If you want to know just how bad things got for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Foxborough on Sunday, consider this: quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw zero touchdowns and was sacked four times. The veteran QB admitted the team played “below [their] standard.” So, naturally, this 20-3 blowout set off alarm bells across the franchise and on social media.
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One such concerned individual was Pittsburgh Steelers franchise icon James ‘Deebo’ Harrison. Witnessing the dismal offensive showing unfold in front of him was simply too much for the former Defensive Player of the Year. The two-time Super Bowl champion with Pittsburgh took to X as soon as the final whistle sounded to express his distress with a 3-word warning: “We are cooked!!!!!”
Just a season after Rodgers went into Gillette Stadium and walked away with a 21–14 victory, Mike Vrabel’s defense shut Rodgers down completely. Patriots Cornerback Christian Gonzalez shadowed Steelers wideout DK Metcalf all game, restricting him to just 4 catches for just 27 receiving yards.
The Patriots’ defensive lockdown was so successful that Mike McCarthy’s offense never reached the red zone. Aaron Rodgers completed only 23 of 39 passes for just 187 yards, 0 TDs, 1 pick, and was sacked 4 times.
He ended the game with a poor 60.5 passer rating. With an average of just 4.8 yards per attempt and only 2 successful 3rd down out of 12 in the whole game, their passing offence was critically below par.
Their run-game didn’t offer much either as they managed just 91 rushing yards with Jaylen Warren leading the backfield with 43 yards.
The play that summed up their night, and perhaps ended it too, came late in the first half near New England Patriots‘ territory. On third-and-7, an all-out blitz from the Patriots overwhelmed Pittsburgh’s O-line, resulting in the 42-year-old QB taking a massive hit as the ball fumbled out of his hands. Steelers Tackle Troy Fautanu somehow managed to recover possession before it got any worse.
However, Rodgers took a heavy hit, coughing up the football as it bounced nearly 30 yards backward across midfield before Fautanu made a desperate recovery.
That chaotic 30-yard loss wiped out potential field goal points and forced an unbelievable fourth-and-43 punt from deep inside Pittsburgh territory. While this play defined their inability to face pressure from the Patriots’ pass rushers and protect Rodgers, another sealed the game in the 4th quarter.
New England DT Christian Barmore got the better of the offensive interior and swatted the football out of Rodgers’ hands, and OLB Elijah Ponder scooped it up to return it 19 yards for a late defensive touchdown.
Perhaps the Steelers defense needs more recognition for the shift they put in during the game. OLB Nick Herbig forced a fumble recovered by fellow LB Payton Wilson. Linebacker Patrick Queen intercepted Patriots QB Drake Maye, and pass rusher T.J. Watt logged 1.5 sacks. However, the defensive unit eventually wore down after spending over 33 minutes on the field trying to bail out the offense.
Considering that Aaron Rodgers will not be getting any younger, alarm bells are sounding for the Steelers, as the former 5x Pro Bowler and 2x First Team All-Pro linebacker suggested. They will need their offense to start clicking soon, much better than it did against the Patriots.