PITTSBURGH — After finishing fewer than 50% of his move makes an attempt in Sunday’s 26-7 loss to the Buffalo Payments, quarterback Aaron Rodgers recommended two easy fixes to getting on the identical web page along with his broad receivers with simply 5 weeks left within the common season.
“When there’s movie periods, everyone reveals up, and once I verify to a route, you do the appropriate route,” Rodgers mentioned. “… Now we have our conferences each week. Now we have different alternatives outdoors of the ability, and [I] sit up for seeing all of the boys there.”
Rodgers, enjoying with a black forged to guard his fractured left wrist, accomplished simply 10 of 21 makes an attempt for 117 yards, marking his third-lowest whole in any sport the place he threw a minimum of 20 passes. His 10 completions have been additionally his fewest in any sport with 20 move makes an attempt. The quarterback, who turns 42 on Tuesday, was additionally strip-sacked on the primary play of the third quarter as he held the ball and danced within the pocket ready for a receiver to get open.
“I felt ok to be on the market, simply not able to take a snap below heart, hopefully subsequent week for that,” he mentioned. “Dissatisfied in my efficiency, dissatisfied within the offensive efficiency and obtained to flush it.”
Rodgers and his receivers have struggled to attach on deep and midrange passes all through the season, and Sunday was no totally different. On third-and-4 within the first quarter, Rodgers tried to hit second-year receiver Roman Wilson down the sideline on a go route, however the quarterback overshot his goal and the ball bounced to the turf incomplete.
“I threw a ball I assumed was going to get hit by the wind, and it was 4 yards over Roman, in order that’s a s—ty throw,” Rodgers mentioned. “I obtained to make that throw.”
Later, within the fourth quarter, Rodgers tried to attach with tight finish Jonnu Smith ultimately zone. Smith, although, ran outdoors as Rodgers threw inside. Once more, the ball bounced incomplete.
“Jonnu and I simply weren’t on the identical web page,” Rodgers mentioned. “I checked to his in-breaker, and he ran an out-breaker. Jonnu is a real skilled, so I am certain he is sick about that.”
Rodgers accomplished simply two of six makes an attempt of 10 yards or extra, and he completed averaging 4.8 air yards per try because the offense stretched the sector extra within the fourth quarter. At one level within the third, although, Rodgers was averaging negative-0.8 air yards per completion, based on ESPN Analysis, as 5 of his six completions have been caught at or behind the road of scrimmage.
The conservative passing assault annoyed followers all through the day, and so they responded by raining boos — together with when Rodgers’ title was introduced as he reentered the sport a sequence after he obtained the reduce on his nostril from Joey Bosa’s strip sack taped up. Rodgers mentioned their restlessness made sense.
“I completely perceive the frustration,” mentioned Rodgers, who added that he hopes his nostril is not damaged. “I have been booed on offense, even in Inexperienced Bay over time.
“That was a boo-worthy efficiency.”
Large receiver Calvin Austin III echoed his quarterback’s sentiments after the offense put up simply 166 yards, marking the third-lowest whole in coach Mike Tomlin’s tenure.
“Yeah, we ain’t assembly the usual,” Austin mentioned in regards to the crowd’s frustration. “This group has an ordinary that when it takes the sector. Followers expect to see a sure factor and it is our responsibility to supply that. It is so simple as that. As followers, they arrive right here to cheer us on, however we aren’t giving them something to cheer about.”
By the fourth quarter, the followers focused their frustration squarely on the coach, chanting “Hearth Tomlin” so loudly it was picked up on the CBS broadcast.
“Man, I share their frustration tonight,” Tomlin mentioned with resignation. “We did not do sufficient and that is simply actuality of it.
“… I understand how stressed and annoyed I used to be, and so I assume they have been in the identical state we have been in.”
Regardless of the group’s shortcomings and fan unrest, Rodgers voiced his help for Tomlin, whose historic streak of practically 20 years and not using a shedding season is firmly in jeopardy because the Steelers dropped to 6-6.
“I consider within the teaching workers,” Rodgers mentioned. “I consider in Mike Tomlin. That is why I got here right here. Gamers must take accountability, myself included, and I’ll, and I’ll proceed to. I obtained to play higher, however there’s 11 starters on offense, 11 on protection plus with the personnel groupings that we run.
“We’ll have a Monday to Saturday that we may be actually pleased with, our greatest Monday to Saturday, and exit and play our greatest sport and take management of the division.”
Rodgers’ want for a powerful week of preparation comes on the heels of per week of subpar work, based on the quarterback.
“I am undecided if it was a chilly climate or what it was, however it wasn’t our greatest week of apply,” Rodgers mentioned. “That does not all the time translate to a destructive efficiency. … We obtained to apply within the parts higher, and the execution once more simply wasn’t the place it was.
“A variety of it is simply the power of apply and the tempo. We talked about it, and I assumed Friday was higher, however I assumed Thursday wasn’t a fantastic tempo execution apply for us on offense.”
Edge rusher T.J. Watt mentioned that feeling prolonged to the defensive facet as he thought his unit got here out “flat” on Sunday, too, because it gave up 249 speeding yards. That marked essentially the most speeding yards amassed by an opponent in Pittsburgh for the reason that Payments rushed for 310 yards on Sept. 28, 1975, at Three Rivers Stadium, based on ESPN Analysis. O.J. Simpson led Buffalo with 227 speeding yards that day.
“We have to discover methods to have the ability to make performs,” Watt mentioned. “And I imply I’ve by no means seen a group run the identical play as a lot as they ran it tonight and have as a lot success as they’d. I am out of phrases for it.”
Watt added: “We discuss in regards to the expertise that we have now, we speak about every part that we have now, however proper now we do not have a kick-ass defensive group, and that is all that I can communicate on.”