The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive woes under prime-time lights persisted Sunday night as quarterback Aaron Rodgers labored through a 25-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
Nearing his 42nd birthday, Rodgers finished 16-of-31 for 161 yards, with one touchdown, two interceptions, and a 50.6 passer rating, his lowest of the season. Rodgers’ 51.6% completion rate was his worst since 2020, and his 50.6 passer rating ranks as the fifth-lowest of his career in a full game. He admitted postgame that several throws went awry, saying:
“A lot of stuff wasn’t working. We were bad on third down. I was just a little bit off, missed DK [Metcalf] early, could’ve been a big play. Little high to Jonnu [Smith]. But yeah, we didn’t run the ball super effectively in the first half. I missed, obviously, some throws, for sure. And then we weren’t getting guys open and couldn’t put it all together. Times guys were open, I missed the throws that I usually make.
“Our defense played really well tonight. Offensively, we were pretty bad. So, we’ve got to find a way to get open on third down, I’ve got to find a way to hit ‘em, because that was just some bad ball.”
Pittsburgh opened the night with early energy, with Chris Boswell converting a 59-yard field goal, his 50th career 50+ yard kick in 60 attempts, giving the Steelers a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter.
However, control of the game shifted when Rodgers fumbled in the end zone on a third-and-7 snap from the Pittsburgh 9-yard line. Khalil Mack recovered in the end zone for a safety, cutting the Steelers’ lead to 3-2.
The first half was a nightmare for Pittsburgh’s offense. Rodgers completed only 7-of-14 passes for 64 yards, with one interception. The interception came when Rodgers overthrew DK Metcalf, leading to RJ Mickens’ pick that set up Justin Herbert’s 15-yard touchdown to Ladd McConkey just before halftime.
The Steelers entered the break with just 85 total yards, three first downs, and a 0-for-6 mark on third downs.
Pittsburgh rallied momentarily in the fourth quarter with Jaylen Warren’s screen pass for 18 yards to the LA 14-yard line, but the drive stalled. Rodgers missed a checkdown to Kenneth Gainwell and then threw incompletions to Metcalf in double coverage, leading to a turnover on downs.
The Chargers pounced on the chance immediately, with McConkey catching a 58-yard pass and Kimani Vidal running in a 2-yard touchdown, ensuring the Steelers couldn’t catch up. Vidal finished with 95 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Herbert completed 20 of 33 passes for 220 yards and a score.
Warren rushed efficiently for 70 yards on 14 carries (5.0 yards per attempt), yet Pittsburgh went 0-for-9 on third downs, a deciding factor in the defeat.
The black-and-gold defense performed stoutly, with Patrick Queen recording 12 tackles and Alex Highsmith contributing two sacks.
The Steelers, now 4-5, will host the Cincinnati Bengals next Sunday in Week 11.
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