The Pittsburgh Steelers had an absolutely embarrassing performance all around in their Week 13 loss against the Buffalo Bills. There is really no way to defend losing the yardage battle 372-166, especially when Buffalo had much more rushing yards than Pittsburgh had total yards. Despite being tied for the AFC North lead entering December, there is very little hope among fans that this team can get hot at the right time, push into the playoffs, and get that coveted playoff win. Games like that one against the Bills, emphasize that feeling.
Gene J. Puskar / ap photo
Bills' Sean McDermott (left) and Steelers' Mike Tomlin (right) shake hands after their 2019 matchup in Pittsburgh, PA as the two coaches have a long shared history dating back to their college days.
Part of the problem came from quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who returned after missing just one week due to his fractured left wrist. He was obviously not 100%, as all of the under-center plays turned into pistol formations. He was still hurting too much to take a snap under center. That made it harder for him to grip the ball as well, which may have contributed to a strip-sack that resulted in a Bills touchdown.
During his weekly Q&A chat, insider Brian Batko was asked about if having Rodgers start the game was bad idea. It can be difficult to argue his point on this issue.
"I just think you're hamstringing yourself when you don't have all modes of operation on offense open to you," Batko said. "And Aaron Rodgers in his current state just isn't good enough to play one-handed."
The point of the pistol formation was to run those I-formation plays without actually going under center, but it's just not the same. That still limits some of the stretch plays and hard play-action calls, among other things. The Bills had no problem sniffing out everything the Steelers wanted to do, and Rodgers was uncomfortable in the pocket all game long. He did not appear to be ready for the game.
Karl Roster / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers looks to throw during Pittsburgh's 26-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 13 of the 2025 NFL Regular Season.
Even though it was Rodgers' non-throwing wrist that was injured, it still clearly made an impact. For one, he wanted to get the ball out quickly, and the Bills understood that. All the quick, easy throws were taken away. The predictability that came from this injury made life much harder on the Steelers than it needed to be.
There is also some mechanical stuff that can come from the non-throwing side of the body. It's unclear exactly how much that was altered, but Rodgers' lack of accuracy was evident, so it would be safe to say that the injury had an impact on that as well. At the end of the day, fractured bones anywhere are hard to recover from and rushing it has a lot more of a potential downside than upside.
Steelers' Lack Of Faith Is Disturbing
Backup quarterback Mason Rudolph is not the best passer around, but he has shown the ability to step up and do his job well when needed. The Steelers' coaching staff clearly did not feel the same way. In his one start, he was limited to checkdowns for nearly the entire game, and then Rodgers was rushed back into action to make sure Rudolph would not have to start against the Bills.
Sebastian Foltz / Post-Gazette
Steelers' Mason Rudolph hypes up the crowd in a home game in Pittsburgh.
While Rudolph is not the best quarterback, it makes no sense for the Steelers to be as afraid of using him as they have shown themselves to be. He usually does his best work as a spot starter, where he can just let it rip with that "nothing to lose" and "screw it" mentality. The only thing that gets accomplished from handcuffing him is making him lose confidence in himself and making everything more predictable for the offense.
What do you think about Rodgers playing through his injury? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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