Aaron Rodgers Sets Steelers Debut Record With Four Touchdowns in Win Over Jets
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers made notable history the team’s win over the New York Jets. Rodgers broke multiple pretenders for the Steelers, including becoming the first quarterback in five seasons to throw four touchdowns for the team.
The last quarterback to do it was Ben Roethlisberger in the team’s Wild Card Round playoff game against the Cleveland Browns in 2021. Roethlisberger did it twice that season, but the Steelers’ offensive futility prevented them from nearing that mark in recent seasons.
However, no other Steelers quarterback has thrown for four or more touchdowns in their Steelers debut other than Rodgers. He is the first one to do that in team history.
Rodgers’ top performance was no surprise to the team, who thought he would do this after seeing him in training. Head coach Mike Tomlin said the four-time MVP was ‘game’ all day.
“I just thought he was game all day. But again, you guys asked me last week, why was I confident. That’s why I was confident. That’s what I’ve been looking at in preparation, and I’m appreciated of it, not only his efforts but the efforts of the collective,” Tomlin said.
He finished 22 of 30 with four touchdowns and zero interceptions with 244 passing yards. That performance helped power the Steelers to the win more than anything else.
Packers Star Xavier McKinney Unfazed by Controversial Taunting Flag Against Lions
Early in the second quarter of Sunday’s showdown with the Lions in Green Bay, Packers star safety Xavier McKinney did something so many players in the history of the league have done before him. He blocked an opponent to the ground, and subsequently stood over him.
The opponent was Kalif Raymond, and neither he nor McKinney was involved in the play, which saw Kiesean Nixon push lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs out of bounds. But as Raymond got up to engage in a minor confrontation with McKinney, something odd happened. A flag came in and McKinney was whistled for a 15-yard penalty on a pretty innocuous play.
The play was was unusual to say the least, and met with much disdain by fans on social media. but it is part of the new “respect for opponents” emphasis the league has enacted this season. It didn’t hurt the Packers in their 27-13 drubbing of the Lions, but it could have.
Xavier McKinney ‘Probably’ Did Taunt
McKinney admitted after the game that he did stand over Raymond, and did not seem too concerned about it. The Lions ended up with a field goal on the drive.
“I probably did,” McKinney said when asked about standing over Raymond. “But hey, it is what it is. I had to set the tone not just for our team but for our defense of how we want to play. I’ll take the flag, I’ll live with it, it’s all right.”
LaFleur was livid with the officiating crew when the play unfolded. After the game, he was being diplomatic but clearly disagreed with the call. When he was first asked what he saw on the play, he shot back at a reporter, “What did you see?”
But he went on: “Worst case scenario, they should’ve been offsetting (penalties). But they saw it differently.”
Packers Known They Must Keep Composure
Still, the league has made plain its attempts to clean up unsportsmanlike behavior on the field, and even sent a memo to each team to hammer home the point last month. LaFleur said his team is aware of the point of emphasis.
“We’ll definitely address that again. We can’t do that,” LaFleur said. ‘We’ve got to be better than that. Football is an emotional game, and I understand. I love these guys getting excited about playing. There’s a lot of stuff that goes on on the field, but you’ve got to keep your composure and your poise, especially when you’re playing a really good football team.”
McKinney added: “Going forward, I’m going to toe the line. If I get a flag, I’ll learn from it, but I’m going to toe that line. Obviously, I’m a smart player so I understand when I can and can’t do it, but this type of game, I had to set the tone and that’s just what it was. And we’ll live with it.”
