The Pittsburgh Steelers shockingly lost the Week 17 game against the Cleveland Browns. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is taking all the pressure off his players. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith just brought the spotlight back to his offense for its failures.

“The results are what they are, but we had guys get open. We didn’t make a play. Again, sounds like excuses, and I don’t want to take anything from Cleveland, but that’s really what happened,” Smith said. “All it would’ve taken was a couple plays in that game we didn’t make.”

On the 3rd & 14 play at the start of the second quarter, A-Rod threw the ball to running back Kenneth Gainwell, who failed to hold it. More than being open, it came down to mistakes by the receiving corps. Rodgers fired the ball straight to receiver Adam Thielen on the 3rd & 6 play at the 8:42 mark before halftime. He had the ball in both hands before dropping it.

Even Aaron Rodgers gained yards by sliding in the second quarter, but the execution was still below the expected level. It forced the quarterback to make short gains by passing the ball regularly to tight end Pat Friermuth, who led them with 63 yards. Running back Jaylen Warren also made some quick runs, totaling 12 carries for 64 yards.

The misses happened plenty of times at the Huntington Bank Field. While Marquez Valdes-Scantling only had three receptions off nine targets, Scotty Miller also disappointed with three receptions off seven targets. There were a couple of reasons behind their faulty plays.

First of all, they were playing without the ace receiver, DK Metcalf. The league suspended him for two games for punching a Detroit Lions fan. Second, Arthur Smith didn’t design plays according to their signal caller. He is a pocket passer who likes to throw quick but short passes.

Arthur Smith has to understand these factors. It looked like the QB-OC duo wasn’t seeing eye to eye.

Differences are popping up between Aaron Rodgers and Arthur Smith

One big factor that the offensive coordinator ignored was Myles Garrett. The Browns’ defensive end was pushing for the single-season sack record, forcing A-Rod to throw passes quickly. Smith couldn’t get his receivers open as the defense pressured them.

At the 2:50 mark in the second quarter, on the 4th & 1 play, Thielen ran a slant to the middle field, but Rodgers threw the ball deep left. Cornerback Tyler Campbell blanketed the receiver, forcing the pass incomplete. Campbell is 11th among the cornerbacks with over 300 snaps in 2025, while allowing a completion rate of 51.1% since joining the Browns. There is no clarity about whether Smith called this play or Rodgers decided it himself.

Another similar action took place on the last drive of the game. Aaron Rodgers targeted Valdes-Scantling on the final three plays. The receiver was up against five-time Pro Bowler Denzel Ward. Both the player and the coordinator need to get their priorities straight and design plays with what they have.

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Arthur Smith could blame the offense after the loss. But he also needs to prepare them for the season finale with the playoffs on the line.