The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense never found a rhythm Sunday, and the result was a lopsided 20-3 defeat to the New England Patriots in Week 2.
Pittsburgh managed only a second-quarter field goal. The rest of the afternoon was a series of stalled drives, missed opportunities and mounting frustration.
Aaron Rodgers completed 23 of 39 passes for 187 yards with one interception. He lost one of two fumbles and was sacked four times for a loss of 43 yards. The ground game offered little help, finishing with 91 yards on 23 carries.
Afterward, Rodgers pointed to communication during the flow of the game as an area that must improve. The veteran quarterback, working again with head coach Mike McCarthy, suggested the coaching staff needed clearer real-time feedback from the field.
“In a game like today, where there was a lot of flow to it, we need to be better,” Rodgers said. “And it starts with me at like making sure Mike knows what’s working, what’s not working, our coaches know, and so we can call stuff that… we feel like there’s a better chance.”
McCarthy, who calls the offensive plays, accepted responsibility. He said the problems were visible even before kickoff.
The coach told reporters he felt the unit was off during the week of practice. He expected New England to bring pressure and said the Steelers failed to capitalize on it.
“We expected pressure and got pressure,” McCarthy said. “As an offensive coach, I’ve always welcomed the opportunity to play against a pressure defense. I think it’s clearly an opportunity for big-play potential. That was not the case today. We didn’t answer the bell.”
McCarthy later added that the offense was “clearly not good enough, and that starts with me.” He described the week’s work as herky-jerky in both the run and the pass and said protections were not clean.
The Steelers were already short-handed at receiver. Michael Pittman Jr. sat out with a foot injury. Rookie Germie Bernard led the team with four catches for 35 yards.
The rushing numbers have been a concern from the start of the season. Pittsburgh gained just 58 yards on 21 carries in its Week 1 win over Atlanta. Through two games the Steelers are averaging 74.5 rushing yards per contest.
That figure is well below what McCarthy’s scheme has historically required. His offenses have long been built around establishing the run to set up play-action and intermediate throws.
Rodgers, now 42 and in what he has described as his final NFL season, has a long working history with McCarthy from their Green Bay years. The pair won a Super Bowl together and spent 13 seasons speaking the same offensive language.
That familiarity was supposed to shorten the learning curve in Pittsburgh. Sunday showed the pairing still needs better in-game adjustments when the plan stalls.
New England’s defense dictated terms for most of the afternoon. The Patriots kept Pittsburgh off schedule and limited explosive plays.
The Steelers now sit at 1-1. They must find a more consistent running game and cleaner protection if they expect the offense to keep pace in a competitive AFC North.
McCarthy said the staff and players will review the tape and look for solutions before the next game. Rodgers indicated he intends to be more vocal about what is and is not working as the season continues.
The early-season sample is small, but the numbers and the postgame comments both point to the same issue: Pittsburgh’s offense has not yet looked like the unit its coaches and quarterback envisioned.
