Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers Postgame Transcript 9/21
STEELERS QUARTERBACK AARON RODGERS
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
September 21, 2025
Q: Aaron, could you talk about that last drive and in particular the throw to Calvin [Austin III].
AR: Yeah, we had to have a drive there. Guys made some plays. I thought the important play was the screen there, Kenny [Gainwell] cutting it back inside to give us a third-and-manageable. Then we actually just talked about that in the huddle before the drive, about just a subtle signal on what I might want if I gave that when Cal was on the other side. So, that was nice he was on the same page. I didn’t throw the best ball, but Cal’s so damn fast, he made a great play.
Q: What was the signal he was sending you?
AR: It’s probably on the TV copy. Everything is these days.
Q: When you’re not taking advantage of opportunities, what’s keeping you guys confident of getting you through those chances for that last drive to be right?
AR: Just our defense, honestly. There was urgency. I think it was one of those weird, disjointed games. We had three possessions in the first half, we had a chance on the third possession to keep it going. Pat [Freiermuth] and I weren’t on the same page on the scramble drill. Then we sat on the bench for what seemed to be 20 or 30 minutes. So, we just couldn’t get into a rhythm at all. Then we came out in the second half, I made a terrible throw. The defense just kind of stood on their head all day, but I thought the first two drives were good rhythm-wise, and we just couldn’t find that rhythm in the second half.
Q: The play at the end, what does it say about the offense resiliency and stick-to-it-tiveness?
AR: That’s what we’re supposed to do. We’ve got to make those plays so we’re not in those positions. 14-0, we’re feeling pretty damn good about ourselves. We haven’t been ahead by two scores yet. Two drives, two touchdowns, started fast for the third straight week, but I just didn’t play great. We kind of lost our rhythm, had too many penalties and negative yardage plays, and we didn’t make them pay when we had opportunities.
Q: Was there something about the Patriots’ defense you found especially challenging today?
AR: They throw a lot of different things at you. I felt like they were kind of in a two shell to start the game. We kind of ran it at them pretty good the first couple of drives, and they adjusted. We just didn’t make enough plays. We had some penalties, had some bad throws, but they played how we thought they were going to play. They’re a tough group, they’re well coached, and they were sticky in coverage.
Q: Passed Philip Rivers for some milestones today. Where does that rank on the list of accomplishments for you today?
AR: I mean, not super duper high. It means I’ve played a long time. I grew up, and Niners quarterbacks were my favorite, and then Brett [Favre], and I got to play with Brett. I was drafted the year after Phil Rivers. I had a friendship through the game with him for years. I loved watching Phil play, just his mannerisms, his lack of swearing, trash talk. Phil was one guy I really enjoyed watching on tape, and the only guy to get out of the Pro Bowl with an excuse that he had his eighth or ninth kid, I think, right before that. So, it’s good to be mentioned with those guys.
Q: What’s it like to see when a guy like Jabrill Peppers gets to come face his old team and makes a big impact play in the game like that?
AR: I think as former players, when you’re playing former teams, that’s what you want. You want to make a big play and make them think about what they lost. So, there’s always that. Every single week, there’s a guy that’s facing his former team, probably, and you’d like to get him the ball or like to have him make some plays. He was definitely happy in the locker room.
Q: Have you done that?
AR: Yeah, a couple weeks ago.
Q: Entering the game, New England led the league in sacks. Your offensive line didn’t give up any in that. Talk about maybe the growth that you’ve seen in this young unit over the first couple weeks to today.
AR: It’s a group effort, and I’ve tried to take accountability the last couple weeks on sacks that were probably my fault. Today, I moved around just enough. There are some things to clean up, but I have a lot of confidence in those guys. I thought Art [Arthur Smith] did a good job keeping them off balance with some different protection schemes and some moving the pocket stuff, but I thought those guys played well. They were a little upset after last week. I thought they played with a better attitude this week.
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