I give the Pittsburgh Steelers credit. They scored a whopping 10 points against one of the worst defenses in the NFL in a single half, which was missing its two best pass-rushers in Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart. The Bengals defense is bad – like, worst in the league bad – which is why fans in Cincinnati are calling for change, even with Joe Burrow potentially coming back by Thanksgiving.
The truth of the matter is, none of that matters this week for Cincy. Joe Flacco owns the Steelers defense, though they did look better through one half, and the Bengals seemingly took a vaccine and are now immune to Aaron Rodgers play-fake. The Bengals defense could still break down, but the Steelers inability to get their best players involved early and often against Cincinnati speaks volumes about their coaching staff.
Why is Aaron Rodgers struggling against the Bengals?
We do have to give some credit to Cincinnati here. They have great players and coaches on that side of the ball. However, Rodgers has been bad the past few weeks, including a Sunday night clunker against the Los Angeles Chargers. One would hope that facing a struggling defense like the Bengals would help Rodgers get back on track – and it still could – but so far the veteran quarterback has given Steelers fans plenty to be concerned about.
Arthur Smith tends to craft great first drives, but the Steelers cannot adjust after. That's what great teams do. Also, the talk of the town this past week was Jaylen Warren, who is the Steelers best offensive player but hasn't received nearly enough carries to warrant that title. Through one half, Warren was on pace for 16 carries (for over 100 yards, I should note) and two catches. The Steelers were winning at halftime. One can only hope they use the rushing attack to their favor in the second half.
Steelers talked a big game about running the ball this week
Rodgers and Smith have noted how important Warren is to this offense. Over the past few weeks, Rodgers has made it part of his press conference to-do list to mention the Steelers should get him the ball more. In the first half, he had just nine touches, which includes their most important possession to date. It's mind-boggling that the Steelers failed to insert Warren into the game during their two-minute drill at the and of the first half. Warren is a productive blocker and a good receiver out the backfield. For a quarterback who relies of short throws as much as Rodgers does, Warren would've come in handy.
I cannot imagine wanting to go through a critical drive like this with your best offensive player on the sideline.
— Alan Saunders (@ASaunders_PGH) November 16, 2025
No Warren at all here. https://t.co/I9dkAgT4gm
As much as I enjoy poking fun at Rodgers, this is not his fault. He is simply calling plays with certain personnel on the field. Mike Tomlin and Co. seem determined to give Kenneth Gainwell his touches. While the former Eagle has looked sound at times this season, he is not Warren. If the Steelers are to establish the run as they claim, it's about time they start treating Warren like a bellcow before it's too late.