The Pittsburgh Steelers' 16-10 win against the New Orleans Saints Sunday sets up a huge divisional showdown against the Cleveland Browns at home in Week 8. They will look to exact revenge against them after their Week 4 loss on the road in Cleveland. Despite putting up just 16 points in their most recent win, some players on offense are still receiving praise. In Sunday's matchup, rookie wide receiver Germie Bernard had just three catches for 27 yards. However, his longest reception came as a 20-yard gain. On Monday, he received some encouraging words about his play in his rookie year with quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
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Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (left) speaks with wide receiver Germie Bernard (right) as the two stand on the playing surface prior to a 2026 preseason game at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA.
Back in April during the NFL Draft, General Manager Omar Khan appeared to be ready to draft wide receiver Makai Lemon of the USC Trojans. However, their cross-state rival Philadelphia Eagles traded up in the first round and snagged him before Pittsburgh could. The organization then shifted to lineman Max Iheanachor to help solidify that unit ahead of the 2026 season. The series of events paved the way for the team to draft Bernard in the second round.
On Monday, NFL Network analyst Rich Eisen hosted an episode of The Rich Eisen Show. During the episode, he mentioned the impressive play of Rodgers at age 42 throughout the 2026 NFL season. While discussing his play, he also mentioned how well his rookie receiver has played while also bringing up the events of the draft in April.
"Guess what?" Eisen said. "That kid [Germie Bernard] is exactly what Rodgers needs because Germie Bernard is turning into what I imagine the role that they wanted Lemon to play, right?"
While the former Alabama wide receiver saw a dip in his production in Sunday's game in Paris, it comes the week after he had the game-winning touchdown for the Steelers. The touchdown was also his first career NFL touchdown. Despite having just the lone touchdown, he has 27 catches for 254 yards on the year, good for a 9.4 yards per reception average. He also was not featured much in the offense the first couple of weeks.
With the injuries to Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson, it opened the door for the former Crimson Tide standout to step up in a big way. His play in that time is now earning national praise from Eisen, while also giving the organization no regrets on missing out on drafting Lemon. Through six games played, Lemon has just 18 catches for 127 yards with the Eagles. In that time played, he also has not been able to catch his first touchdown yet.
Steelers' Offense Can Benefit From Bernard Stepping Up
The Pittsburgh offense has scored 76 points in its last three matchups. However, in Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they did not really get things going until late in the contest. Once that offense did get moving, Bernard was able to find the end zone for his first career touchdown as mentioned, which would ultimately end up being the game-winner for the team. He had 11 receptions for 87 yards in the game total. He has a huge chance to continue to help elevate his offense as they navigate through the first half of the season with a few injuries at wide receiver.
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Steelers wide receiver Germie Bernard during a regular season game against the Colts in October 2026.
The one way Bernard fits perfectly into his role with Rodgers is that he is able to catch the ball quickly and then create plays in space with his legs and athleticism. For a quarterback that is 42 years old, that type of wide receiver is a perfect pass catcher to have as an option to get the football out to.
Bernard was a bit quiet in Sunday's matchup against the Saints. However, the overall body of work has made him an exceptional piece of the Pittsburgh offense and left them with no regrets on missing out on Lemon.
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