Aaron Rodgers, the 41-year-old veteran quarterback, was the key anchor for the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ offense entering this season. However, the first few weeks displayed glaring inefficiencies and structural problems in the revamped offense.

The running game has been one of the many issues. The Steelers have forged very little before contact. Running back Jaylen Warren, for instance, is roughly averaging about 0.5 yards per carry. Pittsburgh ranks near the bottom in rush yardage, with 189 rushing yards, of which 132 were by Warren. They have only 1 rushing touchdown this season by Kenneth Gainwell. With defenses able to bracket Rodgers and blitz often, Pittsburgh’s passing game has not seen many transactions, with 598 passing yards overall and an average of 199.3 yards per game. 

According to 93.7 The Fan, earlier this week, when asked about the offensive line during a weekly press conference, Mike Tomlin said, “I feel great about it, to be honest with you. I like our group. We’re going to continue to get better. We have to work in that spirit. Certainly, we could have been better in some areas last week, but that’s life.”

Apart from the 2.8 average of the rushing yards from 67 carries. The offensive line has been a recurring disaster. The 2023 first-round pick, left tackle Broderick Jones, has played 3 seasons for the Steelers. He has appeared in 37 games. Yet, he gave up 3 sacks against the New York Jets, ranking at 99 with a total of 4 sacks allowed. Also, had a poor performance during the last home game against the Seattle Hawks. Jones ranks 80th with 9 total pressure allowed and 94th with 3 hits allowed. He earned a 47.9 overall grade, the lowest of all five of Pittsburgh’s starting offensive linemen.

The line has struggled in both run blocking and pass protection. So far, Aaron Rodgers has been sacked seven times in three games, 4 times against the Jets and 3 in their loss to Seattle. This adds pressure and risk to every passing attempt, disrupting the momentum for the QB. So far, the trajectory has navigated Aaron Rodgers on the path to being sacked  60 times. 

Pittsburgh’s offense falters under pressure

Pittsburgh’s receiving corps has faced a mighty struggle this season. A combination of limited opportunities and protection issues has suppressed the output of wide receivers and tight ends.

According to the Steelers reporter, Chris Adamski, Aaron Rodgers said, “We only took the ball 23 or 24 times. I ran the ball one time. We had no sacks, had to do some proways, and we just didn’t have enough guys open, I think at times. You’ve got to get open. I got to make the places under there, and we got to convert them down.” 

Over three games, the Steelers’ pass catchers have been modestly productive. DK Metcalf leads the wideouts with just 10 receptions for 135 yards and 2 touchdowns, averaging 13.5. Whereas Calvin Austin III has 8 catches for 126 yards and 2 scores. Tight ends have lagged. Pat Freiermuth has 7 catches for 65 yards, and Jonnu Smith has 12 catches for just 65 yards. That lack of depth in production creates room for the offense to be too reliant on a narrow group of targets.  

With the upcoming match against the Minnesota Vikings, Rodgers will go against the league’s best defensive coordinators, Brian Flores. He ranks both sixth overall and sixth in yards per play allowed. In 2018, Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers lost to Flores and the New England Patriots 31–17 as Flores held him to 259 yards on 43 attempts (6.0 yards per attempt). When he was with the Jets last season, Rodgers had trouble against Minnesota’s defense. In a 23-17 loss, Rodgers fired 29 of 54 with two touchdowns and three interceptions while taking three sacks.

The offense’s play-calling has also constrained receiving chances. Pittsburgh has rushed the ball 189 times with 598 passing attempts. This indicates a pass-leaning scheme but with few receiving windows. Defenders locking in on primary targets forces Rodgers to either force the ball or throw into tight coverage where receivers aren’t fully open.

The pressure rate is high against the Steelers’ offensive line, leaving receivers with less time. With limited separation and scrambled timing, receivers and tight ends have struggled consistently.