Sports

Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was off in Sunday night’s 25-10 loss to the Chargers.

The 41-year-old quarterback looked uncomfortable from the get-go, as Pittsburgh started its first two possessions at the Steelers’ 40 and the Chargers’ 46 but could net only three points.

He ended the contest 16-of-31 for 161 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. But early on in the fourth quarter, he was just 9-of-21 passing for 91 yards.

How does Rodgers explain what happened?

“A lot of stuff wasn’t working,” Rodgers said postgame. “We were bad on third down. I was just a little bit off — missed DK [Metcalf] early, could’ve been a big play. Little high to Jonnu [Smith]. But yeah, we didn’t run the ball super effectively in the first half. I missed, obviously, some throws, for sure. And then we weren’t getting guys open and couldn’t put it all together. Times guys were open, I missed the throws that I usually make.

“Our defense played really well tonight. Offensively, we were pretty bad. So, we’ve got to find a way to get open on third down, I’ve got to find a way to hit ‘em, because that was just some bad ball.”

Through the season’s first eight games, Rodgers had been plenty effective, completing 69 percent of his passes for 1,692 yards with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. Even as Rodgers is a few weeks away from turning 42, he noted that his body is feeling good.

This performance just happened to be one of those games.

“I expect to play great every single week, and this was not my best performance,” Rodgers said. “I’ve got to play better than this for us to win. Whatever it takes. If it’s better checks, if it’s better throws, I’ve got to play better. I will, but we’ve got to bounce back.

“We’ve 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. It felt like our energy — and it starts with me — wasn’t as great on offense. I felt like were were just kind of struggling a little bit and couldn’t get a play and get going. … We had so many three-and-outs and we hurt ourselves with a couple of penalties, and I didn’t play very good at all.”

If there is a silver lining, though, Pittsburgh is still in first place in the AFC North — which is exactly what Rodgers cited when asked how the team can move forward.

“We’re 5-4, we’re leading the division,” he said.

Rodgers and the Steelers will have to bounce back against the Bengals at home next Sunday afternoon.

Mike Tomlin has been clearly frustrated in plenty of press conferences since becoming head coach of the Steelers in 2007.

With Sunday's 25-10 loss to the Chargers, another one can be added to the list.

"We stunk it up tonight," Tomlin said.

Tomlin cited the offense’s poor performance on third down as a key issue. Pittsburgh started the game 0-of-9 in the category before finishing 2-of-11 after a garbage-time touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.

“You’re not going to win football games not converting third downs and losing the turnover battle,” Tomlin said. “We certainly were loose with the ball in several instances and didn’t convert enough third downs, and so that’s the end result. It’s nothing mystical about it.

“We’ll be back. We’ll be better — we have to be. But we certainly weren’t tonight.”

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was largely ineffective, finishing the night 16-of-31 for 161 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. While Tomlin initially noted that Rodgers was a component of the collective offensive struggles, he was later asked how he would assess Rodgers’ performance.

“How would you?” Tomlin curtly replied after making a face that illustrated his frustration. “Next.”

Tomlin was also terse when asked if the Steelers could have run the ball more. Jaylen Warren finished with 70 yards on just 14 carries, but there’s a reason for that.

“Guys, if you’re 0-for-9 or 10 on third down, you’re not going to have enough snaps [to run it more],” Tomlin said. “Like, we’ve been over that discussion a lot.”

Still, the Steelers are 5-4 and currently own first place in the AFC North.

“I’m not lacking confidence. I don’t need a pat on the back,” Tomlin said. “We’ll be back.”

And what gives Tomlin that confidence?

"Fifty-three years of life," Tomlin said, "in particular in this business."

Pittsburgh will host Cincinnati for a rematch between the divisional foes next Sunday afternoon.

The Los Angeles Chargers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 25-10, on Sunday Night Football on NBC in Week 10. Both defenses made their presence felt, with the Chargers totaling three sacks and two interceptions while the Steelers tallied five sacks. Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey and running back Kimani Vidal both produced more than 100 scrimmage yards while finding the end zone, and Steelers running back Jaylen Warren did his best to keep his team competitive.

The Chargers (7-3) visit the Jaguars (5-4) in Week 11, while the Steelers (5-4) host the Bengals (3-6).

