Steelers legend says team is 'afraid' to do this with Aaron Rodgers

The Pittsburgh Steelers improved to 2-1 on the season via a gritty 21-14 win at the New England Patriots in Week 3 that featured the Pittsburgh defense forcing five turnovers.

During the latest edition of his "Footbahlin" podcast, Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger revealed a concern he has about the Pittsburgh offense that features 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers as its starting quarterback.

Are Pittsburgh Steelers "afraid" to take this risk on offense?

"I think that the Steelers are afraid to take shots down the field because that forces your quarterback to stay in the pocket and hold it a little bit longer," Roethlisberger explained, per Troy Montgomery of Steelers Depot. "And I don't think the [offensive] line is playing well enough to do that. I think Aaron is getting the ball out of his hands because he doesn't trust what's going on. Again, my opinion, maybe trusting is the wrong [word], but he's been getting hit. No sacks, congratulations. Aaron still got hit a bunch."

As Rodgers dealt with multiple physical setbacks during the 2024 season, some analysts noted that he looked like a quarterback who didn't "want to get hit anymore." He then seemed to turn the clock back when he completed 22-of-30 passes for 244 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in Pittsburgh's 34-32 Week 1 win at the New York Jets back on Sept. 7. 

Over the following two games, however, he connected on 60.7 percent of his pass attempts for 342 yards with three touchdowns and three picks. According to Pro Football Reference, Rodgers enters Week 4 of the season ranked 14th in the NFL among qualified players with an average of 6.8 yards gained per pass attempt. He is 23rd with a 45.8 adjusted QBR and 14th with a 97.3 passer rating. 

Why Pittsburgh Steelers may be "afraid" of taking shots down the field

As Joe Clark of Steelers Depot shared, Roethlisberger added during the podcast that left tackle Broderick Jones "has to be better in protecting" Rodgers moving forward. Following Week 3, Pro Football Focus had Jones ranked 78th out of 101 eligible tackles as it pertained to pass-block grade.  

Rodgers and the Steelers next face the 2-1 Minnesota Vikings in Dublin, Ireland, this coming Sunday. The Vikings recorded a pair of defensive touchdowns in a 48-10 Week 3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.