Photo: steelers.com
The Pittsburgh Steelers got the Mike McCarthy era started with a win, defeating the Atlanta Falcons 20-13 in their regular-season opener. Now comes a different test as Pittsburgh heads on the road for the first time this season to face the New England Patriots.
Week 1 gave us our first meaningful look at what McCarthy’s Steelers might become. The defense established an early standard, while the offense showed flashes but struggled to consistently sustain drives.
That leaves plenty to watch in Week 2, from the continued development of Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh’s offense to Patrick Graham‘s plans for a defense that carried the Steelers through portions of their opener.
Here are five Steelers to watch against New England.
Rodgers’ final numbers against Atlanta didn’t tell the entire story of his Steelers debut.
Pittsburgh made a concerted effort to attack the middle of the field and create downfield opportunities. Offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio said the Steelers wanted to stretch Atlanta’s coverage, and several potential big plays were there even though Pittsburgh wasn’t able to finish all of them: that’s something worth watching again against New England.
Angelichio praised Rodgers’ ability to manipulate defenders with his eyes and anticipate throws against different coverages.
McCarthy also reiterated one of his passing-game principles following the Atlanta win: “The fastest way to the end zone is through the middle of the field.”
The Steelers aren’t designing this offense to live exclusively on short throws. The next step is converting more of those opportunities while improving on third down. Pittsburgh went just 3-of-13 in that department in Week 1, and McCarthy estimated that three or four additional conversions could have resulted in at least another dozen offensive plays.
If Rodgers and the Steelers can extend more drives in New England, we should get a better look at what McCarthy wants this offense to become.
Pittsburgh’s running game was inconsistent for most of its opener before finding something late. That makes Jaylen Warren an important player to watch in Week 2.
Angelichio acknowledged that the Steelers weren’t consistently producing the four- and five-yard gains needed to establish the run early against Atlanta. However, Pittsburgh’s four-minute offense told a different story.
With everyone in the stadium expecting the Steelers to run, Pittsburgh was still able to move the football on the ground and help close out the victory: McCarthy called that sequence “excellent” and something the Steelers can build upon.
Warren and Rico Dowdle also appear likely to continue sharing the workload. Angelichio said Pittsburgh wants to keep both backs fresh throughout the season rather than locking itself into riding one player.
That makes the effectiveness of the entire rushing attack worth monitoring, but Warren’s ability to create when Pittsburgh gets its blocking synchronized could provide an important piece of the offense on the road.
Freiermuth’s touchdown against Atlanta was one of the highlights of Pittsburgh’s offensive performance, but his value went beyond the catch itself.
Angelichio praised Freiermuth’s energy, attention to detail and willingness to contribute as a blocker. He specifically pointed toward a 27-yard completion to Michael Pittman Jr., where Freiermuth immediately transitioned into a blocker as the play developed.
Those details matter in an offense trying to create yards after the catch and extend plays.
Freiermuth also provides Rodgers with a dependable target in the middle of the field, an area Pittsburgh clearly intends to attack under McCarthy. As Rodgers becomes more comfortable in the offense and with his receivers, Freiermuth could become an increasingly important part of how Pittsburgh challenges opposing coverages.
How do you follow up a sequence that includes a sack, tackle for loss and pick-six? That’s the question for Watt after an outstanding start to the season.
McCarthy called Watt the most impactful player in Pittsburgh’s win over Atlanta, while Graham continues experimenting with ways to make his star defender more difficult for offenses to account for. Watt moved to the right side of Pittsburgh’s defense more frequently in the opener, something Graham views less as a major philosophical change and more as another way to put one of the NFL’s best defenders in position to affect the game.
There’s another wrinkle worth following: Watt’s snap count.
McCarthy said Watt was projected to play around 40 snaps against Atlanta as part of an effort to manage Pittsburgh’s outside linebackers and preserve quality rushes for important moments. Graham believes the rotation paid off. He specifically noted how fresh the outside linebackers appeared during the fourth quarter.
If the Steelers can continue getting Watt’s most explosive snaps when games are being decided, fewer total plays could ultimately produce a greater impact.
Joey Porter Jr. remains one of the biggest Steelers to watch this week, although his availability against New England is still uncertain.
Porter was limited Wednesday as Pittsburgh continued the conditioning ramp-up that kept him out of the season opener. Mike McCarthy said Porter completed everything the team asked of him during that session and the hope was to increase his workload as the week progressed.
Then, Porter was limited again Thursday. This time, however, with his back injury appearing on the injury report along with the conditioning designation. Porter was seen leaving the open media portion of practice with a trainer. His status afterward is unknown other than what appeared on the injury report.
If Porter is able to make his 2026 debut, his return would give Patrick Graham another option against Drake Maye and the Patriots passing attack. Graham has stressed that Porter can function in both man and zone coverage, which could provide Pittsburgh even more flexibility after a strong defensive performance without him against Atlanta.
Whether Porter plays or not, his status is one of the biggest storylines to follow heading into Sunday’s game.
Sunday’s opener established a baseline for McCarthy’s Steelers, but it also exposed several areas that need improvement.
The offense needs to stay on the field on third down. The running game needs to find its rhythm earlier. Pittsburgh’s defense will look to build upon an impressive debut while Graham continues adding wrinkles to a unit loaded with veteran talent.
McCarthy isn’t pretending one victory answered every question surrounding his new team:
“We won the game, and we have tremendous amount of things to work on,” he said.
Week 2 provides the Steelers their first opportunity to show how quickly they can turn those lessons into progress.
