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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers delivered a calming message through the media Wednesday.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers famously told everyone in “Packer-land” to R-E-L-A-X after the Green Bay Packers started the 2014 season with a 1-2 record. The Packers went on to play in the NFC championship game that season.
Rodgers wasn’t quite as emphatic, but on Wednesday, he fired a new version of the same message for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“I don’t know if we need to do that,” Rodgers told reporters when asked if there was a way to rally the troops. “I think you gotta stay the course.
“We lost a tough one in Cincinnati on a short week, and we played a good football team and had many chances to get things going.”
The Steelers didn’t just have opportunities to seize control against the Packers in Week 8. It appeared the Steelers had control of the contest when they led by nine points at halftime.
But things spiraled out of the team’s hands after halftime. The Packers scored 25 of the first 28 points in the second half to cruise to a 35-25 victory.
Rodgers finished the contest 24 of 36 with 219 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Aaron Rodgers, Mike Tomlin Stressing to ‘Stay the Course’
Rodgers hasn’t been one to panic in the past, so it’s not shocking he appears far more confident that things are going to be fine than Steelers Nation does at the moment.
And really, what Rodgers said echos the overall message Tomlin delivered Tuesday in front of the media.
“We make no excuses about how or why we fall short. Our job is to perform and perform at a high level, and we haven’t done that,” Tomlin said. “I’m excited about getting back to it. Seven games or whatever doesn’t make a season.
“We certainly got more in front of us and more opportunities to write our story, whether it’s individuals, a component of our team, whether it’s our team in general. I think that’s our general mindset.”
The Steelers have a tough opportunity directly in front of them. The 7-1 Indianapolis Colts will come to Acrisure Stadium for Week 9.
Tomlin and the Steelers will be trying to avoid falling to the .500 mark. They will enter Sunday with a 4-3 record after dropping the past two contests.
If the Steelers lose to the Colts, Pittsburgh will have suffered a three-game losing streak for the eight consecutive season.
History Changing in Steelers-Colts Rivalry?
The Steelers have largely dominated the series against the Colts since the teams first met in 1950. Tomlin owns an 8-3 career record against Indianapolis.
However, the Colts have won the past two matchups against the Steelers since hiring Shane Steichen as head coach.
In addition to being 2-0 as a head coach, Steichen went 1-1 as an offensive coordinator against the Steelers.
“He’s got a well-balanced and diverse attack,” Tomlin said of Steichen’s offense. “He’s got a specialized division of labor. You see it being played out in some of the guys that we mentioned, [Alec] Pierce being the down the field threat, [Michael] Pittman being a chain mover, etc.
“But that’s usually the case when you’re talking about good offenses. There is well-defined division of labor, versatility, multiple personnel groups, all of that kind of reflects Shane and his group.”
In 2023, the Colts defeated Mitch Trubisky’s Steelers 30-13. Last season, Joe Flacco came off the bench to embarrass the Steelers defense with a 27-24 Indianapolis win.
Both of those games, though, were in Indianapolis. The Colts are 1-16 in Pittsburgh since the beginning of the Chuck Noll era in 1969.
Ironically, the Colts’ only victory in Pittsburgh over the past 55 years came during the 2008 season, which is the last time the Steelers won the Super Bowl.
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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