Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was knocked out of Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills after taking a hard sack, leaving the team with an uncertain future at quarterback.
Rodgers was hurt on the first offensive play of the second quarter, taking a hit from Joey Bosa from behind and fumbling. Bills cornerback Christian Benford recovered the fumble and returned it for a touchdown, while Rodgers was sent to the sidelines in pain.
The Steelers quarterback was seen with blood on his face after the hit, but he also appeared to land hard on his left hand, which suffered a fractured wrist earlier this season.
Steelers Forced to Turn to Mason Rudolph
Rodgers was taken to the blue medical tent after the hit and later left to return to the sidelines, putting on a jacket. He was able to return on the next possession.
The Steelers put in backup quarterback Mason Rudolph on their first possession after the fumble while Rodgers was being evaluated, but he threw an interception to Benford on his first pass.
Rudolph started in the team’s loss to the NFC-leading Chicago Bears on Nov. 23, completing 24-of-31 passes for 171 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Sunday’s injury scare came after the Steelers quarterback fought his way back from another serious injury. Rodgers suffered a fractured wrist on Nov. 16, but returned to practice late this week, saying he planned to make a late decision on whether to take the field.
“I’m going to see how I feel after [Thursday],” Rodgers said, via ESPN. “I’m going to go [Thursday] and get casted up and then see how I respond.”
Rodgers said that every day was critical as his wrist healed.
“I’ve had more days for the callus to form and more healing, especially Monday and Tuesday just doing rehab,” Rodgers said. “[Wednesday] I did a little bit more. [Thursday] I’ll do a little bit more and see where I’m at come Friday.”
Rodgers played with a heavy cast on his left hand, which prevented him from taking snaps under center. The Steelers instead used pistol and shotgun formations.
Steelers Hit With Other Injuries
The Steelers were hit with other injuries during the game, losing linebacker Patrick Queen to a hip injury and ruling him out for the game. Cornerback James Pierre was also taken out after a possible head injury and ruled questionable to return.
The Bills began taking control on the ground, passing 200 yards rushing in the third quarter. Bills running back James Cook passed 20 carries earlier that quarter, while backup Ray Davis also gashed Pittsburgh’s injury-struck defense.
Though the Steelers fell to 6-5 with last week’s loss, they had a chance to take control of the AFC North after the Baltimore Ravens lost to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thanksgiving night.
The Bills also face a critical fight for a playoff spot, falling to No. 7 after last week’s loss to the Houston Texans. The Bills have fallen three games behind the Patriots for the lead in the AFC East, putting them in danger of breaking their streak of five straight division titles.
Aaron Rodgers Injury Update: Steelers QB Goes Down Against Bills