The Pittsburgh Steelers walked into Sunday knowing New England was going to come after Aaron Rodgers. They spent extra time preparing for it. They still got swallowed by it in a 20-3 loss.
That’s the part that has to sting most. This wasn’t a surprise ambush.
Pittsburgh expected pressure, expected man coverage, and still never found a clean answer once the game started. The Steelers’ offense looked like a unit that had done the homework but couldn’t pass the test.
Rodgers finished 23 of 39 for 187 yards with an interception. He averaged 4.8 yards per attempt and was sacked four times.
Pittsburgh managed just one offensive play of at least 20 yards and went 2 of 12 on third down. When the Patriots brought extra rushers, the Steelers took the punishment without cashing in on the openings that are supposed to come with blitz looks.
Head coach and play caller Mike McCarthy didn’t hide from that after the game.
“Expected pressure, got pressure. As an offensive coach, I always welcome the opportunity to play against pressure defense.
I think it's clearly an opportunity for big play potential. That was not the case today.”
New England blitzed on 21 of Rodgers’ 44 dropbacks, a 47.7 percent rate, and produced 17 pressures on him, or 38.6 percent. That kind of heat doesn’t just break blocks. It exposes whether the quarterback, center, line, and eligible protectors are on the same page before the snap.
On Christian Elliss’s blind-side strip-sack in the second quarter, they weren’t. Rodgers called it a communication lapse.
The play started as third-and-7 at New England’s 22 and ended with Pittsburgh at fourth-and-43 after the loose-ball scramble. That’s the kind of breakdown that turns a drive into a disaster.
Christian Barmore’s strip-sack in the fourth quarter was a different kind of problem. New England rushed four, Barmore beat right guard Spencer Anderson one-on-one, and Elijah Ponder returned the fumble for a touchdown. No protection call or hot route solves a clean loss inside if the rusher gets home fast enough to jar the ball loose.
The Patriots also made life miserable for DK Metcalf. Christian Gonzalez helped keep the receiver from taking over, and Metcalf finished with four catches on nine targets for 27 yards and two drops.
With Michael Pittman Jr. out, Pittsburgh needed Metcalf to win isolated matchups or for someone else to separate quickly. Germie Bernard flashed a little late, but the overall production never got close to enough.
Rodgers’ 4.8 yards per attempt says plenty about how often plays died before they could breathe.
New England mixed disguised fronts with tight man coverage, and that combination clearly worked. But the bigger issue for Pittsburgh is simpler: the Steelers knew the challenge was coming and still couldn’t execute the answers they had built during the week.
McCarthy said he’ll trim the game plan volume moving forward. Against Cincinnati, that should mean fewer protection families, fewer sight-adjustment calls, and more reps of a smaller menu of man-beaters with a quick outlet attached.
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