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Steelers Lineman Nearly Hurts Aaron Rodgers With Foolish Celebration
Sep 28, 2025; Dublin, Ireland; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) gestures against the Minnesota Vikings during an NFL International Series game at Croke Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI -- The Pittsburgh Steelers had a, well, eventful game against the Cincinnati Bengals that ended in a Week 7 loss of 33-31 at Paycor Stadium. During the game, the offense had their best showing, with a complete game that included 129 rushing yards from running back Jaylen Warren and four passing touchdowns from quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers was spirited throughout the football game, both in good and bad ways. Not every moment brought joy to the quarterback or his team, with Week 7 being the first time he's shown a lot of visible frustration with his teammates and the outcome of plays.

It also showed plenty of good moments, though. One of which turned into a not-so-great moment for Rodgers or his left tackle Broderick Jones, who nearly caused something much worse than a loss to their AFC North rivals.

Broderick Jones Mistake

Late in the fourth quarter, the Steelers trailed the Bengals with what looked like one more shot to take the lead. In that drive, Rodgers found tight end Pat Freiermuth for a 68-yard touchdown pass that had the entire sideline on the feet and ready to go. Including Rodgers, who celebrated as he came off the field.

Rodgers was walking over, hyping up his bench and the players around him, when Jones came rushing over, looking to hug him. Inadvertently, Jones tackled Rodgers, who instantly got angry in the situation and made it known to his left tackle.

Former Steelers Offensive Lineman Reacts, Calling Out Jones

Obviously, the moment caught a lot of people's attention and had plenty of Steelers fans, and former players upset at Jones as well. This included former Steelers offensive lineman Trai Essex, who shared his thoughts on X about how Jones almost made a terrible mistake.

"I’ve literally never seen this before. Obviously it wasn’t intentional by 77 but it was just dumb and a lack of awareness," Essex wrote.

Jones clearly wasn't trying to risk injury and may have gotten a little too excited in the moment, not thinking of the consequences of what he was doing - or that he was 100 pounds heavier than Rodgers and moving at a faster speed.

Still, it could've resulted in a situation that may have derailed Pittsburgh's entire season. Of all the players a team doesn't want to hurt, it's the quarterback. With the Steelers, Rodgers is literally keeping them in games on several occassions, and chances are that they aren't 4-2 without him on the field this season.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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