Mike McCarthy trusted Jaylen Warren and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line on fourth down with a 24–22 lead, and the conversion kept a touchdown drive alive in Sunday’s 34–22 win over Indianapolis. With two receivers already lost to injuries, Pittsburgh still gave its offense a chance to finish.
Chris Boswell offered a sensible alternative. A successful field goal would’ve stretched the lead to five, enough to survive another Indianapolis field goal. One Colts touchdown could still have erased it. I like McCarthy giving his offense the opportunity to make Indianapolis chase two scores, even with the risk of coming away empty and leaving the defense less room for error.
Warren’s two-touchdown performance against Indianapolis made him an easy choice for the carry. His 80-yard reception and 50-yard run had supplied Pittsburgh’s biggest plays. Nearly half of Warren’s rushing total came on one carry. Going back to him made sense, but McCarthy trusted the line as much as he trusted Warren.
Mike McCarthy kept the game plan intact as receiver injuries mounted for the Pittsburgh Steelers
As if the receiver room wasn't already thin with Michael Pittman Jr. sidelined, Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek had both exited with injuries. McCarthy said of the offensive response, “We didn’t change anything.” He praised the work of Steelers practice squad receiver Brandon Smith and said additional opportunities for Germie Bernard had already been planned.
Bernard made his first NFL start because Pittman was placed on injured reserve on Saturday. The rookie finished with six catches for 80 yards. McCarthy’s decision to give him more work paid off immediately when Wilson and Skowronek were unavailable.
12 personnel can help absorb that kind of receiver shortage without announcing a handoff. With one back and two tight ends, an offense needs only two wide receivers. It can still threaten the defense with a run or release a tight end into a route, preserving choices for the quarterback.
Coach McCarthy spoke to the media following our win over the Colts. @Acrisure pic.twitter.com/UVzrHxvbO8
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) October 11, 2026
McCarthy said, “But losing those guys in the flow of the game and not having to cross plays off your call sheet. I think it speaks volumes for our guys. Even our tight ends. We obviously want more tight end emphasis personnel there, so we were able to just keep staying with the game plan.”
McCarthy’s tight-end emphasis was already part of the plan. Pat Freiermuth’s production shouldn’t be dressed up as an emergency solution invented after the injuries. Keeping the calls available also doesn’t mean every replacement can execute every assignment equally well. Pittsburgh preserved enough of its offense to keep pursuing a touchdown.
The defense had a case for taking the points, too. Indianapolis had settled for three straight second-half field goals. A failed fourth-down attempt would’ve left another kick that could've put the Colts ahead. But those possessions also showed Indianapolis could keep reaching scoring range. Protecting a small lead meant asking for more stops.
Bernard supplied a 25-yard catch on third-and-2 during the touchdown drive. Warren’s conversion kept the drive moving, but Aaron Rodgers still had to solve third-and-6 afterward. His 17-yard touchdown pass to Freiermuth, followed by Boswell’s extra point, made it 31–22 with 6:35 remaining. Indianapolis needed two scores after losing more than five minutes of game clock. Needless to say, they never got close to making a comeback after that.
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