Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers gets a pass off as he’s pressured by Browns defensive end Jared Verse during the first half of an NFL football game at Huntington Bank Field, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Cleveland.
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers gets a pass off as he’s pressured by Browns defensive end Jared Verse during the first half of an NFL football game at Huntington Bank Field, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Cleveland.
Each week, Christopher Carter gives his grades after watching the All-22 film of the Steelers’ most recent game. While all players are considered, players not named had neutral grades because they didn’t impact the result or their combination of successes and mistakes evened each other out.
The Steelers’ loss last week to the Cleveland Browns featured inconsistent play on both sides of the ball.
The defense missed 14 tackles, while the offense was lifeless for the second and third quarters and put the Steelers in a hole on the road against a divisional opponent.
The disappointing performance collectively is reflected in our Steelers’ individual player grades for Week 4.
[Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is sacked by Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Maliek Collins during the first half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is sacked by Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Maliek Collins during the first half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026](https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2026/10/04/steelers-browns-blueprint-pass-protection-max-iheanachor-mike-mccarthy/stories/202610020056)
Here are this week’s Stars and Skulls:
⭐⭐⭐ (Elite performance)
RB Jaylen Warren
The only offensive player who didn’t have an up-and-down day was Warren. He had 93 yards on 17 rushes — 5.5 yards per carry — and 33 receiving yards. He’s arguably been the Steelers’ best offensive player this season. He forced three missed tackles, and 60 of his yards came after contact.
LB T.J. Watt
Watt was a disruptive force yet again. He created a much-needed turnover with his strip sack on Deshaun Watson and added another sack to make it 4.5 on the season. He also had three run stuffs, four pressures and a remarkable pass breakup where he turned an inside pass rush move into a backward spin to knock the ball out of a player’s hands on a screen pass.
⭐⭐ (Exceptionally good game — or multiple vital plays)
WR DK Metcalf
The Steelers’ top receiver finally had a good game. After three weeks of drops, Metcalf pulled in five of nine targets for 115 yards and made an impressive contested catch when the Steelers needed it. Asked after the game what got the offense to click in the fourth quarter, Aaron Rodgers simply answered, “DK.”
TEs Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington
They combined for only 44 yards, but each scored in the fourth quarter as the Steelers rallied back. Plus both contributed as blockers. Washington flattened several defenders to help spring Warren for big yards, and Freiermuth again showed he’s vastly improved as a blocker. Coach Mike McCarthy may want to use them more on the field at the same time.
S Robert Spears-Jennings
The seventh-round rookie looked like a veteran. His seven tackles were a team high. He broke up a pass and intercepted another. And he allowed just one reception for six yards on three targets. Spears-Jennings has been a special teams ace for the Steelers so far and is making the case for more snaps on defense just as DeShon Elliott is ready to come back.
⭐ (Solid — or made a big play without a costly play)
WR Roman Wilson
Wilson scored on a 12-yard jet sweep and had another explosive play with a 49-yard catch down the seam. He also came back from injury and made a 13-yard catch on the game-tying drive, but he did struggle to get open for much of the game.
OL Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier, Mason McCormick
Frazier was the only lineman who didn’t allow a pressure and he also did a solid job as a run blocker. Fautanu allowed three pressures, and McCormick allowed a sack, but they were instrumental in the run game. Warren averaged 6.8 yards per rush when he ran behind McCormick and Fautanu on the left compared to just 3.6 yards per rush when he ran to the right side.
DL Cam Heyward
Three of his four tackles were key stops, and he registered three pressures on a night when the Steelers needed disruption up front. None of the Steelers’ other interior defensive linemen pressured Watson more than once.
P Cameron Johnston
Johnston hit five punts for an average of 51.8 yards — with three landing inside the Browns’ 20-yard line.
🤷🏽 Notable neutrals (Player had a mix of good and bad)
WR Michael Pittman Jr.
The offseason pickup hasn’t made much an impact as a receiver since the season opener. He had just two catches for 15 yards on four targets against the Browns. However, Pittman did throw a key block on Wilson’s touchdown.
DL Yahya Black
When Derrick Harmon went down, Black filled in with two run stuffs. But he got pushed around on other snaps and didn’t record a single pressure.
OLB Alex Highsmith
Highsmith registered two pressures but wasn’t much help against the run, with no run stuffs. He wasn’t a liability, but he wasn’t an asset, either.
💀 (Mildly poor game — or made a critical mistake)
OL Brock Hoffman
After a strong debut for the Steelers last week, Hoffman allowed three pressures from up the middle and was up and down as a run blocker.
DL Keeanu Benton, Sebastian Joseph-Day
Benton had two run stuffs but got pushed around plenty and registered only a single pressure. Meanwhile, Joseph-Day played 23 snaps and had just one pressure and one tackle.
LBs Cole Holcomb, Nick Herbig
Holcomb played only five snaps but missed a tackle on Jaleel McLaughlin’s 28-yard touchdown run. Herbig, meanwhile, whiffed on two tackles and is still looking for his first sack since the Steelers signed him to that lucrative contract extension.
CBs Daylen Everette, Jalen Ramsey, Asante Samuel Jr.
Everette broke up a pass but got picked on a bit by Denzel Boston. Ramsey allowed only three catches for nine yards, but one was Harold Fannin Jr.’s two-yard touchdown reception, on which the tight end boxed Ramsey out in the end zone. Samuel was the Steelers’ top cornerback, with Joey Porter Jr. being traded and Jamel Dean injured early in the game.
K Chris Boswell
Boswell missed another field goal, his third in four games.
💀💀 (Bad overall game — or multiple critical mistakes)
QB Aaron Rodgers
He threw three touchdowns but left several plays on the field. His first interception sparked the Browns. He held on to the ball too many times when he could have thrown it away and didn’t see two deep-ball opportunities when Metcalf was wide open. His final interception was a forced Hail Mary into coverage when Metcalf was open in the middle of the field. The Steelers had a timeout, and Metcalf could have put Boswell in field goal range with a shot to send it to overtime.
LBs Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson
Two missed tackles for Wilson and another for Queen. Queen also allowed four receptions on five targets for 31 yards, while Wilson allowed all three of his targets to be caught for 46 yards. Out of the combined 78 yards the two allowed, 71 came after the catch.
S Jaquan Brisker
The Steelers needed more of an impact from him against the run, but he had just a single run stuff. He also had a team-high three missed tackles — all of which came after receptions — while allowing four receptions on four targets for 31 yards. Like Queen and Wilson, Brisker’s missed tackles proved costly.
💀💀💀 (Terrible performance, major hindrance to the team)
OL Max Iheanachor
Four days after impressing in his first NFL start, the 2026 first-round pick had a terrible outing in Cleveland. He allowed six pressures and was beaten for two sacks, making the right side of the line a concern for Rodgers all night. The rookie right tackle wasn’t a big enough asset in the run game to make up for it.
S Rayshawn Jenkins
It’s rare when a player plays sparingly and still gets a three-skull grade, but Jenkins pulled it off. That’s because his mistakes contributed to two of the Browns’ biggest plays — McLaughlin’s 28-yard touchdown run and a 60-yard catch by Boston. The latter was more egregious. He played the wrong side of the field and left the left sideline wide open. After that coverage bust, the 10-year veteran was benched for Spears-Jennings.
First Published: October 6, 2026, 1:00 a.m.