To say Week 13 was frustrating for Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers might be an understatement.
Rodgers played through three fractures in his left wrist and took a massive hit that left his face bloodied, but any sort of inspiration he might have given his team didn’t show up in the offensive performance. The Steelers mustered a grand total of 166 yards in a 26-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
After the game, Rodgers revealed the Steelers had a poor week of practice in the lead-up to the Buffalo game, and they obviously couldn’t put it behind them.
“I’m not sure,” Rodgers told reporters, trying to diagnose the issues behind Pittsburgh’s anemic offensive performance. “I thought we had a better preparation week and a poor practice week for whatever reason. I’m not sure if it was the cold weather or whatever it was. It wasn’t our best week of practice.”
Aaron Rodgers Calls Out Receivers After Bills Loss
Rodgers spoke at length in his postgame press conference about the need to improve ahead of a pivotal Week 14 showdown with the Baltimore Ravens. The final question of the session centered around what the Steelers will need to do to improve the on-field chemistry between the veteran QB and his receivers.
Rodgers didn’t mince words, using an apparent miscommunication between he and tight End Jonnu Smith as a symptom of the problem.
“When there’s film sessions, everybody shows up. When I check to a route, you run the right route,” Rodgers said.
“Jonnu and I just weren’t on the same page. I checked to an in-breaker, and he ran an out-breaker. Jonnu is a true professional, so I’m sure he’s sick about that. I threw a ball I thought was gonna get hit by the wind, and it was 4 yards over Roman (Wilson). I’ve gotta make that throw. We have our meetings every week, we have other opportunities outside the facility and looking forward to seeing all the boys there.”
Rodgers Admits He Must Improve, Too
To Rodgers’ credit, he didn’t lay the blame solely at the feet of his pass catchers. The four-time MVP clearly wasn’t right, playing with a cast on his non-throwing wrist to protect the fractures, forcing him to pitch any run plays one side that would have required him to hand off with his compromised wrist. Yet, he also noted there were plays he left on the table regardless of his physical state.
“Players need to take accountability, myself included, and I will, and I will continue to. I have to play better,” Rodgers told reporters after completing just 10 of 21 passes for 117 yards for a passer rating of 6.2.
Rodgers also acknowledged the frustration of Steelers fans, who booed the team’s showing. And while Rodgers admitted it was a “boo-worthy performance,” he wasn’t about to throw the coaching staff under the bus, even on a night where fans chanted for Mike Tomlin to be fired.
“I know what you’re trying to ask, and I’m not going to go down that road at all,” he shot back in response to a question about playcalls. “I believe in the coaching staff, I believe in Mike Tomlin. That’s why I came here.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Aaron Rodgers Calls Out Receivers After Steelers’ ‘Boo-Worthy’ Showing appeared first on Heavy Sports.