The Pittsburgh Steelers are on a three-game winning streak and currently have a record of 5-2. The team has played well as of late, but the group has a legitimate test on Sunday as the Cleveland Browns will be coming to Pittsburgh. The Browns are also 5-2 and currently hold the lead in the AFC North after beating the Steelers in Week 4, but Pittsburgh can change that by taking down Cleveland at home. The Steelers are going to need to play a complete game in all three phases, which has been hard for the group to do throughout the first seven games of the season.
Scott Galvin / Imagn Images
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers looks at the sideline during the Week 4 matchup against the Browns on Thursday night in October of 2026.
Pittsburgh lost to the Browns back in Week 4 on a game-winning field goal for Cleveland. The offense for the Steelers went dormant for the middle two quarters of the game after scoring a touchdown on the team's opening possession. The next touchdown did not come until the first drive of the fourth quarter when Pittsburgh was already down 11 points. Pittsburgh eventually tied things up in the fourth quarter, but the defense could not get a stop to end the game.
The defense took a lot of blame for the loss to the Browns the first time around, but the offense was only able to put up three points in the second and third quarters, which is completely unacceptable. A big reason for that was Pittsburgh's inability to beat man coverage. Aaron Rodgers couldn't complete a ton of passes, and his wide receivers could not get open which caused him to take five sacks and throw two picks. Former NFL Head Coach Jon Gruden spoke about this in a recent video on his YouTube channel, and he shared what he would do to fix Pittsburgh's problems this time around.
"But they have got to find ways to beat man to man coverage," Gruden said. "I look for Mike McCarthy to get into some bunch formations, just like they did against Cincinnati. They're going to try to get receivers going in different directions. Try to get to some two-receiver stacks and maybe create some more crossing routes. Try to get some of these man-to-man defenders to get picked off. Bottom line, Aaron Rodgers is completing 72% against zone, 51% against man. Got to get better."
It has already been made clear that the Steelers don't necessarily have the right talent at wide receiver to beat man coverage consistently, which means guys need to be schemed open. That is what Gruden is discussing, and it is the right way to coach as he is talking about putting players in position to succeed.
Stack Left / Bunch Right Formation / Diagram By Brogan Noey
A stack on the left side of the formation and a bunch on the right side.
The groupings that Gruden is talking about in this quote can be successful against man coverage. A stack is a way that a pair of pass catchers can line up, and it is seen on the left side of the formation above. This can force defenders in man coverage to be out of position as soon as the ball is snapped based on what the route concept might be. If there is a stack on both sides of the formation, the defense might check to a zone call.
A bunch is seen on the right side of the formation. It can be easier to draw up man beaters out of a bunch grouping, which is why it was suggested by Gruden. It is not often that both are seen on the field at the same time, and the graphic above was just made for demonstration purposes.
Steelers Need To See Good Things Out Of Germie Bernard In Week 8
Rookie wide receiver Germie Bernard only played about 40 percent of the offensive snaps against Cleveland in Week 4, and he is in line for a bigger role this time around. DK Metcalf is not great against man coverage, and that has already been made clear. It is going to come down to Bernard finding a way to get open around the line of scrimmage.
What do you think of this suggestion from Gruden? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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