Aaron Rodgers Gets Support As Concerns Grow Around Pittsburgh Steelers Offense

Aaron Rodgers has become a major talking point in Pittsburgh after a rough loss to the New England Patriots. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback completed 23 of 39 passes for 187 yards, with one interception, while the offense scored only three points. His age has also become part of the debate after the 42-year-old struggled to create big plays. While former Pittsburgh Steelers star James Harrison has pushed back on the idea that Rodgers is the main problem. At the same time, The Athletic's Robert Mays has raised a different concern about how Rodgers is running the offense.

James Harrison Points To The Pittsburgh Steelers Offensive Line After Aaron Rodgers Struggles

Harrison believes Rodgers is not getting enough help from the players in front of him. The former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker said the offensive line has had too many combinations, making it hard for the group to build trust and play as one unit.

“It's the damn offensive line. The same thing, you know, early in the in the year or through training camp where they were trying to put together so many different combinations.”

His point came after New England put steady pressure on Rodgers. The Patriots blitzed on 39% of his dropbacks. The Pittsburgh Steelers gave up four sacks and struggled to keep the pocket clean.

The problem was not only pressure. Rodgers also found little room to attack deep. He completed just three of nine passes that traveled at least 10 air yards.

This is a pretty passive aggressive comment from Aaron Rodgers. Says he needs to do a better job of letting the coaches know they're calling the wrong plays ????. He didn't do this one time under Tomlin. pic.twitter.com/jIuFLXAYGx

— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) September 20, 2026

That puts more pressure on the Pittsburgh Steelers to fix their protection. Head coach Mike McCarthy also accepted some blame and said the team must give Rodgers better platforms to throw from.

Robert Mays Sees A Different Problem Inside The Pittsburgh Steelers Offense

Mays has focused on Rodgers himself. During an appearance on the Colin Cowherd Show, he said the quarterback is trying to play the position in a way that belongs to a different time.

“He is trying to play the position in a way that is rooted in a different time,” Mays said. “They're trying to play the sport in a way that no one is trying to because that's what Aaron wants.”

The two views show why Rodgers' early Pittsburgh Steelers run is already under close watch. Through two games, he has completed 59.5% of his passes for 408 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

The team has scored only one touchdown across its first eight quarters. It also had only one play of more than 20 yards against New England.

Rodgers has admitted the offense needs to improve and said the team may need to cut down the number of plays in its plan.

For now, the debate has two sides. Harrison sees a quarterback being hurt by poor protection. Mays sees a quarterback whose approach may be holding the offense back. The coming games will provide more evidence about where the bigger problem sits.