Pittsburgh just got absolutely shellacked, 20-3, by the New England Patriots, and 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers spent the game running for his life. The dude was constantly under pressure, getting sacked four times and coughing up two fumbles against the Patriots, one even leading to a scoop-and-score. This ain’t just a bad game, folks, this is a glaring red flag, especially when you consider a struggling offense is about to face even tougher defenses in the coming weeks.
What On Earth Is The Front Office Thinking?
Let’s be real, the Steelers’ offensive line decisions are making absolutely no sense. It’s like someone tried to solve a 24-piece puzzle by scrambling it into a thousand. This mess didn’t just pop up two weeks ago against the Falcons, it goes all the way back to the day Mike McCarthy was hired. His and Omar Khan’s plan for the O-line was baffling from the jump. They decided to move starting right guard Mason McCormick and right tackle Troy Fautanu, a former first-round pick, all the way over to the left side of the line at the start of offseason workouts. On paper, sure, Fautanu played left tackle at Washington, and McCormick was a left guard at South Dakota State. You’d think that would be a smooth transition, but life in the NFL isn’t college, not by a long shot. Just ask Broderick Jones how that worked out for him when Dan Moore, who apparently couldn’t play the right side, forced Jones into an uncomfortable spot. It looks like Khan and Andy Weidl in the front office are calling the shots, and they took a stable right side of the line that was set for years and turned it into a massive weakness. You don’t fix what isn’t broken, right?
Rodgers Is Getting Ransacked, And The Numbers Don’t Lie
The consequences of these head-scratching moves are playing out right on the field, and it’s ugly. Spencer Anderson, a former seventh-round pick and swing tackle now tasked with holding down right guard, allowed seven pressures against New England. That’s the most of any right guard in the entire league last week! The fort didn’t just get held down, it got absolutely ransacked by the Patriots. And then there’s right tackle Dylan Cook. He did a decent job replacing Jones on the left side last season and was the leader to start at right, but he’s letting defenders blow past him like a PNC Park turnstile on bobblehead night. Through just two games, Rodgers has been sacked six times and pressured on a staggering 29 drop-backs. It’s no shocker that the Steelers are only averaging 74.5 rushing yards per game and their passing game is ranked 29th, managing a paltry 175 yards per game. This O-line needs a serious intervention, and fast.
The tough games aren’t going anywhere. Better defenses are waiting in the wings, and if the Steelers don’t figure out this offensive line puzzle ASAP, Aaron Rodgers is going to continue to take an absolute beating.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Behind the Steel Curtain.
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