Aaron Rodgers Criticizes Officials and Takes Aim at Steelers After Win, Risking NFL Backlash

The Pittsburgh Steelers opened the season with a 20-13 victory over the visiting Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, but Aaron Rodgers believes his receivers, the NFL officials and the team as a whole still have some offseason rust to shake off.

“I think we did a lot of good things out there,” Rodgers, 42, told sideline reporter Pam Oliver after the game. “We had a chance to be really, really explosive. We had a couple drops, a couple off targets, a couple non-calls, looked like penalties.”

Rodgers continued to point to missed opportunities.

“We had a 40-yard [uncalled pass interference penalty against Falcons star cornerback A.J. Terrell],” Rodgers said. “It could have been a touchdown.

“We had a couple other ones — could have been big plays. So, you know, we were just a little bit off. But they got a good scheme.”

In his 22nd and final NFL season, Rodgers finished with 221 passing yards and a touchdown to tight end Pat Freiermuth. However, the Steelers quarterback was slowed by two drops from DK Metcalf and a running game that failed to consistently ease the pressure on him.

Still, Pittsburgh showed its potential when it mattered most. Taking possession deep in its own territory late in the fourth quarter, the Steelers put together a clock-killing drive. Rodgers completed three key passes — to Metcalf, Michael Pittman and Darnell Washington — while Pittsburgh used up the final 4:16.

“Being able to end the game on our terms, with Aaron on the ball, taking a knee, you know you can’t take that for granted,” Freiermuth said.

The game’s decisive moment came from Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt. After intercepting Falcons backup quarterback Cooper Rush, Watt returned the turnover for an improbable fourth-quarter touchdown, helping Pittsburgh turn Mike McCarthy’s debut coaching his hometown team into a winning one.

“That’s what he does,” longtime teammate Alex Highsmith said. “He’s the best in the world.”

Even if Watt didn’t play like it at times last season, when the four-time All-Pro finished with 7 sacks — tied for the second-fewest of his career — and missed several games late following a freak dry needling injury.

Watt already put a dent in that total in the opener, chasing down Rush twice as part of a defensive effort that sacked the late replacement for Tua Tagovailoa four times, swatted away six passes and never let him get comfortable.

That discomfort was never more noticeable on Watt’s second career touchdown, when he anticipated a dump off to Robinson and snatched the ball out of midair just after Rush released it. The next few seconds were chaos, as Watt scrambled downfield, briefly lost his footing and popped back up before he was touched.

‘I had no bearing at all,’ Watt said. ‘I’m sure the fall didn’t look too graceful but glad someone told me to get up and keep running.’

The ball eventually ended up in the hands of McCarthy, who grew up a few miles from downtown Pittsburgh and is well aware of the expectations that come with the job. The first of what he hopes are many victorious afternoons didn’t go particularly smoothly, especially for the offense that he was hired specifically to fine tune.

Not that it mattered when Rodgers handed him the game ball, which McCarthy called a ‘special moment’ as they started a reunion from their time in Green Bay that included a Super Bowl win. There’s also a part of him that’s ready to get all the firsts out of the way so he can lean into the rhythm of the season.

‘It’s time to move on and get team victories from here on,’ McCarthy said. ‘I’m not one for attention. So the homecoming has been great. Just glad to get this one under our belt.’

The Steelers played without cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who missed most of training camp with a back issue. He did practice during the week, though McCarthy said Porter’s absence was due to his health and not contract talks that broke down without Porter signing an extension.