The Steelers don’t get to escape the storm by pretending it isn’t there. A sluggish, inconsistent stretch has pushed them into a corner, and their margin for error is evaporating as the Ravens keep climbing. That’s why Aaron Rodgers’ latest message landed with real weight.
Rodgers didn’t hesitate when asked about where the team stands mentally heading into the matchup with Baltimore. He made it clear the locker room isn’t spiraling.
“I get the feeling that most of the time, I don’t think this team has a freak out or a panic that I need to, like, send a message out to the zeitgeist that everybody needs to just relax,” Rodgers said.
He also admitted, “We’ve been playing inconsistent football, that’s for sure. We got to play better.” But he doubled down on belief in the group, “I have confidence in the leadership of the team, I have confidence in our guys, and that we’re going to put a better performance on the field as well.”
Aaron Rodgers predicts a better performance against the Ravens: “I get the feeling that most of the time, I don’t think this team has a freak out or a panic that I need to, like, send a message out to the zeitgeist that everybody needs to just relax. We’ve been playing…
— Blitzburgh (@Blitz_Burgh) December 6, 2025
After losing against the Bills on Sunday, Rodgers had called out pass-catchers and encouraged them to attend the film sessions. He was specifically unhappy with the level of performance on the receiving end. But he also clarified later that his respectful backlash on Jonnu Smith was only about the film sessions he takes at his house, per the Steelers reporter Brooke Pryor.
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But the answer to Aaron Rodgers’ blame for the Steelers’ struggles does not stop at pass-catchers; the defensive squad also is not playing at the highest level despite being the highest paid in the league.
Going into Week 14, the Steelers sit in a brutally honest spot. Their offense is one of the least productive in football, and their defense is not doing much to steady the ship either. Pittsburgh is averaging roughly 292 yards per game, which places them around 28th in the NFL, a bottom-five offense by total production.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) comes off the field after failing to convert on third down in the second quarter of the NFL Week 11 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. The Steelers led 10-6 at halftime.
Yet oddly, they have managed to convert limited yardage into points more efficiently than expected, sitting about 11th in scoring at 24.9 points per game. That gap between yardage and scoring shows flashes of opportunism, but it is not a sustainable formula for a playoff push.
Defensively, the picture is not any brighter. The Steelers are giving up nearly 368 yards per game, ranking them around 28th in total defense, a major problem when paired with an offense that struggles to move the ball consistently. Their 23.9 points allowed per game places them roughly 20th.
This imbalance, low yardage production on offense and high yardage allowed on defense, is exactly why Pittsburgh enters Week 14 in a dangerous spot. They need major improvement on at least one side of the ball to stay competitive down the stretch against the Ravens in the Week 14 matchup.
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