Week 2 NFL Review: Steelers Offense Struggles, Plus Top Plays and Blunders

With two games under their belts, it's becoming clear that the Pittsburgh Steelers are broken on offense. While they were able to pull out a win despite their lackluster play on that side of the ball in the season opener, they weren't as fortunate in Week 2. The offense mustered a lone field goal in a 20-3 defeat at the hands of the New England Patriots .

"We just didn't get into a rhythm," Rodgers said postgame. "We had too many three-and-outs again. I didn't feel like there was anybody that had an exceptional game out there. We all played below our standard."

The three points scored were tied for the fewest points in any career game that Rodgers has started and finished. So far, the Steelers have 499 total yards through two games, averaging out to 249.5 yards per game. That is the fewest total yards through two games in any season in Aaron Rodgers ' career, as well as Mike McCarthy's coaching career.

Aaron Rodgers' fewest team points (started and finished) Points scored Opponent

2026

3

at Patriots

2021

3

at Saints

2025

6

at Browns

2024

6

at Cardinals

What has been especially jarring is the lack of explosion from the Pittsburgh offense. Their 3.8 yards per play average ranks at the bottom of the league, and they have just two plays that have gone for 25 or more yards. In the loss to New England on Sunday, the offense averaged 3.5 yards per play, and Rodgers averaged 5.4 air yards per pass attempt.

To take it a step further, 13 of Rodgers' 39 pass attempts were at or behind the line of scrimmage. He attempted just three passes 20-plus yards down the field.  Overall, 24 of Rodgers' 79 pass attempts this season have been at or behind the line of scrimmage.

The rapport (or lack thereof) between Rodgers and DK Metcalf has been one of the key reasons why the offense has been anemic. The wideout has caught just eight of his 19 targets this season and has already tallied three drops (had four drops in all of last season).

> Yet another drop for DK Metcalf!!!!! #yips #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/5LH7Dl7sSo — Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) September 20, 2026

Beyond their inability to connect on big plays, the Steelers have simply been unable to string together positive plays to extend drives. They converted just two of their 12 third-down opportunities on Sunday and are 5-for-25 on the key down this season.

When they did finally string some plays together, they self-combusted for more than not. One of their lone explosive plays of the day came from Jaylen Warren , who hauled in a short pass from Rodgers and turned it into a 26-yard gain and brought the Steelers to the New England 4-yard line. While it looked as if they might finally reach paydirt, Rodgers was sacked for a 13-yard loss on the very next play, and then tossed an interception right after that. Rodgers threw a ball to Germie Bernard at the line of scrimmage, and the rookie receiver couldn't secure the catch as the ball popped into the air and was snatched up by the Patriots.

> Intercepted by the rookie, Gabe Jacas 👏 PITvsNE on CBS/Paramount+ Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/NyZpSDtNEK — NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026

Right now, the Steelers' defense doesn't strike much, if any, fear in the opposing defense. The offensive line has shown it can be beaten (Rodgers has taken six sacks through two games), no weapons are truly tilting the field, and they have a quarterback who looks like he's 42 years old and is about to retire after this season.

If they don't find a way to give themselves a shot in the arm, Rodgers' career will conclude with a mere whimper.

Game Balls

How Game Balls work: Six are awarded to standout players from the slate on teams that won their contests, and only one player on a team can get a game ball.

Ja'Marr Chase CIN • WR • #1

TAR 13 REC 9 REC YDs 87 REC TD 2 FL 0 View Profile

- Week 2 stats : 7 catches, 75 receiving yards, and 2 receiving touchdowns

After a quiet start in Week 1 where he caught just two balls for 12 yards, Ja'Marr Chase burst onto the scene in Week 2. He caught seven of his nine targets on the day in a win over Houston, two of which went for touchdowns. In the second quarter, Chase registered a touchdown reception that is an early candidate for the catch of the year, twirling around and backpedaling before somehow hauling in the pass and keeping both feet in bounds for the score.

> Find 1️⃣ get six. #CINatHOU September 20 at 1:00 PM on CBS/Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/Y2f4qCb8EA — Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 20, 2026

Dak Prescott DAL • QB • #4

TAR 0 REC 0 REC YDs 0 REC TD 0 FL 0 View Profile

- Week 2 stats : 26 of 31 passing, 279 passing yards, 4 passing touchdowns; 4 carries, 26 yards rushing

Dak Prescott's dominance against Washington continued in Week 2, leading the Cowboys to a 37-20 victory to notch their first win of the season. Prescott is now 8-0 in his career at home against the Commanders . In those games, his teams average 41.1 points per game while he's thrown for 24 touchdowns with zero interceptions. Those four passing touchdowns on Sunday also helped him surpass Tony Romo for the most in Cowboys history.

> that 4 ➡️ 88 connection for the TD 💥 📺: #WASvsDAL on FOX 📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/XM2vIx7C1d pic.twitter.com/Un8hBit6i0 — Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) September 20, 2026

Tyler Shough NO • QB • #6

CMP% 68.9 YDs 662 TD 4 INT 2 YD/Att 7.36 View Profile

- Week 2 stats : 27 of 34 passing, 252 passing yards, 1 passing touchdown; 9 carries, 23 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown

One of the biggest upsets of Week 2 came from the New Orleans Saints as they rallied late to take down the Baltimore Ravens . Tyler Shough was particularly sharp in the fourth quarter, completing 12 of 14 for 119 yards and a touchdown. This is the young quarterback's third double-digit comeback win, which is tied for the fourth-most in franchise history.

