Pittsburgh Steelers

Ben Skowronek

WR

questionable

Doneiko Slaughter

CB

questionable

Brandin Echols

CB

questionable

Chris Boswell

PK

Boswell missed a 57-yard attempt on the Steelers' first offensive drive of the game. The kicker proceeded to nail 20-yard and 37-yard attempts en route to five straight made kicks. Boswell is now 18-for-23 on field-goal attempts and 16-for-16 on PATs through eight regular-season games in 2026.

Will Howard

QB

Drew Allar

QB

Eli Heidenreich

RB

Michael Pittman Jr.

WR

Pittman has missed the Steelers' last four games and is now eligible to be activated from IR at any point, but based on the receiver's comments, he doesn't appear to be trending toward a return to action following the team's Week 9 bye. The wideout noted that his left foot injury that first cropped up following the season opener was originally plantar fasciitis but has since "morphed into something else." While it's encouraging that he's at least healthy enough to start running again, Pittman didn't indicate when he might be ready to resume practicing with the team.

Germie Bernard

WR

Bernard led the team in catches, reeling in multiple passes for the fifth straight week and sixth time overall this year. The wide receiver has built a strong rapport with starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but it's unclear what Bernard's workload will look like after the Steelers have a chance to regroup and potentially acquire another pass catcher during the team's bye week in Week 9.

Pat Freiermuth

TE

With time expiring in the second quarter, Freiermuth took a direct snap and punched in a one-yard rushing score to put the Steelers up 20-6 headed into halftime. The tight end entered the season with zero career carries but now has four through eight games, turning them into five yards and a touchdown. As a receiver, Freiermuth has been held to exactly two catches in each of the last three games and has yet to hit 50 yards in any game this season. He's a touchdown-or-bust fantasy bet with the Steelers headed into their bye week.

Darnell Washington

TE

Washington led the team in receiving yards while finishing tied for second on the team in targets with wide receiver Germie Bernard. The tight end's biggest moment of the game came in the third quarter when he reeled in a short pass from Aaron Rodgers and took off for a 58-yard gain. Washington has corralled 19 of 28 targets for 254 yards and three touchdowns over eight contests to open the 2026 regular season.

Rico Dowdle

RB

Dowdle finished just two carries behind Jaylen Warren on the afternoon, and although his backfield mate significantly outpaced him in yardage, the former made his fantasy mark when he opened the scoring on the day with a nine-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Dowdle recorded new season highs in rush attempts and rushing yards as the Steelers had the luxury of leaning heavily on the ground attack, but Warren remains the backfield's clear No. 1 option heading into the Week 9 bye.

DK Metcalf

WR

Aaron Rodgers put up a season low in completions, pass attempts, passing yards and completion percentage Sunday, and Metcalf's production was part of the collateral damage. The veteran wideout did see a team high in targets, but the fact he did next to nothing with them led to season lows in catches and receiving yards. Metcalf has had a handful of splash plays over the first half of the season and has two games of more than 90 receiving yards, but he's averaging a career-low 11.5 yards per catch and has just a single touchdown reception heading into the Week 9 bye.

Aaron Rodgers

QB

Jaylen Warren spearheaded the Steelers' attack with 143 rushing yards and a touchdown, and backfield mate Rico Dowdle added 56 yards and a score of his own. When combined with a highly effective effort by Pittsburgh's defense, there wasn't much production required of Rodgers and the air attack after much busier games leading into Sunday. Rodgers finished with season-low figures in completions, pass attempts, completion percentage and passing yards while failing to throw a touchdown pass for the first time since Week 2, but he's highly likely to revert to his prior pass-heavy ways in a Week 10 road showdown against the Bengals on Sunday night, Nov. 15, following a Week 8 bye.

Jaylen Warren

RB

Warren tied his single-game career high in rushing yards with Sunday's performance, which was partly fueled by a season-long 51-yard run. Warren now has back-to-back 100-yard efforts on the ground for the first time this season, and he snapped a brief two-game rushing TD drought Sunday with a one-yard run early in the third quarter that closed out the scoring for the afternoon. Warren is already up to 704 rushing yards on a career-best 5.9 yards per carry heading into a Week 9 road showdown against the Bengals on Sunday, Nov. 15, following a Week 8 bye.

Brandon Smith

WR

Smith had already been elevated from the practice squad thrice, so Saturday's move means he's eligible to suit up for the Steelers for the rest of the season. The Iowa product caught both of his targets for 24 yards against the Saints in Week 7. If Ben Skowronek (calf) cannot play Sunday, then Smith, Kaden Wetjen and Brandon Johnson would all be in line for more offensive snaps.

Alex Highsmith

LB

Jalen Ramsey

CB

Payton Wilson

LB

Wilson had a solid outing in the win, as he recorded the team's lone interception of Tyler Shough. The 26-year-old has now compiled 61 tackles (33 solo), including 1.0 sacks, and an interception across the first seven games of the campaign. He will look to keep producing during next week's matchup against the Browns.

Patrick Queen

LB

Queen had a strong outing in the victory, leading the team in tackles in addition to registering his first sack of the campaign. The 2020 first-round pick has now logged 48 tackles (17 solo), including 1.0 sacks, and an interception across seven games this season.

Terell Smith

CB

DeShon Elliott

S

Elliott will suit up for his first game action since Oct. 26, 2025, when he sustained a knee injury that kept him out for the remainder of that season as well as the first six games of the 2026 campaign. The 29-year-old was a full participant in practice this week, and after being activated from injured reserve Saturday, he'll likely be ready to handle a full load of snaps against New Orleans. Expect Elliott to unseat rookie Robert Spears-Jennings as one of Pittsburgh's starting safeties.

Mason Rudolph

QB

Rudolph has emerged as the Steelers' preferred backup quarterback behind starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers coming out of the preseason. Through each of Pittsburgh's first seven contests, Rudolph has suited up, while both Will Howard and Drew Allar have been inactive. Howard is the Steelers' emergency No. 3 quarterback and will be called upon to play only in the event that both Rodgers and Rudolph are forced to exit Sunday's game.

T.J. Watt

LB

Watt was limited by a calf injury Thursday, but he's good to go for Pittsburgh's Paris game against New Orleans. Through six games this season, the 32-year-old Watt has 15 tackles (10 solo), including 4.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and a pick-six interception.

Sebastian Joseph-Day

DT

Joseph-Day is dealing with an apparent triceps injury, and he will now be forced to miss at least four contests while recovering. In his absence, Gabriel Rubio and Kevin Jobity are both candidates to see an increase in workload on Pittsburgh's defensive line.