Despite the Thursday Night Football loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense was firing on all cylinders—thanks in large part to quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The 41-year-old threw for four touchdowns while aiding his team to 31 points on the road in the loss. In the process, Rodgers passed former teammate and Hall of Famer Brett Favre on the all-time NFL passing yards list.
But the wildest moment involving Rodgers happened after the play... and he wasn't happy about it.
Following a 68-yard touchdown pass to tight end Pat Freiermuth, Rodgers celebrated as he made his way to the sideline, only to be blindsided by left tackle Broderick Jones, who took the aging quarterback to the ground in excitement. This ridiculous moment from the TV broadcast quickly went viral on social media.
Unsurprisingly, Jones was asked about this cringeworthy moment when speaking to the media on Monday. Jones made light of the situation and chalked it up to the intensity of the game.
“We’re still joking about it,” Jones said, via Steelers Now. “Yeah, he was a little mad, but it’s all right. You know, it’s football. It gets intense. It’s still no love lost. It’s just the energy that he brings and that I bring. He told me don’t lose the fire and I told him the same. We shall see on Sunday after he throws another touchdown, I might tackle him again.”
Jones wasn't the only player asked about the incident. The media also caught up with starting right tackle and fellow first-round pick, Troy Fautanu, who insisted we can't be upset with Jones for being energized in the moment.
“I don’t want to put him on blast, but the way Broderick described it on the field versus what we seen on the video is so funny,” Fautanu explained. “You can’t blame the guy... "It’s high emotions. In the heat of the moment, Muth made a play and scored a touchdown. Can’t get mad at the guy.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers can be thankful Broderick Jones didn't injure QB Aaron Rodgers
Thankfully, Rodgers wasn't injured when abruptly tackled by his own offensive lineman. Still, this is a good lesson for Broderick to think before replicating a celebration like this.
Obviously, there was no malicious intent with Broderick's celebration. And honestly, had he tackled a much younger quarterback, we might not even be talking about this.
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But Rodgers is pushing 42 years old and is the oldest QB in the NFL. The quarterback's reaction said it all, as he was visibly furious with Jones for taking him to the ground. Can you imagine how the fanbase and the media would have reacted if Rodgers had broken his collarbone or suffered any senseless injury at the hands of his own player in celebration?
According to Jones, Rodgers wants the young left tackle to keep bringing the same energy... but every Steelers fan can join together in agreeing that we don't want to see any more Broderick takedowns of Aaron Rodgers.