SNF Fantasy Standouts

• Ladd McConkey WR, Chargers: Four receptions, 107 yards and one touchdown on six targets. McConkey’s 58-yard reception in the fourth quarter is his longest of the season and the third-longest of his career. Steelers cornerback Jalen Ramsey impressively chased McConkey down, singlehandedly preventing what could have been a 71-yard touchdown.
• Jaylen Warren RB, Steelers: 70 rushing yards, two receptions and 21 yards on two targets. Warren sandwiched a fun, early-third-quarter hurdle between numerous hard-fought gains as both a rusher and receiver. One such play occurred with roughly 14 minutes remaining in the game, when Warren shucked off a diving, one-armed tackle attempt from Chargers safety Derwin James moments after Warren secured a screen pass target from Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers before weaving through traffic to an 18-yard gain.
• Kimani Vidal RB, Chargers: 95 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown, one reception and 13 yards on one target. Vidal’s voluminous workload (25 carries and one target) helps offset his 3.8 yards per carry average against the Steelers’ top-tier run defense. 

SNF Fantasy Flops

• DK Metcalf WR, Steelers: Three receptions and 35 yards on seven targets. Early in the first quarter, Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers nearly connected with a wide-open Metcalf on a would-be 41-yard touchdown, barely overthrowing Metcalf at the five-yard line. The Chargers’ pass rush forced Rodgers to move off his spot, and he too quickly reset his base before letting the pass go. Later, in the fourth quarter, the two again failed to connect, this time from 4th-and-6 on the Chargers’ 10-yard line. Chargers cornerback Cam Hart effectively disrupted the catch point in the end zone. 
• Keenan Allen WR, Chargers: Two receptions for 19 yards on five targets. Allen failed to capitalize on Chargers tight end Oronde Gadsden II’s (knee) third-quarter departure, detailed below. The veteran wide receiver has failed to finish as a WR3 or better in three straight games after finishing as a WR2 or better four times in Weeks 1-7.

Usage Notes

• Quentin Johnston’s target share: Johnston’s 10 targets were four more than any other Chargers pass catcher, and account for 30.3 percent of the Chargers' total targets. He finishes the evening with five receptions for 42 yards, and could warrant WR3 consideration against the Jaguars in Week 11 if Gadsden misses time.
• Jaylen Warren’s touch share: Warren accounts for 16-of-32 (50.0 percent) of his team’s offensive touches against the Chargers. He can be treated as a locked-in RB1, operating as his team’s featured skill position player against the Bengals in Week 11.
• Roman Wilson’s per-play efficiency: Wilson helped solidify his status as the Steelers’ No. 3 wide receiver with an efficient showing on Sunday Night Football on NBC in Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers. He caught 2-of-3 targets for 35 yards and one touchdown this evening, outplaying No. 2 wide receiver Calvin Austin III, who caught 2-of-7 targets for 14 yards despite logging 38 offensive snaps to Wilson’s 18. Over the last three weeks, Wilson has averaged the most yards per route run (2.09) among Steelers pass catchers with at least nine targets during that span, soundly besting Austin’s qualifying 1.11. Wilson cannot be started in fantasy, in his current role, but he deserves to compete for the No. 2 wide receiver job.

Injury Watch

• Oronde Gadsden II TE, Chargers: Gadsdenwas injured with eight minutes remaining in the third quarter, when he and Steelers LB Payton Wilson collided knee-to-knee. Gadsden could be seen hopping gingerly, taking weight off his left leg after the play. He then visited the blue medical tent before being taken to the locker room. A bone bruise seems likely, though only a proper medical evaluation can determine the injury. Gadsden tied for the Chargers’ second-most targets despite leaving early (six), catching three passes for 13 yards.
• Justin Herbert QB, Chargers: With less than nine minutes left in the second quarter, Herbert had his left foot pinned by a tackler from the outside, resulting in the classic roll-up mechanism that causes concern for a high-ankle sprain. Herbert’s right ankle, outstretched as he hit the ground, may have also borne a second tackler’s weight. After the drive, Herbert could be seen getting both ankles taped by a Chargers trainer. The Chargers’ quarterback notably suffered high-ankle sprains in both legs last season, which negatively impacted his rushing ability. He totaled 220 passing yards, one passing touchdown and 19 rushing yards against the Steelers.

Waiver Wire Radar

• Kenneth Gainwell RB, Steelers: Gainwell is a worthwhile bench stash given his half-PPR, overall RB3 finish filling in for Warren in Week 4, coupled with his frequent RB3/4 weekly results.

One Big Stat

Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen broke former Chargers tight end Antonio Gates’ franchise receptions record by catching his 956th pass on a pop pass with two minutes remaining in the game.

Coming Monday at Rotoworld:

- Rotoworld Football Show: Week 10 Sunday Recap

- Stock Up, Stock Down article by Lawrence Jackson Jr.

- Sunday Aftermath article by Patrick Daugherty

- Week 11 Waiver Wire article by Kyle Dvorchak

- Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry LIVE at noon ET on YouTube

- Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Q&A with Patrick Daugherty & Kyle Dvorchak