Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth (88) catches a wide open pass for a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 7 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. The Bengals won, 33-31. Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Steelers Haven't Convinced Us of Pat Freiermuth Bounce Back

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Jacob Punturi | Last updated Oct 17, 2025 5:00 PM ET

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers dropped a disappointing contest against the Cincinnati Bengals. With the chance to storm out to a 5-1 record and to take complete control of the AFC North division, the Steelers stumbled and fell to a 4-2 overall record through Week 7 of the regular season.

The bright spot in the loss was Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth. The playmaking tight end was invisible for the first five contests, but he reappeared in a major way.

Despite the bounce back performance, it’s not quite time to consider Freiermuth officially “back.”

Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lost in the Shuffle

Credit to ‘Muth for this effort against the Bengals. He led the team in receptions with five, receiving yards with 111 and a touchdown. He was clearly Aaron Rodgers' go-to target in this game and he answered the call.

What was also apparent in this game was that the Bengals found a way to minimize the Steelers’ top offensive weapon. Star wide receiver DK Metcalf was limited to three receptions for 50 yards after recording 221 receiving yards then previous two games. He was minimized and brought back down to earth, and Rodgers and the Steelers pivoted to Freiermuth.

It was a great performance, but there’s no reason to believe this will be a permanent fixture in the offense moving forward. Each week, the Steelers offense has found different secondary options to turn to for an offensive spark. Against the Cleveland Browns, it was Darnell Washington. Against the Minnesota Vikings, it was Kenny Gainwell stepping up. Against the New England Patriots, it was Calvin Austin III that Rodgers targeted on the game-winning touchdown.

It took until Week 7 for the dizzying carousel that is the Steelers’ passing offense to come back around to Freiermuth.

Disjointed Group

While Freiermuth looked excellent for the first time this season, the rest of the offense was a disjointed mess. Communication was seemingly minimal, as players missed multiple motions and audibles that caused plays to fail.

Part of the cause for that was play calling. There seemed to be a disconnect between what the team was finding successful on the field and how they would try to conclude their offensive drives. Running back Jaylen Warren was consistently picking up yards after contact, but then then play calls would shift to gadget or forced passing plays that fell short.

And part of the problem was the lack of execution. It’s been a weekly issue for them, and until they solve that, it’s impossible to see how anyone besides Metcalf will find a way to stand out for the Steelers offense.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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