With four more sacks, seven more quarterback hits, and countless additional pressures and disruptions, Aaron Rodgers is under siege to begin his final NFL season. The Pittsburgh Steelers simply haven’t done a good job of protecting him and New England teed off on him Sunday afternoon.
Below, a breakdown of the four sacks he took and what went wrong on each snap.
Sack No. 1
A complete communication breakdown here, something obvious but a point Aaron Rodgers noted postgame. New England brings a six-man pressure that littered its tape in Week 1, and the Steelers, despite having six to block, can’t pick it up.
Left tackle Troy Fautanu doesn’t slide to the end blitzer despite Mason McCormick sliding toward the d-tackle. It can be a tough spot because of how the post-snap picture changes as the Patriots’ interior rush slides away, but that rusher is Fautanu’s responsibility.
On the other side, a failed stunt pickup between RT Dylan Cook and RB Rico Dowdle allows LB Robert Spillane rushes in free.
A six-man rush, a six-man protection scheme, and yet two defenders have free run at Rodgers. He’s crushed on both ends, but the blindside block causes the fumble. Wackiness ensues and 3rd and 7 from the Patriots’ 22 turns into 4th and 43 from the Steelers’ 42.
— Alex Kozora (@Pirates1933_) September 20, 2026
Sack No. 2.
A four-man rush where RG Spencer Anderson gets walked back one play after his holding call wiped out a DK Metcalf reception. Aaron Rodgers tries to escape to his right but can’t squeeze through the gap and gets the ball punched out in the process. Scoop and score the other way.
— Alex Kozora (@Pirates1933_) September 20, 2026
Handling a bull rush isn’t easy and rarely pretty, but Anderson doesn’t have a good rep here. Rodgers’ age and declining mobility also show through here. A decade ago, he might have been able to run away from this and make an out-of-structure play.
Sack No. 3
Another issue with stunt pickup. A five-man rush against six-man protection, the Patriots run a stunt to the right side. Left guard Mason McCormick gets “picked” by the linebacker shooting through the A-gap and struggles to stay square to Joshua Farmer.
Jaylen Warren has his issues picking up the crashing linebacker into the A-gap. Cory Durden’s good bull rush on C Zach Frazier helps collapse the pocket. Rodgers has nowhere to go.
— Alex Kozora (@Pirates1933_) September 20, 2026
Sack No. 4
Last one. This one I put on Rodgers and the receivers more than the offensive line. It’s blocked up well, but no one can get open in the low red zone. Rodgers tries to escape to his left.
His declining mobility is evident here as he gets tracked down for the sack. Fautanu is called for a hold, but it’s declined. Rodgers getting sacked and the line holding is just a double whammy.
— Alex Kozora (@Pirates1933_) September 20, 2026
Without a doubt, Rodgers is going to escape if he was 10-15 years younger. His legs simply don’t have that juice anymore and Pittsburgh’s lack of quarterback mobility has been a problem in creating these extended plays.
