Right from the start of last Sunday’s primetime matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was just…off. He wasn’t sharp at all and missed a wide pen DK Metcalf down the field on the first drive of the game.
That throw should have been a layup touchdown to his standout receiver. But it was a woeful overthrow. It was a sign of things to come, too.
After the miss to Metcalf, Rodgers later fired high to a wide open Jonnu Smith, leading to a tough incompletion later followed by a missed field goal. Rodgers also took a bad safety in the game, threw high over the middle to Metcalf leading to an interception, under threw a ball to Calvin Austin III when he had a step downfield and later fired high to Kenneth Gainwell.
His footwork was all over the place and he appeared to play with happy field. He owned the bad play after the game, but for former Steelers running back Merril Hoge, Rodgers’ bad night had more to do with the offensive line than anything.
Appearing on the 102.5 WDVE Morning Show Wednesday, Hoge explained how the offensive line factored into Rodgers’ bad night.
“Listen, that guy is still elite, knows how to play from the pocket and is elite. Now, did he underthrow a couple guys and overthrow some guys where he usually doesn’t? Yeah, but you know, this is a product of the inconsistency up front,” Hoge said of Rodgers’ performance, according to audio via DVE. “This is true every year. …I’m just gonna tell you, if you keep getting hit and you keep getting pressured and hit you just tend to speed your game up. You rush things, you don’t trust things.
“And then you could tell that he did not, ’cause they were getting quick pressure on him and they were collapsing in all areas of their protection and he started to rush things. He started to play a little faster than he normally does.”
That was easy to see during the game. Rodgers was already getting the ball out quickly throughout the season, relying on the short, quick passing game to try and create yards after catch within the offense with the likes of Metcalf, Austin, Smith, Darnell Washington and Pat Freiermuth.
But against the Chargers, Rodgers was getting the ball out in 2.57 seconds, on average. Half the time, his feet weren’t even truly set and he was relying on his arm talent alone. While the arm remains very good, if you don’t have your feet set and the mechanics aren’t good, it’s going to lead to sloppy showings.
That’s what the Steelers got from Rodgers on Sunday night. He had his highest turnover-worthy plays of the season with three, and didn’t make a single big-time throw, according to Pro Football Focus.
When Rodgers is under pressure this season, he’s dreadful. According to PFF, Rodgers has a 38.7 overall grade, completing just 23 of 59 passes for 374 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. When he was pressured Sunday night, Rodgers was as bad as it gets: 1-for-7 for 15 yards, good for a 27.0 grade.
The Steelers offensive line allowed 10 pressures on the night to the Chargers, with four allowed by left guard Spencer Anderson, and three by left tackle Broderick Jones. With the left side of the offensive line collapsing like that in pass protection, it makes it tough for a quarterback.
But the misses from Rodgers largely came from a clean picket. He just wasn’t trusting it, which is understandable. He needs to bounce back though, and it starts against the Bengals on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. He’s stated his belief in the offensive line all season long, but his play Sunday night showed otherwise.