At one point, the Pittsburgh Steelers were 4-1 and looked in control of the AFC North. However, in the past few weeks, they’ve been on a downward spiral. The Steelers have lost their last two games, both in embarrassing fashion. In Week 7, they had a letdown against the Cincinnati Bengals. Then, in Week 8, they got crushed by the Green Bay Packers. Despite the team being on a skid, Aaron Rodgers isn’t panicking and rallying the troops.
“I don’t know if we need to do that,” Rodgers said Wednesday via the team’s YouTube channel. “You’ve gotta stay the course. We lost a tough one in Cincy on a short week, and we played a good football team and had many chances to get things going.”
Rodgers has been in the NFL for a long time, so he has experience in several different types of situations, including getting through some rough patches. In 2014, Rodgers and the Packers started the season at 1-2, and people began to have serious doubts about them. However, the veteran quarterback kept his cool, telling everyone to relax.
That cool-headedness prevailed. The Packers finished that season at 12-4, being one of the best teams in the league. Rodgers also won his second MVP award, putting together one of his best seasons ever.
Could the Steelers experience a similar turnaround? It’s hard to say. Rodgers is correct that the Steelers have been a good team at times. Before this recent skid, they looked like one of the best teams in the AFC. Rodgers, in particular, has been solid. The Steelers’ offense isn’t a significant problem.
Really, the Steelers need to worry about their defense. That might be what holds them back. That unit has looked overwhelmed, and they’re currently ranked 30th in the league. The Steelers’ defense has been their most significant problem in both of their latest losses.
Therefore, Rodgers might not need to worry about rallying his troops. On the other hand, the Steelers’ defense might want to take a long look in the mirror. Finally, the Steelers have an offense that isn’t completely anemic, but their defense isn’t holding up. If that group can turn things around, then the Steelers should be able to get their season back on track.
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