The Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Buffalo Bills 26-7, dropping their season record to 6-6.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was briefly knocked out of the game after a hit that caused a fumble returned for a touchdown.
The Bills rushed for 249 yards, controlling the game’s tempo against a collapsing Steelers defense.
Pittsburgh’s offense was shut out in the second half, and a critical fourth-down run play in the red zone failed.
PITTSBURGH – Getting Aaron Rodgers back in the lineup on Sunday was hardly an elixir for the sinking Pittsburgh Steelers.
Instead, it got even worse for Pittsburgh and its aging quarterback.
Rodgers, playing with a fractured left wrist, was briefly knocked out of the 26-7 loss against the Buffalo Bills – CBS reported that he was treated for a gash on his nose – after absorbing a crushing blow from Joey Bosa on the opening drive of the third quarter that pretty much symbolized the woes for the Steelers.
No doubt, the momentum of the game shifted immediately. Rodgers fumbled on the blindside hit, which was returned 17 yards for a touchdown by Christian Benford that put the Bills ahead – for good.
Rodgers, 41, lay flat on his back, dazed, and was ultimately helped to the turf. After missing the previous week’s loss at Chicago, and with his team clinging to first place in the AFC North, it was not the jolt the Steelers wanted from the once dominant quarterback.
Good news: Rodgers missed just one series before returning to the game.
Bad news: Rodgers’ replacement, Mason Rudolph, threw an interception to end his only drive – Benford picked off a throw along the sideline that sailed over tight end Darnell Washington’s head – to set up another Buffalo touchdown.
And never mind the super-hero stuff. At least not from Rodgers.
His team is now 6-6, heading into another “showdown” next weekend at Baltimore. A few weeks ago, the Steelers had a seemingly commanding grip on the division lead.
Now, the Steelers, shut out in the second half, are showing signs of another late-season collapse. Not only was the offense so feeble, the defense collapsed, too.
Bills, and then Steelers, take ball out of Aaron Rodgers’ hands
The Bills (8-4) rushed for 249 yards – more than any opponent ever at Acrisure Stadium – to control the tempo, flow, momentum and then some. James Cook ran for 144 yards and Josh Allen, as usual, chipped in with some clutch runs, finishing off one drive with a 8-yard TD on fourth down.
Although Rodgers ignited a fourth-quarter drive that advanced to the red zone, it, too, fizzled when push came to shove. Pittsburgh went for it on fourth-and-two from the 7-yard line and rather than wing it with Rodgers, tried to convert with a draw play to running back Kenneth Gainwell. Bad move. Gainwell was stuffed for a 2-yard loss.
That the Steelers took the football out of Rodgers’ hands – not even at least attempting a pass by Rodgers in that critical situation – may have illustrated just how distinctive this fade is for one of the game’s greatest quarterbacks as he tries to make another last-gasp run at glory.
Meanwhile, Allen, Buffalo’s reigning NFL MVP, served yet another reminder of what an elite quarterback looks like – and does when it matters the most.
He put the team on his back again. Like Rodgers used to do.
Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on X: @JarrettBell