The Steelers suffered their second loss of the season on Thursday, as the Browns upended Pittsburgh 27-24. Here's who overperformed and underperformed in the defeat.
Overperformer: WR DK Metcalf
DK Metcalf’s case of the drops seems to be gone. He’s generating some explosiveness for this offense and was open a few other times against Cleveland, but his quarterback just missed him. Metcalf perhaps isn’t out of the woods just yet, but his arrow is definitely pointing up after Thursday.
Overperformer: EDGE TJ Watt
TJ Watt did TJ Watt things against the Browns. Getting to the quarterback, breaking up passes and showing his spark were all on display in Cleveland. While Thursday’s game was on the verge of truly getting out of hand, Watt’s forced fumble flipped the game and gave Pittsburgh a chance at mounting a comeback. Moments later, his tipped pass that led to an interception got the Steelers back into the game.
Overperformer: RB Jaylen Warren
With Rico Dowdle out of the picture in Cleveland, Jaylen Warren had no problem carrying the load, as he was on the field for all but two of Pittsburgh's offensive snaps. At 5.5 yards per carry, Warren absolutely did his job as RB1.
Underperformer: WR Michael Pittman Jr.
Michael Pittman Jr. just isn’t getting any separation. Bluntly put, it was ugly against Cleveland.
Underperformer: S Rayshawn Jenkins
Rayshawn Jenkins only logged 13 snaps on defense, but that was still enough to make a significant impact on Thursday’s game. And no, it wasn’t a positive impact. Certainly, the most notable play was his blown coverage assignment on Deshaun Watson’s 60-yard connection to Denzel Boston. Say what you want about PFF, but they had Jenkins as the worst-rated defender from Thursday. That absolutely checks out.
Underperformer: LB Patrick Queen
It was an all-around forgettable night for Patrick Queen against the Browns. Between missed tackles, poor angles and just getting physically beat, it’d be fair to say Queen appeared to be making some business decisions on defense, which isn’t a good look.
Underperformer: OL Max Iheanachor
Max Iheanachor’s first start against the Bengals last week was great, but he fell back down to earth against the Browns on Thursday. Is there any reason to be concerned long-term? Not really, but that doesn’t change the fact that his most recent outing was not up to snuff for a first-round pick.
Underperformer: K Chris Boswell
Do the math. The Steelers lost by three points, and Chris Boswell missed a routine 48-yard field goal. In a vacuum, it’d be very easy to brush this off and give him a break. But 2026 has been bad, as he’s already missed three kicks this season. Boswell is usually a lethal special teams weapon — now he's trending toward being more of a liability.