coach that could get the offense to a new level in the Steel City. The unit has been much better over the last several weeks on game days. In fact, in their last two games, the offense for McCarthy's group has posted 60 points and is good for an average of 30 points per game. The problem still remains that competition will be harder week to week than it was with Tampa Bay and slow starts will come back to haunt them if they continue.
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Steelers' Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers prior to a road game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2026.
McCarthy and Rodgers have a lengthy history together as a head coach and quarterback duo in the NFL. During their time with the Green Bay Packers, they were often an explosive offense to be reckoned with in the NFL. The unit definitely has improved through six weeks of the season for the Steelers. However, if they are going to consistently put up big point totals, they need to get plays in quicker so Rodgers can make adjustments at the line of scrimmage as needed.
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