PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Steelers entered Week 7 with one of their toughest challenges of the season, a road test against the Cincinnati Bengals. Yet the headlines leading into the game were less about standings and more about one man, or perhaps one machine. Quarterback Joe Burrow had been so dominant and so precise in recent weeks that he earned a new nickname around the league. Coaches and players alike were calling him “Cyborg Joe.” Others had gone further, likening him to Anakin Skywalker, the chosen one turned Darth Vader. With the way Burrow had been using what seemed like the Force on defenders and footballs alike, the comparisons felt strangely fitting.
The legend of Cyborg Joe had been growing for weeks. Every throw looked guided by something beyond mechanics, almost as if the ball itself was listening to him. “You see the way he throws and it is like he is pulling the ball with invisible strings,” one defensive coordinator said before the matchup. “That is not football. That is the Force.” Burrow’s connection with Ja’Marr Chase had become legendary, almost like mind-reading, and Tee Higgins was thriving as well, slotting perfectly into Burrow’s galactic-level offense.
Head coach DK LaFleur acknowledged the challenge ahead. “They call him Cyborg Joe for a reason, and the Anakin comparisons make sense too,” LaFleur said during the week. “Sometimes it feels like he is seeing things before they happen. We have to disrupt that rhythm, hit him, and remind him that even the most powerful Jedi or Sith can be thrown off.”
The Steelers defense knew pressure would be critical. T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith were tasked with collapsing the pocket. Jalen Ramsey and Joey Porter Jr. had to resist biting on Burrow’s deceptive throws. Around the league, memes of Burrow in a Vader helmet with glowing eyes spread in anticipation, fueling the myth. One viral edit even showed him levitating a football into Chase’s hands with the caption, “The Force is strong with this one.”
But in Cincinnati on Sunday, the Steelers were the ones who wrote the story.
Burrow still lived up to the hype at times, completing 88 percent of his passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns, including a breathtaking third-down strike to the pylon in the red zone that looked like something straight out of a highlight reel. Yet the Steelers refused to let the myth overwhelm them. Watt was relentless, tallying two sacks, while the secondary limited Burrow’s explosive plays, keeping the game within reach.
On offense, Desmond Ridder delivered a gritty performance. Though his completion rate was lower than usual at 67 percent, he piled up 330 yards and three touchdowns against a tough Cincinnati defense. He did throw one interception, but his resilience and poise gave the Steelers the balance they needed.
Perhaps the biggest storyline of the game was the emergence of rookie running back Nate Carter. Signed only days before the matchup, the 5’10, 202-pound rookie out of Michigan State provided an unexpected spark. Carter rushed for 48 yards and a touchdown, while adding 89 receiving yards out of the backfield. His blend of breakaway speed and versatility was on full display, and LaFleur praised the rookie afterward. “That kid just came in and went to work,” LaFleur said. “He was studying plays on the sideline and then executing them on the field. He has the tools to become a real threat for us.”
The passing game also shined. DK Metcalf proved once again why he is the alpha of the receiving corps, catching three passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns. Calvin Austin added a score of his own, giving Pittsburgh a balanced aerial attack that complemented Carter’s surprising breakout.
For Steelers Nation, the 28–24 win was more than a road victory. It was validation. Burrow entered the game with the aura of Darth Vader, Cyborg Joe, the quarterback who could bend games to his will. But the Steelers showed that even legends can be tested, and even machines can malfunction under enough pressure.
“People were calling him Anakin, Darth Vader, Cyborg Joe — all of it,” LaFleur said after the game. “We respect what he can do, but today we reminded everyone that this is football. Quarterbacks can be hit. Quarterbacks can make mistakes. And teams like ours can rise to the moment.”
Steel against steel. Sith against Jedi. Cyborg against the will of a defense and an offense that refused to back down. In Week 7, the Steelers struck back in Cincinnati. Final score: Pittsburgh 28, Cincinnati 24.
– Forged In Steel Times
