Winning is all that really matters in the NFL, and the Pittsburgh Steelers did that Sunday against the New England Patriots 21-14. How you win also matters, however, and that is where Pittsburgh failed to impress despite the big road victory.
The defense forced five turnovers on a day where it seemed like somebody had greased up the football, with four of those takeaways coming via fumbles. They were still leaky in the secondary, but they made enough plays to keep the Patriots off the scoreboard most of the day. Overall, it was a step up from what they looked like in their first two games.
The offense was another story. After an encouraging debut against the New York Jets that featured 34 points and a four-touchdown day from Aaron Rodgers, the offense has sputtered to the tune of just 38 points and 470 total yards combined in Weeks 2 and 3. Things look bleak, and the answer to their struggles is less than simple.
Pittsburgh Steelers' offense is stuck in the mud after a red-hot start
This week's game was a great example of how disjointed the offense has been to start the 2025 season. Pittsburgh scored 14 points by the beginning of the second quarter, which sounds fantastic until you realize they didn't score again until just over two minutes left in the contest. In between their second and third touchdown drives were six possessions that totaled 27 yards.
There is no need to panic about the Steelers' full-season outlook offensively just yet, but back-to-back poor showings are hard to swallow. Adding Rodgers alongside DK Metcalf, Jonnu Smith, and rookie Kaleb Johnson was supposed to bring more explosiveness offensively, but the results have been underwhelming to say the least.
Unlike last year, when the offense started slow, the defense hasn't played up to its usual level to offset it. This year's offense has actually outproduced last year's through three games, but not by as much as fans were expecting.
If you had told me before the season that the Steelers would be struggling to produce offensively, I would have assumed it was due to Rodgers playing poorly. Instead, he might be the best thing the offense has going for it. His numbers don't jump off the page outside of his Week 1 performance, but the players around him have been the more glaring issue.
The offensive line has been a major disappointment for the most part, the receivers have been inconsistent, and the rushing attack has been among the worst in the entire league. The former MVP cannot continue to be the best part of this offense if the Steelers are going to make a playoff push, but there aren't any signs of that changing any time soon.