Sunday was a rough afternoon for Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers offense. It got so bad, Mike McCarthy waved the unofficial white flag by inserting backup Mason Rudolph into the lineup at the end of the fourth quarter.
Rudolph entered the contest with the Steelers trailing by 17 points with 3:23 remaining in the fourth quarter. At that point, the Steelers had just three points and only 227 yards.
Rodgers’ final throw of the afternoon was an interception in the red zone. His pass was intended for rookie receiver Germie Bernard. The rookie had a nice day overall, but he bobbled Rodgers’s last pass, and Patriots rookie linebacker Gabe Jacas intercepted the tip.
The Patriots delivered two huge hits on Rodgers, which could have been part of McCarthy’s decision to sit Rodgers for the final few minutes of the fourth quarter. Rodgers fumbled the ball on both major hits, the second of which New England returned for a touchdown.
Rodgers also delivered the tackle, which may have saved another touchdown, on the interception.
Rudolph didn’t complete his only pass attempt in relief of Rodgers. Rudolph also gained three rushing yards on his only carry.
The Patriots defeated the Steelers 20-3.
Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers Doesn’t Finish Game vs. Patriots
The takeaway of Rudolph finishing Week 2 for Rodgers in some fans’ eyes will undoubtably be about Rodgers “getting benched.” But McCarthy electing to end the Patriots matchup with Rudolph on the field is more an indictment on the Steelers offense overall.
Pittsburgh’s offensive line was leaky throughout the day, causing Rodgers to be under siege. It was the right decision to protect the veteran signal-caller in a game that had already been decided.
Rodgers isn’t an MVP candidate after two weeks of the 2026 season. But he’s not the problem in the Steelers offense either. All the more reason McCarthy was right to protect him.
Against the Steelers offensive line, which was supposed to be much improved this season, the Patriots registered four sacks and seven quarterback hits. Steelers running backs didn’t have many holes running behind the line either. Pittsburgh’s running backs generated just 81 rushing yards.
Top receiver D.K. Metcalf had another forgettable day going against Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Metcalf created very little separation against the Pro Bowl corner and also dropped two passes.
Metcalf’s second drop came on a key third-down play with the Patriots still only leading by 7. New England scored a field goal on the next drive, though, to increase its lead back to 10.
Bernard led the Steelers with 35 receiving yards. But the rookie ended the day on a very sour note, coughing up a screen pass and tipping to Jacas for an interception.
Mason Rudolph Replaces Aaron Rodgers in Dismal Steelers Offense vs. Patriots