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At 5-2, the Pittsburgh Steelers are riding high. Fresh off a 16-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints in Paris, France, the team returns stateside for a pivotal clash with the Cleveland Browns. With a chance to climb to the top of the AFC North and avenge an earlier loss to their division rivals, the Steelers are brimming with confidence. The defense ranks among the league's top 10, and the offense boasts a legitimate MVP candidate. A potent rushing attack and a stout defense could set the stage for a deep run in 2026—but only if the team can rectify a few critical issues in the coming weeks.
Warren's MVP Bid: Enough to Carry the Load?
No running back has taken the NFL by storm quite like Jaylen Warren this season. The 27-year-old ranks seventh in the league with 561 rushing yards on 102 carries, averaging 5.5 yards per attempt, and he's doing most of his damage after contact. As a receiver, he's equally dangerous, having hauled in 24 passes for 294 yards. Warren is undeniably having an MVP-caliber campaign, putting together a career year and powering the Steelers' offense. However, two concerns loom large. First, durability: Warren has been relatively healthy over his five NFL seasons, but he's been banged up along the way, including shoulder injuries early this year. Managing his workload is crucial, and the Steelers may have found the right balance in Week 7. With Rico Dowdle back in the fold, they were able to distribute carries and keep Warren fresh throughout the game. If they can maintain that one-two punch, the run game will continue to fuel the team's success.
Passing Game Remains a Work in Progress
The aerial attack, however, is still very much a work in progress. The game plan this year has essentially been to force-feed DK Metcalf, who has seen 58 targets—25 more than the next-most targeted player (Jaylen Warren, unsurprisingly). This approach has made the passing game one-dimensional. When Metcalf makes a big play, the offense appears fine; when he doesn't, the passing game looks as inept as it did in 2025. Defenses are aware of this and are forcing the Steelers to take deep shots outside, which hasn't yielded the productive plays the offense hopes for. The dink-and-dunk approach has helped Pittsburgh win a few games, but it's not a sustainable recipe for long-term success. The Steelers must improve this area, or the rest of the offense will suffer.
Top-10 Defense: For Now
Week 7 was another strong showing from the defense, continuing an early-season trend under new coordinator Patrick Graham. Through seven weeks, the unit ranks sixth in yards allowed per game, 11th in pass yards per game, seventh in rush yards allowed per game, and fifth in points allowed per game. Their 18 sacks are the 10th-most in the NFL, and they have the eighth-best turnover differential. By all accounts and statistics, this defense is better than last year's version. However, one area has not improved: foot speed in the secondary. The defense played well against the Saints in Week 7, but the lack of speed and coverage skills led to many of the big plays New Orleans managed and their lone touchdown. If the Saints picked up on it, what happens when a superior team does the same? It could create problems that even Graham's savvy cannot overcome.
Key Analysis
Entering Week 8, the Steelers have a chance to sit atop the AFC North and change the narrative in Pittsburgh. But to do so, they must correct these two major concerns. Otherwise, the team could be setting itself up for another repeat of recent history.