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The Pittsburgh Steelers came out on top in a nail-biter against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3.
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Winning by a score of 30-27, the Steelers wiped their hands clean of their 20-3 loss to the New England Patriots and moved to 2-1 while delivering the Bengals their first loss of the season.
With that, here are our winners and losers from Pittsburgh’s first AFC North victory under head coach Mike McCarthy.
Winner: Derrick Harmon
Harmon came up with the biggest play of the day for the Steelers, notching a strip sack of Joe Burrow on the Bengals’ final drive of the game when they were at Pittsburgh’s 38-yard line with under a minute left while trailing by just three points.
The 2025 first-round pick had quite a day against the Patriots with a team-leading eight tackles and half of a sack, and he continued to build on that performance by clinching a crucial win for the black and gold.
Loser: Asante Samuel Jr.
Samuel Jr. has been thrown into a starting role amidst Joey Porter Jr.’s absence, and it hasn’t gone quite as well as hoped after his strong summer.
It’s tough for any cornerback to keep up with the likes of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, though Samuel Jr. had a particularly rough day at the office, allowing touchdowns to both of Cincinnati’s star receivers and a total of 60 yards (per Pro Football Focus).
The 26-year-old was then benched in favor of rookie Daylen Everette towards the end of the game, which speaks volumes about the scope of Samuel Jr.’s poor outing.
Winner: Jaylen Warren
Pittsburgh needed Warren more than ever with Rico Dowdle out due to a toe injury, and he showed up in a major way.
After posting a combined 89 yards on the ground over the first two weeks of the campaign, Warren broke out for 127 yards on 17 carries while adding 49 yards on three receptions for good measure.
Warren’s 176 yards from scrimmage was his most in any game of his NFL career up to this point.
Loser: T.J. Watt
Watt was perhaps the most impactful Steeler through the first two weeks of the season and looked like his usual self, notching a total of 3.5 sacks and a pick-six.
Bengals right tackle Amarius Mims got the best of Watt throughout the day and essentially made him a non-factor, however, which is no easy task.
According to both Pro Football Focus and SumerSports, Watt did not record a single pressure throughout the contest.
Winner: Max Iheanachor
Iheanachor, Pittsburgh’s 2026 first-round pick, made his first career start at right tackle and immediately made a massive impact.
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Per ESPN’s Benjamin Solak, Aaron Rodgers’ 3.19 second time to throw against Cincinnati was his highest as a Steeler, and NFL Pro’s Trevor Sikkema added that Iheanachor gave up just three pressures on 36 pass blocking reps for a pressure rate of 8.3, which was the lowest on the team.
If Iheanachor continues to prove that he’s a difference-maker at right tackle, the floor and ceiling of Pittsburgh’s offense would raise exponentially.
Loser: Roman Wilson
Statistically, Wilson had one of his best contests as a Steeler with 60 yards and the opening touchdown of the game on three catches.
His day still had quite the blemish, however, as he saw a perfect pass from Rodgers bounce right off his hands for a Bengals interception with just under two minutes left in the first half.
Cincinnati turned that into a game-tying touchdown going into halftime, and it easily could’ve cost Pittsburgh the win, which simply can’t happen moving forward for Wilson.
Winner: Aaron Rodgers
With vastly improved protection up front, Rodgers had ample time to work out of the pocket and spread the ball around against the Bengals.
Rodgers did have a few missed opportunities for big plays throughout the contest, such as on a scramble drill with DK Metcalf early in the second quarter and down the sideline to Pat Freiermuth in the third quarter.
Overall, though, Rodgers looked comfortable and sharp en route to a 292-yard, three-touchdown performance.
Winner: Darnell Washington
Washington once again showed the type of weapon he can be in the passing game if featured at a higher rate in the Steelers’ offense.
He tied a career-high of 67 receiving yards vs. Cincinnati, which he originally set against the Bengals in Week 11 last season, on three catches while also continuing to flourish as a blocker.
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Today’s best reads
- 3 Reasons Steelers Beat Bengals in Week 3
- Steelers Add Two More Injuries to Key Starters
- Steelers vs. Bengals Predictions: Aaron Rodgers Breaks Cincy’s Streak
- Steelers vs. Bengals Takeaways: Jaylen Warren Takes Over
- 3 Reasons Why Steelers Could Lose to Bengals
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/steelers/onsi as 5 Winners, 3 Losers From Steelers Win Over Bengals.
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This story was originally published September 28, 2026 at 3:00 AM.