Aaron Rodgers left Raymond James Stadium with a milestone, a win, and a familiar complaint.
The Steelers quarterback threw two touchdown passes in Pittsburgh’s 26-19 overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, moving his career total to 539 and drawing even with Peyton Manning on the NFL’s all-time touchdown pass list. But Rodgers’ postgame comments were just as pointed as his throws, as he questioned the safety of the natural grass surface in Tampa.
"It's got to be one of the worst surfaces in the league," Rodgers told reporters after the game, as reported by ProFootballTalk. "And, you know, we're talking about player safety.
You know, I'm very thankful to not get hurt. I've gotten hurt twice on this field.
You know, in my opinion, because of the turf."
Rodgers also pointed out that the University of South Florida plays its home games there before adding, “I don’t think it’s very safe.”
He did not specify Sunday which two injuries he was referring to, though this wasn’t a new complaint. Back in February 2015, when he was with the Green Bay Packers, Rodgers said on his ESPN Milwaukee radio show that the Tampa surface led to the calf injury that bothered him late in the 2014 season and that he had also injured his shoulder there in 2008.
More recently, Rodgers’ most severe injury came elsewhere. He tore his left Achilles tendon four plays into his New York Jets debut in September 2023 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Field conditions have long been a talking point for Rodgers. Last season, he called the grass at Pittsburgh’s own Acrisure Stadium "borderline unplayable," a remark that helped put attention on the venue before those issues were addressed.
No response from the Buccaneers or stadium officials had been reported as of Sunday evening.
On the field, the Steelers had to grind through a rough stretch before Rodgers and the offense found their footing. Pittsburgh trailed 16-3 entering the fourth quarter, and Rodgers’ streak of three straight games with three touchdown passes came to an end. He was sacked five times before the fourth quarter and threw a first-quarter interception that led to the first of Chase McLaughlin’s four field goals.
Then came the turnaround. Rodgers guided four scoring drives in the fourth quarter, beginning with a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Darnell Washington. In overtime, he put together a 12-play, 70-yard drive that finished with a short touchdown pass to rookie Germie Bernard with 3:15 left in the extra period.
Tampa Bay still had one last chance, with rookie Jalon Daniels moving the Buccaneers near midfield on the final possession, but Jalen Ramsey ended it by sacking him on fourth down.
Rodgers completed 33 of 49 passes for 253 yards. The win lifted Pittsburgh to 4-2, while Tampa Bay dropped to 1-5.
The milestone also tightened Rodgers’ place on the league’s all-time list. He now sits third behind Drew Brees, who has 571 touchdown passes, and Tom Brady, who leads with 649.
With the Steelers headed to Paris next to face the New Orleans Saints at Stade de France on Oct. 25, Rodgers could move past Manning with his next touchdown throw.
The afternoon also included an ankle injury for coach Mike McCarthy, who was treated at halftime before returning to the sideline, a story RG.org reported separately.
In Other News...
Leonard Fournette Just Added To Todd Bowles Biggest Buccaneers Problem
Todd Bowles is already facing plenty of scrutiny as the Buccaneers try to sort out their direction, and now Leonard Fournette has added another layer to the conversation. On a podcast, the former Tampa Bay running back offered a blunt view of Bowles leadership, saying the head coach is not the kind of vocal presence Bruce Arians was and that his messages on accountability do not come across the same way.
Fournette also drew a distinction between a defensive-minded coach and the offensive side of the locker room, suggesting Bowles did not spend as much attention there. He went a step further by implying this could be Bowles final season in Tampa Bay, a remark that only adds more intrigue to a situation that already has the Bucs under a microscope. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Fans Still Have Reason To Fume Over How Week 6 Ended
The lingering frustration from Week 6 still has a clear target for Buccaneers fans: a Steelers game plan that left too much time on the clock when it mattered most. In a tight finish against Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh had a chance to squeeze the game down and make life easier on itself, but the decision-making around that late possession opened the door for the Bucs to stay alive.
Instead, the sequence swung back toward Tampa Bay in a way that kept the outcome in doubt longer than it needed to be. The Steelers came away with points, but not enough of a cushion to close the door, and the Buccaneers were left with a late chance to answer. For a team that has lived through plenty of close endings, it was the kind of finish fans will replay and second-guess for a while. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Ugly Start Has Fans Bracing For A Painful Finish
The Buccaneers early-season stumble has put a very different kind of conversation around the team, one centered less on where theyve been and more on how much trouble the rest of the year might hold. A week-by-week look at the remainder of the schedule paints a grim picture, with each matchup getting its own verdict based on how Tampa Bay has played so far and how the opposition stacks up.
For a fan base already bracing for a rough stretch, the biggest immediate question hangs over the Week 7 trip to Carolina and Baker Mayfields injury status. That uncertainty matters because it could shape not just one game, but the tenor of the next few weeks, and it leaves the Buccaneers staring at a finish that feels increasingly difficult to salvage. [Read more 🡒]