By multiple measures, this has not been a great season for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But where it matters most, they continue to do just fine. On a day where they lost starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers and starting running Jaylen Warren to injury, the Steelers secured a 34-12 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
With the win, the Steelers improved to 6-4. And despite ranking near the bottom of the league in both offense and defense, Pittsburgh remains in playoff position in the AFC. The Steelers maintain first place in the AFC North by 1 1/2 games over the second-place Baltimore Ravens (4-5).
Rodgers hurt
Rodgers left Sunday's game with an injury to his left hand. He was seen grimacing while holding his wrist before halftime. He left the game in the third quarter, and backup Mason Rudolph took over at quarterback as Pittsburgh held a 10-9 lead.
Aaron Rodgers is grimacing in pain while holding his left hand/wristpic.twitter.com/lynkCrGrQT
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS)November 16, 2025
The Steelerslisted Rodgers as questionableto return, but he remained in the locker room for the remainder of the second half. The precise nature of his injury was not clear.
Turnovers lead Steelers to victory again
Rudolph led the Steelers to a field-goal drive for a 13-9 lead late in the third quarter on his first possession at quarterback. From there, the Steelers blew the game open with a pair of defensive touchdowns. It continued a formula for success for a Steelers team that leads the NFL in points off turnovers.
With less than a minute remaining in the third quarter, Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco targeted Tee Higgins over the middle. Instead, he found safety Kyle Dugger, who returned the ball 74 yards for a touchdown and a 20-9 Steelers lead.
.@KingDugg_3TO THE HOUSE 😤📺#CINvsPITon@paramountpluspic.twitter.com/OEWCLrlRSQ
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers)November 16, 2025
Then in the fourth quarter, the Steelers did it again.
This time, they forced a fumble by tight end Noah Fant. Cornerback James Pierre scooped the loose ball up and returned it for a 33-yard score.
We'll take that 😏📺#CINvsPITon@paramountpluspic.twitter.com/t8M20uxggb
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers)November 16, 2025
The second Steelers defensive touchdown of the day put the game out of reach with a 34-12 lead. And it added to their league-high tally of 77 points scored off turnovers. Pittsburgh's two forced turnovers upped their tally to 18 for the season, the second most in the league.
Can Steelers keep this up?
For a Steelers team that entered Sunday ranked 28th in total defense and 29th in total offense, those points off turnovers have been needed. And they've kept the Steelers in first place in the AFC North. Whether it's sustainable over the course of a full season remains to be seen.
Things won't be easy over the stretch run of the season. The Steelers will play three of their remaining seven games against teams with winning records (Bears, Bills, Lions). And they face two games against a resurgent Ravens team with a healthy Lamar Jackson that could ultimately decide the AFC North.
And it's unclear at the moment what their starting backfield will look like. Rodgers long-term outlook wasn't immediately clear after the game. The good news for Pittsburgh is that the injury appears to be to his non-throwing hand.
The Steelers also lost Warren to an ankle injury. Warren was slow to get up after taking a hit in the third quarter. He left the game, and backup Kenneth Gainwell took over at running back. TheSteelers listed Warren as questionableto return, but like Rodgers, he remained sidelined for the rest of the game.
Even if the injuries are short-term, the Steelers will likely need to continue to make big plays on defense to overcome their struggles elsewhere and remain competitive in the AFC playoff picture.