The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t land near the bottom of Sports Illustrated’s ranking of the NFL’s top offensive triplets for 2026, but the review wasn’t glowing either.

Pittsburgh checked in at No. 21 on Matt Verderame’s list, slotted between the New York Jets at No. 20 and the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 22. That puts the Steelers in a familiar spot: talented enough to be taken seriously, but still carrying one obvious question that keeps dragging down the national view of their offense.

That question is Aaron Rodgers. And it’s valid.

“The Steelers are talented across the board,” Verderame wrote. “Unfortunately, they have a 42-year-old quarterback who refuses to throw downfield, limiting the team’s ceiling beyond a postseason appearance. Rodgers hasn’t thrown for 4,000 yards or 7.0 yards per attempt since 2021. While Warren is a quality back and the combo of Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. is excellent, Rodgers holds the whole unit back.”

That’s the part Steelers fans probably won’t love, but it’s not hard to understand. Jaylen Warren gives Pittsburgh a reliable back who can create in both the run and passing games. DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. give Rodgers two big, physical targets who can (finally) change how defenses play this offense.

The concern clouding the offensive makeover is that if Rodgers -- entering his age-43 season -- isn’t willing or able to push the ball downfield, the whole setup gets squeezed.

The AFC North comparison doesn’t help much, either. Baltimore came in at No. 3, Cincinnati landed at No. 6, and Cleveland finished all the way down at No. 31.

At least the Browns are second-to-last. We can always count on Cleveland being worse than Pittsburgh in most categories.

No. 21 is both a foreshadowing and a challenge for the Steelers. The pieces are in place for this offense to be better than average, but national doubt remains about whether Rodgers can get them there.

This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Aaron Rodgers clouds Steelers offense in Sports Illustrated ranking