Steelers' Troy Fautanu Extremely Critical Of Offense After Loss To Chargers: "Aaron Rodgers Was Hit Too Much"

The Pittsburgh Steelers were ripped apart by the Los Angeles Chargers on both sides of the football on Sunday night. In Pittsburgh's 25-10 loss to the Bolts, future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers' offense could not get much going throughout the night. Rodgers had a rare off-night. He completed just 16 of his 31 pass attempts for 161 yards and a touchdown. He also threw two interceptions and was sacked for a safety. Perhaps part of the reason why the former champion played poorly was that his protection up front was lacking. He was sacked three times and looked hurried in his throws.

Steelers' second-year offensive lineman, Troy Fautanu spoke to the Pittsburgh media after the loss and had much to say regarding the offensive line's struggles.

"We couldn't run the ball," Fautanu said. "With (the Chargers') defense trying to keep a lid on everything, we gotta be able to hold up as an offensive line knowing that Aaron's going to hold the ball. We just didn't play our best out there, which is frustrating... I just know that [No. 8] was hit too much."

At 41 years of age, Rodgers has to do two things to stay upright and healthy. He has to keep his legs moving and get the ball out quickly. While every quarterback in the NFL needs to do this, Rodgers doesn't necessarily have an elite offensive line protecting him, either. Currently the most-sacked quarterback in NFL history, Rodgers was sacked three times by the Indianapolis Colts a week ago, as well. The Chargers pressuring Rodgers time and time again may have gotten to the signal-caller's mind, and it showed in his play. He posted a passer rating of 50.6, which is his lowest mark as a Steeler. To make matters worse, as Fautanu noted, the ground game for the Steelers was unsuccessful. It amassed just 73 total rushing yards, which isn't good enough unless you have a protected, prime-level quarterback who can throw for 400 yards.

Both the Steelers' Offense And Defense Worked Together in Losing Effort

Not only did the Steelers' offense struggle mightily in this game, but so did their defense. While veteran edge-rushers Alex Highsmith and TJ Watt made up the majority of the defense's five sacks on Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, that was the only positive that came from that side of the ball. Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin's unit was on the field for nearly 38 minutes and forced zero turnovers. When an NFL defense is on the field for that long, it usually points to something bad. While Herbert was limited through the air (220 passing yards), the Chargers found a way to get going on the ground. They put up 115 rushing yards on Pittsburgh, which kept the clock moving and Rodgers off the field. That is the exact recipe that every team needs to use when playing against a quarterback like Rodgers, and when their defense can stifle him, that is the icing on the cake. 

Now, the Steelers have to find a way to regroup and pick up the pieces. After starting the season off with a promising record of 4-1, Head Coach Mike Tomlin and co. are now 5-4. To make matters worse, the arch-rival Baltimore Ravens have won three games in a row to get to a mark of 4-5. Still, the Steelers are in first place in the AFC North at the moment. Despite a brutal performance against the Chargers, the Steelers have two winnable games coming up against the Cincinnati Bengals at home and the Chicago Bears on the road. If Pittsburgh can find a way to win both of those, at the very least, they could have the inside track as it pertains to winning the division. However, that might be a big if.

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