With the game on the line and maybe the entire 2025 season, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers targeted wideout Marquez Valdes-Scantling three consecutive times. All three throws were in goal-to-go situation inside the 10-yard line with the Steelers trailing the Cleveland Browns by seven in the final 30 seconds during Week 17.
All three passes fell incomplete.
The first two attempts were not particularly close, as it appeared Valdes-Scantling (MVS) may have run the wrong route not once, but twice.
While talking to reporters after Sunday’s game, Rodgers avoided calling out Valdes-Scantling for a potential wrong route in the goal-to-go situation. But the Steelers quarterback did directly address the officiating on the fourth-down throw to Valdes-Scantling.
“That was definitely interference,” said Rodgers. “I’ll have to look at the film on second and third down.”
On the failed fourth-down throw, Rodgers targeted Valdes-Scantling in the corner of the end zone. Photos of the play show Browns cornerback Denzel Ward holding back the receiver’s left arm.
Watching the play live from the same angle, Ward’s “arm bar” doesn’t seem as egregious. The officials didn’t call a penalty, and the play resulted in a turnover on downs.
The Browns held on to defeat the Steelers 13-6. With the loss, the Steelers dropped to 9-7.
They will now need to defeat the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18 to clinch the AFC North title. The Steelers can also clinch the division with a tie.
A Ravens win will eliminate the Steelers from the playoffs.
Steelers, Aaron Rodgers Fail to Deliver Game-Tying TD vs. Browns
It was a very frustrating day for the Steelers offense. Entering Week 17, Rodgers and his teammates had scored at least 27 points in three consecutive games.
In Cleveland against the NFL’s No. 1 pass defense, the Steelers didn’t reach the end zone. The Browns held Rodgers to 168 passing yards, including 4.3 yards per pass.
The Steelers converted only three out of 15 third-down attempts. The Browns also held Pittsburgh with zero points on two red zone possessions.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin credited the Browns defense. So did Rodgers. But in the second half, in which Pittsburgh didn’t score at all, the Steelers didn’t have DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin III or Darnell Washington.
Metcalf was serving a suspension while Austin sat out with a hamstring injury. Washington sustained a broken arm during the first half and returned for only one play.
That’s why Valdes-Scantling led the Steelers with nine targets. He caught only three of those passes for 21 yards.
Receiver Scotty Miller and tight end Pat Freiermuth combined for 55 receiving yards to begin the two-minute drive for the Steelers offense. On first-and-goal from the Browns 10-yard line, Rodgers hit veteran Adam Thielen for a 3-yard gain.
On social media after the game, Steelers pundits and fans criticized Rodgers targeting Valdes-Scantling three consecutive times in large part because Freiermuth and Miller made the big catches to put the Steelers in a position to tie the game.
DK Metcalf Suspension Impact on Steelers
The Steelers emphasize the running game and involve tight ends more than most NFL teams. That led some to believe Metcalf’s absence could be minor in Cleveland.
However, that wasn’t the case. The Browns played their typical man-to-man defense, which gave Rodgers opportunities to throw the ball down field in single coverage. But Valdes-Scantling and the Steelers depth receivers didn’t make those catches.
A potential breakout from former third-round pick Roman Wilson, who has been a healthy scratch the past several weeks, was a storyline for the Steelers over the last week. But Wilson finished the contest with zero targets.
The Steelers will have another chance to win the division in Week 18. However, they will have to do it without Metcalf, who is out one more game because of his suspension.
Metcalf had his best statistical game of the season versus Baltimore in Week 14.
The statuses of Austin and Washington are unclear. But hamstring injuries typically linger. If Washington can suit up next week, one has to imagine he will be wearing a big cast, which would limit his pass-catching ability.
That’s why the Steelers not getting the benefit of a flag on Valdes-Scanting’s fourth-down was such a pivotal call.
The Steelers have had some calls go their way in previous wins, most notably against the Ravens and Detroit Lions. Based on the Steelers-Ravens past, Rodgers and company may need better luck next week to win the division.
Of course, Pittsburgh’s receiving depth playing better would help too.
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