The Pittsburgh Steelers found the offensive spark they had been seeking in Week 3, scoring 30 points against the Cincinnati Bengals after managing only three in their Week 2 loss at New England. Now Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers will try to turn that breakthrough into sustained production when they visit the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night.
Pittsburgh’s first 30-point game since Week 11 of the 2025 season featured major improvements in the areas that had stalled the unit through the opening two weeks. The offensive line created room for Jaylen Warren, Rodgers delivered successful vertical throws, and the offense avoided many of the drops and execution mistakes that had hurt it early.
“You definitely begin at zero, but you can start building a feeling when you put a couple of good games together,” Rodgers said. “We had one solid game. Now we want to put a few in a row.”
Week 3 offered a sharp turnaround
The Steelers had struggled to establish any offensive consistency before facing Cincinnati. Their ground game had produced little, pass protection had been uneven, and Rodgers had endured stretches in which the offense could not generate explosive plays. Pittsburgh’s receivers also contributed to the slow start with drops and other costly mistakes.
That changed against the Bengals. Warren rushed 17 times for a season-best 127 yards, giving Pittsburgh the physical running attack it had lacked during the first two games.
Rodgers also found success throwing downfield. He had not completed a pass traveling at least 20 yards in the air during Weeks 1 and 2, but he threw two touchdowns on throws of 20 or more air yards in the opening quarter against Cincinnati. He attempted 15 passes that traveled 10-plus yards downfield and completed six of them.
The 27-point swing from the New England game to the Bengals matchup was Pittsburgh’s largest such back-to-back scoring contrast in a decade. The Steelers last had a comparable sequence in 2016, when they scored three points in Week 3 before posting 43 in Week 4. That team followed with 31 points in a Week 5 victory.
Rodgers urges Steelers to stay grounded
Rodgers cautioned against drawing sweeping conclusions from one improved performance, stressing that the offense’s progress will depend on weekly execution and the opponent in front of it.
“It was close,” Rodgers said. “Every week is different, and people overreact. After New England, we were supposedly the worst offense in football. Now I’m sure we’re viewed as a dangerous offense. It changes from week to week. It depends on the opponent and on how you play. It all comes down to execution.”
The Steelers will get an immediate test against a Browns defense that has played at a high level over the past two weeks. Pittsburgh will be looking for further evidence that its running game, deep passing attack and overall offensive rhythm can carry over on a short week.
Historic Browns opportunity for Rodgers
Rodgers enters Week 4 with a strong history against Cleveland. In five career games versus the Browns, he is 4-1 and has thrown 11 touchdown passes without an interception.
If Rodgers throws at least two touchdowns and avoids an interception Thursday night, he will establish the NFL record for the most career touchdown passes against one opponent without throwing an interception.
