The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for their first AFC North matchup of the 2026 season, and the Cincinnati Bengals are bringing a 2-0 record into Pittsburgh. While the Bengals’ offense receives plenty of attention, their defense has played even better through the first two weeks of the season.
For the Steelers, that presents a significant challenge. Pittsburgh’s offense has struggled to consistently move the football, while Cincinnati has shown it can make life difficult for opposing offenses. Add Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins to the equation, and the Steelers have several reasons to be concerned heading into Week 3.
Here are the three big reasons the Steelers should be concerned about the Bengals:
On-the-Rise Bengals Defense
The Bengals are allowing just 13 points per game through two weeks. That’s not just the Steelers’ defensive average; it’s Cincinnati’s, too.
Cincinnati has faced Tampa Bay and Houston so far. Neither offense resembles the 2007 Patriots, but both are capable of putting points on the scoreboard. The Bengals limited both teams and have allowed just 26 total points through two games.
The last thing the AFC North needed was for the Bengals to develop, at minimum, an average defense. So far, they’re getting more than that.
It also doesn’t help that the Steelers have one major offensive issue of their own.
Huge Questions on Steelers’ Offensive Line
Is it a matter of skill, execution, communication, technique, or some combination of all four? It’s probably the latter.
The Steelers have already started evaluating the problem, as evidenced by some shuffling along the offensive line at Wednesday’s practice.
Will that be enough to fix the issues? Probably not. This unit has to play better, and it’s genuinely puzzling to see how a group that looked very solid in 2025 has taken such a significant step backward in 2026.
The Steelers won’t have much room for error against a Bengals defense that has already demonstrated its ability to make opposing offenses uncomfortable.
Joe Burrow and His Receivers
Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
This will remain a major concern until two of these three retire or get traded away. Until then, good luck to AFC North defenses.
The Steelers have put together some good game plans against Burrow, Chase, and Higgins in the past, successfully limiting their impact. However, this trio can change a game in an instant.
It will be interesting to see how Patrick Graham approaches this Bengals offense. So far, the Steelers’ defense has played really well under his approach. These Bengals, however, have made even opposing coordinators look outmatched before.
