Stephen A. Smith had seen enough after the Steelers’ 27-24 loss to the Browns on Thursday Night Football, and he let Pittsburgh have it.
A day after Aaron Rodgers was sacked five times in the defeat, Smith unloaded on the way the Steelers have handled the quarterback situation, arguing that the protection in front of Rodgers has become a major problem. By his count, Rodgers has been taken down 13 times this season and hit eight more times than any other quarterback in the league.
"I'm sick of the d*mn Steelers," Smith said. "I'm so sick of them. I really am."
He didn’t stop there. Smith turned his attention to the offensive line and made his frustration plain: "You know he's about to retire. Can you protect the brother?"
Smith also pointed to Pittsburgh’s first drive as proof the offense can work under its new coach Mike McCarthy. That series went 17 plays, covered 78 yards and ended in a touchdown.
The rest of the half, though, unraveled fast. Pittsburgh went down 21-7 with less than two minutes left before halftime, and the quarter included an interception, a punt and a missed field goal. Cleveland, meanwhile, strung together three straight touchdowns.
Smith also reminded viewers that the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016, and said he couldn’t believe Pittsburgh is now behind Cleveland in the AFC North standings.
The game also had its share of sideline heat. Amazon Prime Video cameras caught Rodgers shouting toward the bench in the first quarter, and field microphones picked up, "Mike, what the (expletive?)
Call it," aimed at McCarthy over a slow play call. McCarthy shot back before Pittsburgh finished the drive with a touchdown, and afterward both men tried to cool the moment down.
Rodgers pointed to the crowd noise when asked about it.
"Some of the calls were hard to hear, for sure," he told reporters. McCarthy added: "Any negative communication on my part, I wish I wouldn't use those words."
There was more tension on the Pittsburgh sideline as well. Linebacker T.J. Watt grabbed a headset to vent directly to defensive coordinator Patrick Graham in the booth after the Steelers fell behind 21-7, and Cam Heyward was seen yelling at a teammate.
Pittsburgh did manage to claw back and tie the game, but Cleveland finished it off when Andre Szmyt hit a 56-yard field goal.
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