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‘Can You Protect the Brother?’ — Stephen A. Smith ‘Disgusted’ by Steelers’ Protection Issues Around Aaron Rodgers vs. Browns

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Though the 27-24 Thursday Night Football matchup between the Cleveland Browns and the Aaron Rodgers-led Pittsburgh Steelers may have been a close game, it didn’t always feel that way. The Browns’ defense was relentless, sacking the 42-year-old Rodgers five times and severely disrupting multiple Steelers drives.

As a result, sports media critics, including ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, are criticizing Pittsburgh for its inability to protect the future Hall of Fame quarterback.

What did Stephen A. Smith Say About the Lack of Protection for Aaron Rodgers?

Speaking on “First Take,” Smith said, “Aaron Rodgers was sacked 13 times in the season, hit eight more times than anybody else. You got this, dude, right there. You know he’s a senior citizen, okay?”

“You know he’s about to retire. Can you protect the brother? You go on a 17-play drive, 78 yards to open the game, and then you go two damn quarters without doing anything. Two and a half quarters. Listen, I know we got to get into the game, but I’m just so disgusted on behalf of Steeler Nation everywhere. We just know we’re not going anywhere.”

Smith is especially right on the last point. If they can’t protect Rodgers, they aren’t going anywhere.

Anytime an older quarterback leads a football team, a strong offensive line is absolutely integral. At 42, Rodgers can no longer get away from pressure as easily, making it even more important for Pittsburgh to keep him clean.

His offensive line has done him few favors, carrying a pass-block grade of 69.1, ranking 26th in the NFL according to PFN’s NFL Offensive Line Impact rankings.

Thankfully for Pittsburgh, they’ve had the third-best run-block grade at 82.7, allowing Jaylen Warren to take pressure off Rodgers occasionally.

Still, the overall line play is a big reason the Steelers currently sit at 2-2, at the bottom of the AFC North, in what’s turned out to be one of the most competitive divisions in the league.

Contributing to the sacks is the wide receivers’ inability to get consistent separation from defensive backs.

While we did see Roman Wilson break free for a few nice catches, it’s concerning that Rodgers’ top two veteran receivers, DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr., can’t consistently get open.

Sure, Rodgers can put contested catch balls on the money most of the time, though it forces him to throw into tight windows instead of getting easy completions too often.

Having played on Thursday, Rodgers will have extra time to regroup with his offensive teammates and plan more cohesive ways to run the offense, both in protection and in creating separation for his pass catchers.

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