Though the Pittsburgh Steelers got rolling offensively late in the first half in their Sunday Night Football matchup with the Green Bay Packers, things weren’t always smooth with communication in the first 30 minutes of action.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, in his first start against his old team, showed some frustration after one incomplete pass after there was seemingly some miscommunication with receivers using hand signals. And then in a later drive, center Zach Frazier miscommunicated with Rodgers, leading to a very bizarre moment.
Facing a third and long, Frazier believed the Steelers were going hurry-up offensively, so he lined up over the football and put his hand on the ball ready to snap. The only problem? The Steelers weren’t going hurry-up and instead were huddling.
Knowing the rules, Frazier didn’t take his hand off of the ball to avoid a penalty, instead remaining over the ball ready to go.
Take a look.
Roughly 20 seconds go by from the time Frazier touches the football and gets ready to go, thinking the Steelers are going quick, before the rest of the offense gets to the line of scrimmage ready to snap the ball.
That forced a lot of quick communication between Frazier, Rodgers and the rest of the offensive line to get everyone lined up, on the same page and ready to snap the football. Ultimately, it led to Rodgers firing a deep shot to Calvin Austin III to get rid of the ball quickly with pressure coming from Micah Parsons up the middle between Frazier and right guard Mason McCormick, leading to a pass interference call on the Packers.
That heads-up play by Frazier helped the Steelers avoid a penalty, and turned it into another big gain, which ultimately allowed the Steelers to cap the drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to DK Metcalf for a 16-7 lead at halftime.
Frazier came into the game dealing with a calf injury, which limited him throughout last week physically. But his mind was still sharp, and he showed his football IQ in a big spot.
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