Aaron Rodgers was briefly sidelined during the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ 26-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills due to a nose injury, but he seemed to be more upset with his wide receivers than with the injury following Sunday’s game.
The Steelers quarterback called out the team’s wide receivers when he was asked how they could all get on the same page, implying that at least one player at the position skipped a film session.
“When there’s film sessions, everybody shows up, and when I check to a route, you do the right route,” Rodgers told reporters. “We have our meetings every week. We have other opportunities outside of the facility, and [I] look forward to seeing all the boys there.”
Rodgers didn’t specify which players might not be showing up to film sessions. Regardless of who it is, though, it’s apparent that something has to change for Pittsburgh in the passing game. Rodgers completed just 10 of 21 passes for 117 yards on Sunday, wearing a cast on his left wrist that he fractured two weeks prior.
The nose injury, meanwhile, occurred when Rodgers was strip-sacked on the first play from scrimmage in the second half. He missed the Steelers’ ensuing drive, which ended with Mason Rudolph throwing an interception.
By the time Rodgers returned to the field late in the third quarter, the Steelers were down 16-7. Pittsburgh’s offensive struggles continued from there, going three-and-out on Rodgers’ first drive back before turning the ball over on downs in the final drive he played in on Sunday.
As the Steelers’ offense was only able to put up seven points on Sunday, the boo birds broke out in Pittsburgh and there were even chants for head coach Mike Tomlin to be fired. Rodgers understood why Steelers fans were frustrated.
“I totally understand the frustration,” Rodgers told reporters. “I’ve been booed on offense, even in Green Bay over the years. That was a boo-worthy performance.”
“Yeah, we ain’t meeting the standard,” Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin added about the boos. “This team has a standard that when it takes the field, fans are expecting to see a certain thing, and it’s our duty to provide that. It’s as simple as that. As fans, they come here to cheer us on, but we aren’t giving them anything to cheer about.”
Rodgers defended Tomlin during his press conference, saying he believes in him and the Steelers’ coaching staff. He also expressed displeasure with a reporter’s question on if he felt the coaching staff wasn’t preparing the team properly.
“I know what you’re trying to ask, and I’m not going to go down that road at all,” Rodgers said. “I believe in the coaching staff. I believe in Mike Tomlin. That’s why I came here. Players need to take accountability, myself included. And I will. I’ve gotta play better.”
But Tomlin also understood why Pittsburgh fans felt the way they did.
“Man, I share their frustration tonight,” Tomlin told reporters. “We didn’t do enough, and that’s just the reality of it. … I know how restless and frustrated I was, and so I assume they were in the same state we were in.”
The Steelers dropped to 6-6 with the loss, preventing them from moving into first place ahead of the Baltimore Ravens. They’ll travel to Baltimore next week to take on the Ravens in a battle that will put the winner in the driver’s seat for the AFC North down the stretch of the season.
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