Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers finally managed to put three points on the board before halftime against the New England Patriots in their Week 2 matchup. However, the matchup wasn’t without chaos either, as the 42-year-old quarterback was blind-sacked in the second quarter of the game.
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The play came in the second quarter after the Steelers had put together a 6:50 drive and even converted a fourth-and-1 to keep it alive. On third-and-7, however, with Aaron Rodgers in the pocket, the Patriots’ Christian Elliss and Robert Spillane combined to get him from the blind side.
Rodgers was focused downfield and didn’t see the rush coming, allowing Elliss to hit him and knock the football loose. At the same time, neither team could immediately recover the loose ball, and it continued rolling backward until Steelers left tackle Troy Fautanu finally recovered it at Pittsburgh’s 42-yard line.
Subsequently, the Steelers were charged with a massive 36-yard loss, leaving them facing 4th-and-43 and effectively ending the promising drive. The sequence, however, sparked a debate over whether the league would fine Elliss for blind-sacking Rodgers.
Now, as per the NFL rules, a defender can make a forceful tackle/sack as long as he complies with the rules governing contact with the passer, particularly restrictions involving head/neck, low hits, launching, and late contact. While it can be flagged as an unnecessary roughness penalty during the game, the league can also issue a postgame fine, even if the officials didn’t flag the play.
Under the NFL’s standard fine schedule, the current fine for a blindside block is $17,911 for a first offense and $23,882 for a second offense. For Elliss, however, it currently remains to be seen whether the league would review the play and impose a potential fine on the Patriots linebacker.
A similar scene followed in the 2025 season as well, in Week 13 against the New York Giants, when Ellis delivered a sideline hit to quarterback Jaxson Dart. In the first quarter of the Patriots’ 33–15 win over the Giants, when Dart scrambled to the sideline, Ellis powered through with a massive blow to the QB, pushing him to the sideline.
But because Jaxson was still technically in bounds, officials ruled the hit legal and Ellis didn’t face any fines.
At the same time, however, the league had previously fined the Buffalo Bills‘ Sam Franklin $9,425 for Unnecessary Roughness for a blindside block in the Week 1 matchup.
For Aaron Rodgers, though, the hit carries significant weight, as the 42-year-old reportedly hurt himself squatting before the season last year. Subsequently, it hampered his 2025 season. This season, however, the veteran quarterback has been smart with his workouts before kicking off his final NFL season.
“I was a little smarter about my workouts leading up to this season,” said Rodgers. But I feel really good. The legs feel good. I feel good moving around. And I feel like I’m just going to keep on getting better.”
The Steelers kicked off their Week 2 matchup following a season-opening win over the Atlanta Falcons. While the team struggled in the first half, including a hit on Rodgers, it remains to be seen how the quarterback and Pittsburgh manage to pull off a comeback.