> Tyler Shough zips it in to Chris Olave for SIX 🎯 NOvsBAL on CBS/Paramount+ Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/oDswfhPi71 — NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026

Devin Lloyd CAR • LB • #55

View Profile

- Week 2 stats : 9 tackles, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 1 touchdown

Devin Lloyd was one of the key offseason additions for Carolina this offseason and he's starting to show why. The veteran linebacker posted two interceptions in the 34-3 win over the Falcons , and took one back for a 16-yard touchdown. Lloyd is the first player since 2012 (Zach Brown) to have at least two interceptions, a pick six and a sack in a game.

> Devin Lloyd pick-6 🗣️ CARvsATL on FOX/FOX One Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/BR5H3KvqY6 — NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026

Josh Allen BUF • QB • #17

CMP% 66.7 YDs 582 TD 5 INT 0 YD/Att 9.7 View Profile

- Week 2 stats : 20 of 31 passing, 248 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns; 14 carries, 69 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns

Josh Allen is already in MVP form as he led the Bills to a 41-31 victory over the Lions on Thursday night to kick off Week 2. He's just the third player in NFL history with 9-plus touchdowns and zero turnovers in his first two games of the season, joining Peyton Manning (2013) and Patrick Mahomes (2018). Each went on to win NFL MVP.

> Josh Allen is the first player with 5+ pass TD and 3+ rush TD through two games of a season in NFL history. pic.twitter.com/e07ztFAmhG — Buffalo Bills PR (@BuffaloBillsPR) September 18, 2026

Jaxon Smith-Njigba SEA • WR • #11

TAR 11 REC 8 REC YDs 122 REC TD 1 FL 0 View Profile

- Week 2 stats : 9 catches, 155 receiving yards, 3 touchdown receptions

The defending Offensive Player of the Year showed why he has a claim to be regarded as the best wide receiver in football. On the first drive of the game, Smith-Njigba ripped off an 82-yard touchdown, the first of three scores on the day. This was the first career three-touchdown game for the Ohio State product. He's accounted for 63.7% of Seattle receiving yards so far, which is the most by any player through two weeks since Vincent Jackson in 2013.

Notable Week 2 gaffes

Jayden Daniels suffers gruesome elbow injury

Jayden Daniels was ruled out of Sunday's contest against Dallas after suffering a gruesome elbow injury right before halftime. The Commanders left the offense on the field for a third-and-goal attempt with just three seconds left in the half. Upon taking the snap, Daniels was stepped on by one of his offensive linemen, and then put his arm down to try and keep himself upright. That's when his elbow bent awkwardly; he threw the ball incomplete and was eventually carted off the field.

> Jayden Daniels was carted off vs. the Cowboys after going down with an apparent elbow injury. Daniels tried to hold himself up as he was falling down and his elbow bent in an awkward way. (📺 FOX) pic.twitter.com/dcTQLDgKws — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 20, 2026

Given that the Commanders were getting the ball coming out of halftime, it's fair to criticize Dan Quinn for having Daniels on the field for that play in the first place. They could've simply kicked the field goal to put points on the board, made it a 17-13 deficit, and looked to gain the lead with a scoring drive to begin the third.

Fourth-and-43 in Foxborough

> Patriots defense pushed the Steelers back from 3rd & 7 to 4th & 43 😳 PITvsNE on CBS/Paramount+ Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/cuwaepRRDX — NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026

As we noted above, it was a rough day for the Steelers' offense, and it turned into a calamity midway through the second quarter. Rodgers took a third-and-7 snap, was sandwiched by two Patriots defenders, and fumbled the football. The ball was then scooped up for a moment, batted, booted, and eventually was recovered by the Steelers on the other side of the field. That created a fourth-and-43 situation.

Cobie Durant gets stepped on

> Cobie Durant falls victim to some of the most dastardly friendly fire i've ever seen pic.twitter.com/BP9mWlqgTh — Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) September 20, 2026

Everyone watching Cobie Durant get stepped on probably winced a bit and squirmed in their chair. The Cowboys defensive back was on the field during an incomplete pass on first-and-goal between Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin . Durant had dove to disrupt the pass and was lying down on the field when he endured some friendly fire. Teammate Markquese Bell accidentally stepped on him in a ... let's just say sensitive area.

Aaron Glenn's poor clock management

It was not a banner day for Aaron Glenn as the Jets head coach had his hand on the wheel of a second-half stumble, blowing a 17-7 fourth-quarter lead against Green Bay. Glenn particularly bungled the final seconds of regulation before the game eventually went to overtime. After stopping the Packers ' offense on third down, Glenn could've stopped the clock by using a timeout, which would've had the Packers punting with about 50 seconds left. Instead, Glenn kept the timeout in his pocket, and the game went into the extra period.

Glenn said postgame that he did not consider using the timeout at all.

> Aaron Glenn says he didn't consider using a timeout at the end of regulation: pic.twitter.com/lZ2vM6oEB0 — SNY Jets (@snyjets) September 20, 2026

Glenn then elected to take possession to begin overtime, and the offense went three-and-out. That led to the Packers needing just a field goal, which they converted on the ensuing possession.

Two-minute drill

Here are some of my quick-hitting takeaways/notes from Week 2:

- Don't look now, but Bryce Young is on a heater. The Panthers QB completed 23 of 26 for 287 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Atlanta. Young is the first Panthers quarterback with three-plus passing touchdowns in back-to-back games since 2017 ( Cam Newton ). - I never thought I'd say this, but the Falcons desperately need either Michael Penix Jr . or Tua Tagovailoa for We

_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-week-2-storylines-games-balls-gaffes/)._