Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers believes his team has a problem with play calling — but is blaming himself instead of head coach Mike McCarthy.
The Steelers struggled to move the ball in Sunday’s 20-3 loss to the New England Patriots, especially Rodgers. The veteran quarterback committed two turnovers and failed to lead his team to a touchdown, sending them to 1-1.
After the game, Rodgers shared some criticism for the team’s offensive schemes.
Aaron Rodgers Takes Blame for Not Addressing Offensive Woes
Speaking to reporters after the loss, Rodgers said he didn’t have any issue with the actual plays being called but suggested that the team had too big of a game plan. Rodgers added that it was his fault for not conveying his thoughts to McCarthy.
“It’s not that big of a sample size, but I thought we didn’t execute very well at all,” Rodgers said, via Bleacher Report. “The plays were fine. We had opportunities, and we’ve got to dig into the details on some of this stuff. If there’s too much stuff in the plan, we’ve got to cut it back. I always like to push the envelope. If I see guys doing it the right way in practice, then I feel good about it, but we’ve got to practice the practice to the game, obviously, and all the details that come with it.”
Rodgers completed 23-of-39 passes for 187 yards with one interception and one lost fumble. The Steelers went just 2-for-12 on third downs, struggling in the run game as well.
Rodgers added after the game that the team needs to turn things around, and he needs to be the one leading the way.
“Can’t feel sorry for ourselves. Can’t point fingers. We’ve all got to play better,” Rodgers said. “I think we can all give a little more. The best teams are player-led teams. We’ve got to keep taking the ownership. In a game like today where there wasn’t a lot of flow to it, we need to be better, and that starts with me at making sure Mike knows what’s working, what’s not working, our coaches know, so we can call stuff that we feel like has a better chance.
Mike McCarthy Takes Blame for Play Calling
While Rodgers would not put the blame on McCarthy for his play calling, the Steelers coach did that himself. The team’s first-year head coach said they were “clearly not good enough” on offense, even after what he thought was a good week in practice.
“As an offensive coach, I always welcome the opportunity to play against pressure defense,” McCarthy said. “I think it’s clearly an opportunity for big play potential. That was not the case today. We didn’t answer the bell. Our protections weren’t clean. We had opportunities, whether it was communication and breakdowns, clearly in the first half that took away some opportunities for big plays. The run game was a little bit herky-jerky.”
Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers Makes Statement on Mike McCarthy’s Play Calling