CLEVELAND – Instead of awesome division championship caps and jerseys, Aaron Rodgers and the rest Pittsburgh Steelers wore grim expressions on their faces after Sunday's 13-6 loss to the team. Cleveland Browns.
However, before he and his teammates headed back to Pittsburgh, Rodgers sent a message to his teammates ahead of the team's home game next week. Baltimore Ravens this will determine who wins the AFC North and the corresponding playoff spot.
“I have every confidence that we will go home next week and win,” Rodgers said.
Why does Rogers inspire such confidence?
“Because we’ve been doing that all season,” he said. “We handled the adversity well and when we needed to play our best ball, we did it. Except for today.”
Rogers is right. The Steelers overcame a disappointing home loss to… Seahawks in week two with three straight wins, giving them the lead in the AFC North for five weeks. And after five losses over a seven-game span left them at 6-6 through 12 weeks, the Steelers responded with four straight wins that put them on the brink of clinching the division on Sunday with a week to spare.
The Steelers are certainly capable of responding to adversity again, but that alone is not enough. Simply put, they can't afford another offensive performance like what happened Sunday in Cleveland. If they do, they'll be watching the Ravens celebrate the division title next Sunday at their home and at their expense.
Bye DK Metcalf's The absence (due to his two-game suspension) was expected to slow down the Steelers offense rather than stop it as it did on Sunday. For that matter, was Sunday's game a chance for the Steelers offense to see how teams would play without Metcalf?
“You could say that,” the Steelers running back said. Jaylen Warren said later.
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Rodgers, in particular, was inexplicably sidelined after a four-game stretch that brought back memories of his MVP seasons with the team. Packers. He made low-percentage passes and made mind-bending decisions, like throwing a bomb into the goal. Scott Miller on fourth-and-1 from the Browns' 22-yard line late in the first half, which remained incomplete. Turnovers on downs are negated. Jack Sawyer interception Sheader Sanders this gave Pittsburgh possession deep in Brown territory.
“One-on-one,” Rodgers said when asked about his decision to throw deep to Miller in that situation.
As he did late in the first half, Rodgers quickly got the Steelers into scoring range late in the game. But he finished the game with three passes in a row. Marquez Valdes-Scantlingwho was tightly covered by the perennial Pro Bowl guard. Denzel Ward. Rodgers then yelled at the referees for pass interference, but to no avail.
“It was definitely interference,” he said later.
It was an insult to Rogers's final incompleteness that Kenneth Gainwell opened underneath before Rodgers released the ball.
The turning point in the game was Pittsburgh's second punt of the second half. With the score at 10-6, Rodgers orchestrated a 13-play drive that took over eight minutes. Rodgers completed several big plays on the drive, including a third-and-8 pass to Miller. At that point, it looked like Rodgers and the Steelers were on the verge of another one-possession win, which would have made them 7-2 this season in such games.
Instead, the drive ended with Rodgers inexplicably getting a sack on third, which turned Chris Boswell A 49-yard field goal attempt turned into a 54-yard attempt. Boswell's shot missed the low post by less than a yard.
Rodgers and the passing game haven't been easy, but the Steelers have done really well in Cleveland. Warren rushed for 64 of the Steelers' 131 yards on the ground, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. The defense forced two turnovers, holding the Browns to just 78 yards on 25 carries. Alex Highsmith he had two sacks and a few other sacks from Sanders.
Pittsburgh's secondary player playing without a defender Brandin Echolsheld Jerry Judy to zero in the second half after he caught five passes for 54 yards in the first half.
However, those things were negated by an offense that was 3-for-15 on third down and 0-for-3 on fourth down.
“I don't think we played bad,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said unexpectedly afterward. “We just didn't play enough games. I thought they played well. I thought the game played out the way you'd expect, but we never made that signature game that would help us overcome the challenges. This is usually the deciding factor in these games and is what we usually do. We didn't do them today.”
Rodgers was especially unable to make the big throw, or many other throws for that matter. Instead of easy completions, Rodgers either didn't have them, or when he did have them, he often tried harder throws. Putting Rodgers in better situations will undoubtedly take up much of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's attention next week. However, Rodgers should capitalize on these chances.
“Not much,” Rodgers said when asked what needs to be done ahead of next week's game. “We just need to do better.”
It makes sense that the Steelers' season would come down to Sunday's game against the Ravens. In a season where nothing comes easy, the Steelers will have to beat their archrival if they want to continue beyond next week. It won't be easy, but Rodgers believes the Steelers have what it takes to get it done.
He's not the only one.
“One game doesn’t knock us off course,” the defender said. Cameron HaywardSteeler with the longest work experience. “We’ve been playing good ball lately. There are still things we can rely on. Stopping the run, turnovers, ball control, we're good on offense. We give ourselves a chance late. That's all you can ask for.”
