INGLEWOOD, Calif. — A cackling former Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman snapped his belt in front of the smattering of Bolts fans that didn’t sell their tickets to the Pittsburgh Steelers faithful who remained at SoFi Stadium, symbolizing what his team had done to the visitors from Western Pennsylvania.
Belt to bottom.
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had one of the worst performances in what will be a Hall of Fame career, completing just 16 of 31 passes for 161 yards, with a touchdown and two interceptions for a 50.6 passer rating — his worst game statistically this season — in the 25-10 loss.
Rodgers was sacked three times. The Steelers finished 2 of 11 on third down and were held to 221 yards of total offense.
“I missed obviously some throws for sure,” Rodgers said. “And then we weren’t getting guys open and putting it all together. Sometimes guys were open and I missed some throws that I usually make.”
Head coach Mike Tomlin offered this blunt assessment: “We as an offense were off today, and certainly he’s (Rodgers) a component of that. I’ll let him speak for himself, but certainly we’ve got to be better. I didn’t feel like they did anything unanticipated, but certainly they outperformed us.”
Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter had his defense dialed in from the start, plastering Pittsburgh receivers and cutting off lanes for Rodgers to escape once pressured. The Chargers pressured Rodgers on just eight of his 34 dropbacks, according to Next Gen Stats. However, Rodgers did not complete a pass under pressure, finishing 0 of 5 and taking three sacks, including a safety by Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack.
Aaron Rodgers struggled against the Chargers’ pressure for the entirety of their loss against the Steelers. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The Chargers blitzed Rodgers just once the entire game. The 2.9% blitz rate was the second-lowest by any team in a game this season. The 34-year-old Mack said he’s learned how to defend Rodgers from his time playing against him twice a year while a member of the Chicago Bears in NFC North battles.
“Just playing against Aaron for all these years, I know he wants to press the B gap,” Mack said. “Especially when he felt pressure high, and just spin it back.”
Rodgers didn’t sign with the Steelers in free agency to serve as the dynamic leader of an explosive offense that carried this storied franchise back to a Super Bowl. Instead, he was supposed to act as a high-level game manager for an elite defense, much like Payton Manning executed for the Denver Broncos during their Super Bowl run a decade ago.
Instead, with the most expensive defense in the league struggling to get off the field and Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith unable to dial up a consistent running game, Rodgers has had to carry more of the load offensively, with mixed results. The Steelers also failed to add another offensive weapon to a serviceable group of playmakers at the trade deadline.
Rodgers played efficient football in a big win at home over one of the best teams in the league in the Indianapolis Colts a week prior, taking advantage of six turnovers generated by the defense. But with the Chargers, led by a disciplined head coach in Jim Harbaugh, not turning it over, Rodgers had to march his offense on long drives. He was unsuccessful, as the only touchdown Pittsburgh scored was in garbage time with the game already out of reach.
Rodgers wasn’t helped by his pass catchers, with three drops on the day. Still, he’s 18th in the league in passing yards (1,853), No. 13 in passer rating (97.2) and tied for sixth in the league with seven interceptions.
Those are not the numbers we typically see from a four-time NFL MVP, but more like something we would expect from a 41-year-old quarterback in the twilight of his career.
After starting 4-1, the Steelers have lost three of their last four games. And at 5-4, Pittsburgh’s once-commanding lead in the AFC North has all but evaporated, with the 4-5 Baltimore Ravens nipping at their heels. The Steelers still have two games left against Baltimore and three of their next six games facing teams with winning records.
But Rodgers still believes there’s a path for Pittsburgh back to prosperity.
“I expect to play great every week, and this was not my best performance,” Rodgers said. “I’ve got to play better than this for us to win. Whatever it takes. If it’s better checks, better throws – whatever it is, I’ve got to play better. I will.
“We’ve got to bounce back. We’ve got a divisional opponent next week (the Cincinnati Bengals). We’re 5-4. We’re ahead by a game in the division. We’ve got to play better on offense, for sure. But this is part of the season. There’s ebbs and flows. There’s ups and downs, and we can’t ride the wave. And it starts with me.”
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.
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