The Pittsburgh Steelers struggled offensively in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, but it was nothing compared to what we witnessed in Week 2 on the road against the New England Patriots.
Last week, Mike McCarthy's team was inches away from a handful of big connections deep down the field. This week, they simply struggled to move the football in any meaningful way.
Aaron Rodgers and the offensive line are mostly to blame.
As the O-line struggled to protect, Rodgers couldn't get into any sort of rhythm. By the end of the first half, Rodgers completed just 12 of 22 passes for a mere 84 yards, without throwing a touchdown or an interception. And, somehow, his 63.4 passer rating through the first two quarters doesn't begin to tell the story of how ugly this game truly was.
Things didn't improve in the second half; they only got worse.
By the end of the game, Rodgers was 23 of 39 for just 187 yards (4.8 yards per attempt) with zero touchdowns and an interception in the red zone on a ball that bounced off Germie Bernard's hands. This was good for just a 60.5 passer rating, per ESPN stats.
And as bad as Rodgers was in this contest, the O-line might have been even worse.
Rodgers was hit routinely, as the offensive line looked utterly incompetent when attempting to pick up the blitz. As a result, Rodgers was sacked four times for -43 yards and was constantly forced to muster the willpower to pull himself off the turf after the play.
Now the Steelers have some major concerns for the 2026 season after what we witnessed against the Patriots in Week 2.
The Pittsburgh Steelers must make changes after Week 2, but some issues can't be fixed
Despite winning the time of possession battle 32:47 to 27:13, it didn't seem to help at all. By the end of the game, Mike McCarthy's team was humiliated in a 20-3 road loss in Week 2.
The defense hardly played a good game, but it was Rodgers and the offensive line that raised major concerns moving forward.
Right guard Spencer Anderson had a pitiful performance. Late in the contest, Anderson failed to pick up a stunt that resulted in a strip-sack on Rodgers and a scoop-and-score for the Patriots' defense. Likewise, offensive tackles Troy Fautanu and Dylan Cook struggled early and often.
Thankfully, the Steelers have some options to turn to, and fans—and even former players—are already banging the table for rookie first-round pick Max Iheanachor and rookie third-round pick Gennings Dunker to see the field. After what we witnessed in Week 2, nobody would be surprised to see offensive line changes coming soon.
However, like it or not, the Steelers are stuck with Rodgers, and the veteran won't be out of a starting job until Pittsburgh is eliminated from playoff contention.
Despite the misses down the field in Week 1, Rodgers looked encouraging last week. However, Week 2 was just the opposite. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel quickly found out that his team could blitz Rodgers all day and not have to worry about him making plays down the field under pressure or escaping the pocket. Now they just opened up a formula for success for every Steelers opponent moving forward.
There were some major takeaways from the Steelers' Week 2 loss, and none of them are very good. But the worst part is that the Pittsburgh Steelers officially have an Aaron Rodgers and an offensive line problem... and not all of this is fixable in 2026.
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