The Pittsburgh Steelers hit rock bottom in Week 10. Losing 25-10 to the Los Angeles Chargers was flat-out humiliating. From start to finish, the Black and Gold never looked like themselves. The offense stumbled, the defense gasped for help, and the scoreboard told the story loud and clear. Post-game, T. J. Watt didn’t hide his frustration.

“It’s unacceptable. We need to look at everything.”

By the fourth quarter, the game was basically done. The Steel City crowd knew it. The Chargers had control, and Pittsburgh couldn’t find a spark. What stung even more? Just a week ago, that same defense looked like a wall. They forced six turnovers in Week 9, flying all over the field. This time, nothing. Zero takeaways.

Watt also made it clear what’s really going wrong inside the locker room. He feels Aaron Rodgers’ offense is hurting the Steelers’ defense.

“Inconsistent as it could be. Too much up and down, not enough Steeler football. We can’t continue to live and die by the turnovers as a defense; we need to get off the field. We need to stop the run. Critical third downs, we need to do a better job of. No excuse for it. We need to play better.”

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And honestly, Watt has a point. This defense thrives when it hunts. They live for takeaways. Week 9 wasn’t a lucky break; it was who they are. Just look at the numbers; five turnovers earlier this season against the New England Patriots prove it.

On Sunday as well, it was a rough night for Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers’ offense, who never seemed to find their rhythm. They couldn’t even convert a third down until the fourth quarter, while the Chargers kept adding to their lead with a dominant defensive showing.

Pittsburgh’s first half was a mess-0-for-6 on third downs, just three total first downs, and even a missed 45-yard field goal by usually dependable Chris Boswell as they trailed 12-3 at halftime. Rodgers was limited to only 64 passing yards and threw an interception before halftime, and things got even uglier in the second half.

Calvin Austin III dropped a pass that bounced right into the Chargers’ hands, and not long after, Ke’Shawn Williams muffed a punt. With three turnovers and missed opportunities all around, it was a night the Steelers will want to forget.

In the post-game, Rodgers did agree with Watt.

Aaron Rodgers took the blame for the loss

Aaron Rodgers didn’t look like himself from the first snap. The energy felt off. The timing was missing. And for once, Rodgers couldn’t find his rhythm. After the game, he didn’t try to spin it.

“A lot of stuff wasn’t working. We were bad on third down. I was just a little bit off, missed DK [Metcalf] early, could’ve been a big play. Little high to Jonnu [Smith]. But yeah, we didn’t run the ball super effectively in the first half. I missed some throws. And then we weren’t getting guys open and couldn’t put it all together. Times guys were open, I missed the throws that I usually make.”

Stat-wise, it told the same story. Rodgers finished 16-of-31 for 161 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

He also echoed what T.J. Watt said earlier.

“Our defense played really well tonight. Offensively, we were pretty bad. So, we’ve got to find a way to get open on third down. I’ve got to find a way to hit ‘em, because that was just some bad ball.”

So, Rodgers knew the offense let the defense down. Still, there’s perspective.

“We’re 5-4, we’re leading the division,” Rodgers said when asked how the team can move forward.

For now, the Steel City stays hopeful, but next week, they’ll need a lot more than hope.