The Pittsburgh Steelers might be leading the AFC North table, but their quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, seems to be struggling this season. Amid the ongoing issues with the offensive unit, their veteran tight end, Pat Freirmuth, stepped forward to highlight the core reason behind the team’s inconsistency with third downs. Here’s what the 27-year-old had to say about Mike Tomlin’s debacle.

The Steelers’ week 10 clash against the Los Angeles Chargers saw their tight end Pat Friermuth gather 3 receptions for 33 yards. While the matchup saw their quarterback secure just 51.6% completed passes, Friermuth highlighted the main reason behind the team’s consistent failure to succeed on third downs. On being asked about the issue by their beat reporter, Nick Farabaugh, he said:

“The little details of route depth. We have to get open. Teams are playing 22-man and we have to be about to beat that or we won’t be able to do sh-t on third downs.”

Rodgers in 2025 played 9games and threw for 1,853 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. His completion rate overall turned out to be a solid 68.7%. While the interception total (7) is lower than his 2024 total (11) and shows improvement, the yardage and number of games played are much lower than in past seasons. This means that his output was reduced and less consistent.

For the team (Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025), the effect was mixed. Rodgers’ better interception numbers helped reduce turnovers, which is a positive. But because he only played 9 games and covered less than 2,000 yards, the offense lacked the sustained production one expects from a franchise QB. That puts more pressure on the rest of the squad (running game, defense, special teams) to fill gaps, eventually hampering consistency and the team’s ability to string together wins.

Aaron Rodgers turns critical over the team’s recent loss to the Chargers

The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a tough 25-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10. The game, besides being disappointing, also exposed several of their lingering offensive issues. Despite a promising start and moments of solid defensive play, the Steelers struggled to find consistency on third downs and failed to generate momentum in the passing game.

The Chargers used their balanced offense to dominate Pittsburgh’s inefficiencies and controlled the tempo throughout the contest. After the loss, the Steelers’ QB Aaron Rodgers couldn’t save himself from turning critical about the loss.

“A lot of stuff wasn’t working. We were bad on third down. I was just a little bit off — missed DK (Metcalf) early, could’ve been a big play. Little high to Jonnu (Smith). But yeah, we didn’t run the ball super effectively in the first half,” he said.

Moving forward, the Steelers will aim to bounce back as they prepare to face the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, November 16, followed by another home matchup against the Chicago Bears on November 23. With both games offering a chance to regain their footing in the AFC playoff race, consistency on offense can surely turn the tables.