Pittsburgh’s offense is in absolute shambles two weeks into the season, having scraped together just a single touchdown through two games. Seriously, one score. After getting thumped 20-3 by the New England Patriots in Week 2, a game where they scored a pathetic three points, the fewest in Aaron Rodgers’ Hall of Fame career, the veteran QB isn’t holding back on where the blame lies.
Rodgers Drops the Bomb
It’s not just the 42-year-old Rodgers looking his age, though he certainly isn’t playing like his old self. The offensive line couldn’t contain the Patriots’ defensive front, and the wide receivers, including DK Metcalf with his 44.4% catch rate which ranks third-worst in the NFL, aren’t stepping up. Rodgers told reporters that he expects the Steelers’ veteran leadership to take charge. Then came the interesting comment about head coach Mike McCarthy. Rodgers said, “The best teams are player-led teams, so we’ve got to keep taking the ownership. … starts with me at making sure Mike (McCarthy) knows what’s working, what’s not working, our coaches know, so we can call stuff that we feel like has a better chance.” That’s a pretty clear message, isn’t it?
Execution Issues Or Something More?
When pressed on McCarthy’s play-calling over these two abysmal games, Rodgers seemed to deflect blame from the calls themselves, focusing instead on execution. “It’s not that big of a sample size, but I thought we didn’t execute very well at all,” he said. “The plays were fine, we had opportunities and we’ve got to dig into the details on some of this stuff. If there’s too much stuff in the plan we’ve got to cut it back.” Against the Patriots, Rodgers completed 23 of 39 passes for just 187 yards, one interception, and two fumbles. The Steelers offense managed only 235 total yards in that game, bringing their season total to 499. That’s the fewest team yards through two games in Rodgers’ entire career. McCarthy tried to shoulder the blame, saying, “I did not do a good job” as the architect of the offense. He admitted they “didn’t answer the bell” against pressure defense and had “communication and breakdowns.”
It’s clear both Rodgers and McCarthy know they’re in deep trouble. With McCarthy shouldering blame and Rodgers practically begging for the plan to be cut back, you gotta wonder if this duo can fix what’s broken before this season spirals completely. Pittsburgh needs answers, and they need them yesterday.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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