While the Pittsburgh Steelers opened the ongoing NFL season with two wins in three games, Pittsburgh’s offense hasn’t necessarily been firing on all cylinders since Week 1.
Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger recently suggested that Pittsburgh is “afraid to take shots down the field because that forces your quarterback to stay in the pocket and hold it a little bit longer.” While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Steelers QB1 Aaron Rodgers addressed such takes about the club’s offense.
Aaron Rodgers opens up about play over first Steelers starts
“I can play better, for sure,” Rodgers admitted, per Will Graves of The Associated Press. “You know, it’s just about sometimes you just have to take what the defense gives you and be comfortable with that. Some of our best plays is just getting the ball into our playmakers’ hands and letting them go. So I just need to be disciplined like I usually am and get the ball to the guys.”
Rodgers looked like a quarterback capable of guiding the Steelers to the playoffs when he completed
22-of-30 passes for 244 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in the Week 1 win at the
New York Jets. However, the 41-year-old then connected on 60.7 percent of his attempts for 342 yards with three scores and three picks over the following two games.
According to ESPN stats, Pittsburgh ranks 30th in the NFL with an average of 247 yards gained per game and 31st with an average of 63 rushing yards gained per contest. This coming Sunday, the 2-1 Steelers will face a 2-1 Minnesota Vikings team that’s responsible for the league’s third-best pass defense (141.3 yards allowed per game).
Pittsburgh’s defense forced five turnovers in a 21-14 win at the New England Patriots in Week 3.
Aaron Rodgers says Pittsburgh offense remains a work in progress
“We’re figuring it out,” Rodgers added. “It hasn’t been the prettiest at times. But the good thing is, our defense played the way they want to play last week, and we made just enough plays to win. So at this point, it’s about winning. The chemistry is there, the continuity, the belief in each other is there. It’s just going out and executing.”
As of Thursday morning, ESPN BET had the Steelers as 2.5-point underdogs against the Vikings for the matchup that will be held in Dublin, Ireland. If Rodgers and his offensive teammates execute better than they did against New England, Pittsburgh should have a good shot at entering its Week 5 bye at 3-1.
