The Pittsburgh Steelers won’t win many more games this season if quarterback Aaron Rodgers continues to play like he did in Week 10.
The performance was clearly Rodgers’ worst performance this season with the Steelers. He posted a 51.6% completion percentage and 5.2 yards per attempt, both of which were season lows. Rodgers also threw two interceptions and took three sacks, one of which resulted in a safety.
But head coach Mike Tomlin made it clear Tuesday he is confident Rodgers will bounce back and play well the rest of the year.
“I’m not going to chalk it up to an off night. But there are no long-term concerns,” Tomlin told reporters.
“Sunday night was what it was, but I have no long-term reservations about his ability to play the position, and play the position at a high level for us.”
Mike Tomlin Still Confident in QB Aaron Rodgers
There’s little doubt that Rodgers played poorly in Week 10. He had a couple opportunities for big plays in the first half, which could have significantly changed the trajectory of the game. Most notably, Rodgers missed D.K. Metcalf on a long pass that probably would have been a touchdown.
But while it was a bad night, it makes sense Tomlin still has confidence in the 4-time MVP.
Rodgers may not be an elite quarterback anymore, but after seven games this season, he was on pace for 3,616 passing yards and 39 touchdowns.
The past two weeks have been rougher outings for Rodgers but also the Steelers offense overall. The quarterback has completed 62.1% of his passes and averaged 5.5 yards per attempt the last two games. He also had two touchdowns and two interceptions.
In the first seven contests, Rodgers posted a 68.3% completion percentage, 7.6 yards per pass, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Bengals Present Great Test for Steelers Offense
The Steelers will host the Cincinnati Bengals on November 17. Cincinnati has one of the weaker defenses in the league from a statistical standpoint.
So, the Bengals aren’t really a great test for Rodgers and the offense.
But the Bengals are a test from the sense that if Rodgers struggles again, then there should be a much higher level of concern from Tomlin and the coaching staff.
In Week 7 against the Bengals, Rodgers completed 67.6% of his passes for 249 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions. He would obviously prefer to avoid the giveaways in the rematch, but other than that, the Steelers would love a repeat performance.
If the Steelers offense doesn’t play well versus the Bengals on Sunday, it’s going to feel like déjà vu for the fan base.
Last year, Russell Wilson threw for a season-high 414 passing yards with three touchdowns in the first matchup against the Bengals. That was also in Cincinnati.
But when the teams met for the rematch in Pittsburgh a little more than a month later, Wilson only had 148 passing yards. He went from averaging 10.9 yards per attempt in the first Bengals game to posting 4.8 yards per pass in the second matchup.
Not only do the Steelers need Rodgers to have a repeat performance against Cincinnati to give the offense confidence going forward, the team needs a win.
If the Steelers suffered a season sweep with a loss versus the Bengals on Sunday, Pittsburgh will drop to 5-5 and potentially out of sole possession of first place in the AFC North.
Steelers’ Mike Tomlin Speaks out on Aaron Rodgers Before Critical Bengals Rematch