Steelers' Aaron Rodgers Makes Direct Statement About Pat Freiermuth After Upsetting Loss To Bengals

The Pittsburgh Steelers fell to the rival Cincinnati Bengals on the road Thursday night by a score of 33-31 to move to a record of 4-2. While Pittsburgh's defense struggled mightily to stop veteran Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco and co., Pittsburgh's offense was extremely explosive. On the way to putting up those aforementioned 31 points, Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his offense recorded 396 total yards and averaged 7.3 yards per play.

Despite throwing two interceptions against Cincinnati, Rodgers played with his hair on fire tossing four touchdowns for the second time this season. His leading pass-catcher was none other than tight end Pat Freiermuth, who reeled in five catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns. For reference, the former Penn State Nittany Lions standout had just eight catches all season long entering Thursday night. Rodgers spoke glowingly about his tight ends after he threw all four of his touchdowns to the position group, but he specifically singled out Freiermuth after the loss.

"I'm really proud of those guys, especially Pat," said Rodgers. Pat's a great player and he hasn't had a lot of looks. His play time has gone down, but his attitude hasn't. I think there's a lot to be said for the professionalism that he showed, especially the last couple weeks."

There is no doubt that Freiermuth is deserving of the kind words from his quarterback. He stepped up when his team was counting on him. While this season has not gone as planned for the $12 million man in terms of playing time, he has not dropped his head. Despite the loss, he showed why he was worthy of being a second-round pick back in 2021 and why he is worth a major contract. 

After Freiermuth's breakout game, it will be interesting to see what Steelers Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith's plans are for him moving forward. Remember, the Steelers use all four of their tight ends in key roles. The likes of Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith, Darnell Washington, and Connor Heyward have each stepped up in major ways during the early part of the 2025 season thus far. Smith and Washington both caught a touchdown pass from Rodgers on Thursday night as well.

Steelers Continue To Hum On Offense This Season

Despite coming out on the losing end on Thursday night, the Steelers continued their impressive play on offense as they scored 24 or more points for the fourth time this season. Not only did Rodgers (103.7 passer rating) show why he was brought to Pittsburgh this offseason, but the rushing offense was exceptional. Led by starting running back Jaylen Warren (127 rushing yards), Pittsburgh recorded 147 yards on the ground. Additionally, the offensive line protected the 41-year-old Rodgers extremely well as it did not allow a single sack for the third time in the last four games.

Through the first six games of the season, the Steelers are sitting in first place in the AFC North with a record of 4-2 (1-1 in the AFC North). That is largely due to the play on the offensive side of the football. Their veteran quarterback is playing like he did back in Green Bay, and he is getting help from plenty of different names each game. In the loss to the Bengals, the four-time MVP found eight different receivers. All in all, the people of Pittsburgh should feel good about the way the offense has performed so far in 2025.

The problem is that in the present moment, this Rodgers-led offense must continue to score points in an effort to help out the struggling Pittsburgh defense. Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin's unit has surrendered 30+ points in three of the team's first six games. That is not going to cut it, especially if this team has it's eyes on a potential Super Bowl run. Time will tell to see if Head Coach Mike Tomlin can get his team to play complete football more consistently as the weather starts to turn.

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