Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is well past his prime.
The fans see it. Members of the media see it. Opposing defenses definitely see it. But for a while, it didn’t seem like Rogers saw it.
Now, maybe that was just him putting on a brave face publicly. Or it was a matter of an elite athlete refusing to acknowledge the inevitability of age or injury. That’s nothing new.
But now, after an ugly 25-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football, it seems that even Rogers is now acknowledging what everyone else realized long ago.
Aaron Rodgers Criticizes His Own Poor Play Against The Chargers
Rodgers went just 16-of-31 for 161 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in the loss. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin refused to throw his QB under the bus, instead throwing a question about his play back at the reporter who asked.
“We as an offensive collective were off today, and certainly, he’s a component of that,” Tomlin eventually said. “I’ll let him speak for himself, but we certainly got to be better”
But Rodgers, who admittedly isn’t shy on words, was much harder on himself.
“This was not my best performance,” he said. “I got to play better than this for us to win. Whatever it takes … if it’s better checks, if it’s better throws, whatever it is, I got to play better. I will. … We got to play better on offense, for sure. But this is part of the season. There’s ebbs and flows, there’s ups and downs, and we can’t ride the wave.”
Pittsburgh is now just 1-3 in its last four games after starting the season 4-1. Over that span, Rodgers is averaging just 208 yards per game, and has eight touchdowns against four interceptions.
Ultimately, if the Steelers want to hold on to their tenuous lead in the AFC North and make any noise in the playoffs, the 41-year-old (who turns 42 in two weeks) needs to be much, much better.