The Pittsburgh Steelers came up short against the Cleveland Browns, who pulled away with a 27-24 win on Thursday. It was a frustrating night for everyone in the Steelers camp, particularly for quarterback Aaron Rodgers and head coach Mike McCarthy.
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In the first quarter, Rodgers angrily cursed at McCarthy, telling him to call the play faster. But the cameras cut to the coach firing back a “f—ing a—ole” at Rodgers.
“Communication, sometimes, is not the best choice of words,” McCarthy said of the exchange with Rodgers during the postgame press conference. “Everybody’s competing on the field. And I think what’s said on the field, the way I grew up in this game, usually stays on the field. That’s not the case today. I understand that. But any negative communication on my part, I wish I wouldn’t use those words.
“I know at the beginning of the game, first drive was hectic. It ended up being about 20 plays. I was talking fast than normal. So, I think once we settled in after that drive, which resulted in a touchdown, I thought the communication was solid.”
The drive in question had 17 plays, and lasted well over nine minutes. Rodgers finally found the end zone with a 12-yard pass to Roman Wilson for a touchdown.
McCarthy can downplay his explosive hot-mic exchange with Rodgers as pure competitive fire. But the players were truly frustrated with the coaching during the game.
Defensive lineman Cam Heyward and linebacker TJ Watt were also visibly angry at the defensive calls. Watt even borrowed a headset to talk to defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. The defense had allowed 21 points in the second quarter alone.
There was also another moment where Rodgers was frustrated with McCarthy. The head coach was reading a play, but the quarterback shook his head, as if he were just tired of it all.
Both sides of the ball disappointed fans in this game. The Steelers’ defense allowing 27 points from the Cincinnati Bengals offense is understandable. But with the Cleveland Browns posting 27 points, the problems cannot be clearer. The offense worked overtime to catch up with the Browns, but a scoreless third quarter backed Pittsburgh up against a wall.
Rodgers was sacked five times and was intercepted twice, the last one coming on a Hail Mary attempt.
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, eliminating sideline miscommunications must come before anything else if they want to survive the AFC North. Nevertheless, they now need to focus on the Week 5 game against the Indianapolis Colts on October 10.