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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was very short with the media on one Aaron Rodgers question after the team’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10. Not that he’s happy after any defeat, but Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin appeared particularly irritated after the 25-10 defeat.
Tomlin criticized the team’s third-down offense and the unit’s three turnovers. The Steelers had just 221 yards, converted 3 of 11 third-down tries and posted three giveaways.
But while Tomlin was generally critical of his offense, he was unwilling to put his quarterback on blast. When asked to assess Rodgers’ play, the Steelers head coach dismissed the question and delivered a death stare to the reporter.
“How would you? Next,” said Tomlin.
Rodgers delivered quite possibly the worst performance of the season. He just barely completed 50% of his passes, going 16 of 31 with 161 passing yards. Rodgers averaged 5.2 yards per attempt and threw two interceptions.
He delivered a touchdown to Roman Wilson with the Steelers trailing by 22 points in the fourth quarter. Rodgers also took three sacks, one of which resulted in a safety.
Aaron Rodgers Missed Key Opportunities Early in Chargers Loss
Things spiraled out of control for the Steelers in the second half. But for most of the first two quarters, Tomlin’s club control the play.
Unfortunately, Rodgers could deliver on a few key passes, which he generally has in the past this season.
The 41-year-old missed D.K. Metcalf on a deep throw that would have been a touchdown on the second drive of the game. The Steelers settled for a field goal on the possession.
At the beginning of the second quarter, Rodgers completed a high pass to tight end Jonnu Smith. However, replay review overturned the catch to an incomplete pass.
Like Metcalf, Smith was wide open, but the throw from Rodgers was high. The Steelers settled for another field goal attempt, which was missed.
If Rodgers hit on either of those throws, and definitely both, the game could have been very different.
Would’ve, could’ve, should’ve. That’s the NFL. In the first eight games, though, Rodgers had been hitting throws attempts, helping the Steelers score at a high rate despite not a lot of attempts or yards.
There was no efficiency to Pittsburgh’s offense in Week 10. With the unit’s typical few opportunities, the result was a predictable low-scoring output from the Steelers offense.
Mike Tomlin Promises Steelers ‘We’ll Be Back’
While Tomlin appeared angry during his postgame Week 10 press conference, he also expressed quite a bit of confidence for a head coach who just lost by two touchdowns.
“We’ll be back,” Tomlin said. “We’ll be better. We have to be.”
The Steelers have lost three of their last four games. The Baltimore Ravens now sit just one game back of Tomlin’s club in the AFC North standings.
What’s worse is the Ravens are trending in the right direction, and the Steelers still have to face Baltimore twice in the final eight weeks.
But if Tomlin believes Rodgers can bounce back from his worst performance of the season, it’s easy to understand the head coach’s confidence.
While the final score might not indicate it, the Steelers defense recorded five sacks for a second straight week. The Steelers were also in position to make a couple interceptions but failed to take advantage of their opportunities.
In other games, the reverse has been flipped. Rodgers and the Steelers offense has played well, but the defense struggled.
If Tomlin can get both sides of the ball playing more consistently, then the Steelers have the talent to still be a dangerous club down the stretch. But that all depends on how Rodgers responds going forward.
Dave Holcomb is a sports reporter covering the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions. Originally from Pittsburgh, Holcomb has covered college and professional sports for outlets including FanSided, Rotowire and Yardbarker. More about Dave Holcomb
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