Aaron Rodgers delivers blunt message addressing early-season panic as Mike Tomlin's Steelers lose 31-17 to Seahawks

The Pittsburgh Steelers escaped MetLife Stadium with a 34-32 win against the New York Jets in their season opener. However, Aaron Rodgers and his team failed to make the home advantage count against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

The Steelers held a 14-7 lead after the first two quarters at Acrisure Stadium but were blanked 7-0 in the third before Seattle's offense went into overdrive in the third quarter to leave Pittsburgh with a 31-17 win.

While the Steelers squandered their early lead, raising alarm bells in the fanbase, Aaron Rodgers dropped a blunt message after the game to dismiss the early-season panic.

“It’s Week 2, come on now, it’s Week 2,” Rodgers said. “I mean like, it’s good for us. Last week, probably, there was some people feeling pretty good because everybody outside the building was talking about how great we were on offense. 34 points. That’s the league. You can’t ride the highs or the lows. You gotta refocus every week and be a professional.”

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Compared to his four touchdowns against his former team last Sunday, Rodgers completed 18-of-33 passes for 203 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, and was sacked three times against Seattle.

Aaron Rodgers downplays tying NFL icon Brett Favre's TD pass record

While Aaron Rodgers' team suffered a frustrating loss after an underwhelming offensive showing, it was a special night for the veteran quarterback as he tied Brett Favre for fourth on the all-time list for touchdown passes.

Rodgers reached the milestone after a 2-yard TD pass to DK Metcalf in the second quarter to reach his 508th career touchdown pass. However, the four-time MVP is not celebrating the milestone too much, calling it a "longevity" thing.

“It’s just a longevity achievement,” Rodgers said. "There’s been a lot of guys involved in that, including the guys blocking, the guys calling the plays. Every now and then I made some special throws that led to touchdowns, but I’ve been playing a long time, and it’s a longevity thing. I’m proud of it, but not a big deal.”

Rodgers is now tied with Favre on the all-time list, with Peyton Manning (539) ahead of him, followed by Drew Brees (571) and the NFL’s all-time leader Tom Brady (649).

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

Know More

Steelers Fans! Check out the latest Pittsburgh Steelers Schedule and dive into the Steelers Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash