A single hit in the Steelers’ Week 10 loss to the Chargers has put linebacker Bud Dupree in the NFL’s crosshairs. Now, former Steelers linebacker James Harrison has weighed in, and his pointed reaction suggests the league office may soon be getting involved.

“Did you look at the photo of Aaron. That’s one of them hits that you see a boxer get where it distorts his whole face… Isn’t that helmet-to-helmet? You fine him on this man, defense y’all in trouble,” he said. 

During the Sunday clash, Bud closed fast and tackled Rodgers just as he tried to escape the defenders. It led to a 1-yard sack and left Rodgers lying on the turf in agony. Many argued the officials should have flagged the play, but they let it stand.

While chatting with co-host Joe Haden on the Deebo and Joe podcast, Harrison shared his honest take.

Per him, Bud deliberately engaged in a helmet-to-helmet tackle, which is a punishable offense in the NFL rulebook. Moreover, James noted that Dupree didn’t lower his head and went on to tackle Rodgers brutally. 

“Dude, it’s bad. He didn’t lower his head. He didn’t do nothing. He just ran over there and tackled the man. He didn’t even really put any knee bend into it.”

Joe agreed with Harrison’s views, and the duo joked about whether the man in question had already paid a fine. In fact, Haden even texted Bud during the show, only to get a quick “not yet” in response.

Meanwhile, the former NFL player advised Dupree and his social media team to delete his latest IG post before the league spots it. Recounting his own experience, James said the NFL could use the photo of the hit to justify a fine.

In Harrison’s case, the officials made money off his controversial photo and only took it down when he called out their hypocrisy. The player doesn’t want Dupree to fall prey to those “dirt balls” and their unfair moves.

For context, Harrison was referring to Bud’s carousel post he shared on Wednesday. One picture featured Rodgers lying on the ground while Dupree stood over him, pointing. 

“Eternal love ❤️‼️ Chargers win‼️⚡️⚡️⚡️✅,” read the post’s caption.

Though Rodgers didn’t suffer any major blow to his health, his troubles are far from over.

Aaron Rodgers’s offense woes continue

With more than halfway through the season, the stakes are higher than ever for Aaron Rodgers and coach Mike Tomlin. In the last game, the offensive unit looked completely out of sync, while the defense still put up a fight. 

The Steelers managed just 271 total yards, four yards fewer than the previous week’s game against the Colts. It brings the team’s two-game combined yardage to just 538. As for Rodgers, it was one of his worst performances of this season.

He threw for just 161 yards with a 51.6% completion rate, his lowest in the last five games. Out of his total yards, 65 came during their last drive, which led to the Steelers’ only touchdown in the game. 

“Our defense played really well, and offensively we were pretty bad,” Rodgers admitted. “I didn’t play very good at all. I have got to play better. We’ve got four division games left to play. It’s a long season, it’s a good opponent, and we just didn’t play very good.”

If the Steelers hope to turn their season around and not let the Ravens steal their divisional crown, both Rodgers and his offense must fill the cracks and prove their mettle.