The Pittsburgh Steelers struggled offensively against the Chargers last night, and Aaron Rodgers was a significant part of the issue.
He acknowledges this.
The 41-year-old quarterback had a rough night, completing 16 of 31 passes for 161 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions, but overall seemed restless throughout the game.
“A lot of things went wrong,” Rodgers said after the game. “We struggled on third down. I was off target a bit—I missed DK. It could have been a huge play early on. Just a bit costly for Jonnu. We didn’t move the ball effectively during the first half. Sure, I missed some opportunities. We couldn’t get our players open, and nothing felt cohesive. I missed my usual throws when everyone was available.”
“Our defense played well tonight, but we were pretty poor on offense. We need to improve on third down. We’ve got to find a way to connect,” he added. “That was just a bad throw.”
Rodgers dismissed the idea that his approaching 42nd birthday and years in the NFL are affecting his performance.
“I expect to excel every week, but clearly, this wasn’t my best performance,” he admitted. “We need to play better to win, whether it’s checking down better or throwing more accurately. We can and we need to bounce back.”
“Of course, we have to elevate our offensive game, but that’s part of the season. There are ups and downs; you can’t just go with the flow. Our energy—as the leader, that begins with me—wasn’t great offensively. It felt like we struggled to make plays and gain momentum. We had a lot of three-and-outs and some penalties that hurt us.”
When asked about positives for the team to focus on moving forward, Rodgers pointed to Pittsburgh’s current standing.
“We’re 5-4 and leading the division,” he mentioned.
That is true, but the Ravens have won three games in the past 14 days, just one game behind the Steelers, and next face the struggling Browns. Meanwhile, the Steelers will aim to bolster their lead by taking on the Bengals at home this Sunday.
