Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin only needed three words to share his thoughts on Aaron Rodgers‘ Sunday night performance against the Los Angeles Chargers. “How would you?,” was Tomlin’s answer when asked how he would assess Rodgers’ outing in Week 10, quickly passing to the next question.
Not long after that viral comment, the Steelers head coach once again addressed Rodgers’ night in LA. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Tomlin made it clear that while he won’t excuse Rodgers’ performance as just a bad day, he still trusts the veteran QB to lead the offense.
“I’m not going to chalk it up to an off night, but there are no long-term concerns,” Tomlin said of Rodgers‘ performance against the Chargers, as quoted by Brooke Pryor of ESPN.
“Asked him to clarify how he would describe Rodgers’ night, and he says that he has no reservations about Rodgers’ ability to play the position and play it well,” Pryor added on her X account.
Rodgers, Steelers’ offense struggle in LA
The Steelers’ offense left a lot to be desired on national television, failing to score a touchdown until the fourth quarter in Los Angeles, with the Chargers already in control of the game. In the end, the hosts gained the upper hand with a 25-10 victory.
Rodgers looked far from his true self in Week 10, completing just 16 of 31 passes for 161 yards, getting intercepted twice as his lone touchdown pass of the night came too late in the game.
“You got to possess the ball in order to score, and if you’re not doing enough on possession down, you’ve gotta have splash plays to score and we didn’t have either,” Tomlin added on the Steelers’ offensive performance last time out.
Tomlin, Rodgers’ Steelers face unique chance for redemption
Pittsburgh has no time to dwell on this setback though, as a must-win game is right around the corner. On Sunday, the Steelers host the Cincinnati Bengals in a crucial game for the AFC North standings.
The Steelers are still in control of the division, but their 5-4 record leaves them with no margin for error. The Baltimore Ravens are back in contention, improving to 4-5 after winning their last three games.
The Bengals are still alive at 3-6, so this is Pittsburgh’s opportunity to end Cincinnati’s aspirations. It will also be an opportunity for redemption, as Rodgers and Tomlin fell to Joe Flacco and company by just two points in a Week 7 prime-time thriller.