Steelers' Aaron Rodgers Is Not Very Happy With Pittsburgh's Offense Despite Week 7 Win

The Pittsburgh Steelers managed to leave Paris with a 16-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints. They were carried by the run game on both sides of the ball. When 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers has more rushing yards than everyone individually on the other team in a game excluding quarterback kneels, you know the defensive line is balling out. If Pittsburgh can keep that level of domination up against much tougher opponents down the stretch, this team just might be able to make some noise when January rolls around. 

It wasn't perfect though, and Rodgers knows it. During his postgame press conference, he gave a brief answer as to what he expects from the unit as a whole in the future.

"We had a lot of good plays today," Rodgers said. "We still got to play a little better on offense and help our defense out."

The offense definitely still has some issues: primarily in the passing game. Rodgers still tries to get the ball out of his hands quickly when possible, which leads to a very boom-or-bust air attack. The pass could be completed for a large gain or nothing much, no in-between. Most of the passes were checkdowns and quick passes with a few deep balls mixed in there to keep the defense on its toes.

The biggest issue with Rodgers is the fact that he keeps trying to hit DK Metcalf on these sideline fades. He did not complete a single one of those passes to Metcalf, but he did find the receiver behind the defense for a 51-yard gain to set up the only touchdown for the Steelers. Either way, the veteran wideout needs to be utilized on more than 50-50 balls, and this contest was proof of that. 

Even in the passing game, the biggest playmakers are typically the running backs on checkdowns and swing passes. Rico Dowdle led the team in receptions on the day with six, with Jaylen Warren being tied for second with three catches. They combined for 81 of Rodgers' 212 passing yards on the day and nine of his 19 completions. The receivers and tight ends are still secondary to the backs.

Rodgers also took three sacks in the contest. There was plenty of blame to go around, as this young offensive line is still trying to gel together as one cohesive unit while the quarterback's internal clock has not exactly been at its best. These negative plays could ruin a drive with how Pittsburgh struggles to get any sort of consistency in the passing game, especially beyond the line of scrimmage.

Even with the Steelers being without three wide receivers, this lack of a passing game is still a problem. They have a pair of really good tight ends, which makes it easier to throw the ball out of heavy-set run looks. Roman Wilson and Michael Pittman Jr. won't be back until Week 11 most likely at the earliest, so Pittsburgh is going to have to continue to adjust and find a way to make this work to complement the run game and the defense. 

Steelers Unleashed Key Scheme To Boost The Offense Even More

For the first time all season long, the Steelers utilized their ultra-jumbo offensive package with Spencer Anderson coming on as the extra offensive lineman and Darnell Washington lining up next to him. Those two, combined with the offensive tackle on either side, provide a half-ton towing machine that rivals modern-day trucks in efficiency. That helped give Rodgers more time in the pocket while opening more run lanes.

The Steelers were at their best when they were utilizing this package in 2025. There have been times where they telegraphed the exact play that they wanted to run and still did it well with Anderson and Washington leading the way. Opposing defenses have yet to figure out how to stop this scheme. Pittsburgh needs to keep running those kinds of plays until someone finally figures it out.

What do you think about Rodgers saying the offense needs to do better? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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