Former Steelers OC Bruce Arians reveals the shocking truth about Pittsburgh's home crowd during 'SNF'
The Pittsburgh Steelers were recently defeated at home on "Sunday Night Football" by the Green Bay Packers in a 35-25 loss that spiraled out of control in the second half. It particularly began when Packers quarterback Jordan Love completed 20 straight passes and humiliated the Steelers defense. Pittsburgh's unit had been seen as the strength of the team in recent years, but for back-to-back weeks, it allowed an opposing quarterback to throw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns against their secondary.
There was another issue throughout the game, however, that others within the media, analysts and former coaching circles caught that was not related to the performance of the teams on the field. On a recent episode of "Inside the NFL"
Bruce Arians angered by home environment during game
Arians had already made recent comments regarding Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers being forced to use a silent count at home, and he doubled down on these comments when he and Clark discussed the things that went wrong for the Steelers.
"The thing that upset me the most was that Aaron Rodgers had to use a silent count at Heinz Field," Arians stated bluntly. "That never has happened in the history of Heinz Field, that some other teams gonna take over the stadium and drown out the quarterback. That's just unheard of. I was shocked watching that on television."
Arians' comments about Rodgers being forced to use a silent count at home is one that stemmed from the poor play by the Steelers in the second half. The Packers fans who took over the stadium were never given a reason to quiet down, as the white-hot Packers offense marched down the field at will. Packers tight end Tucker Kraft, in particular, had 143 yards on seven receptions as the Steelers were unable to generate any kind of pressure or make impactful plays to swing momentum in their favor. Despite the strong first-half performance from the Steelers, having a 16-7 lead at the half, they were unable to keep up the pace.
The Packers put the game away as the Steelers could not keep up, giving the large number of Packers fans inside Acrisure Stadium many reasons to get excited, with many "Go Pack Go" chants echoing throughout the stadium as they watched their team put the game away at the end. However, the situation with the opposing Packers fans taking over the stadium is not something that is likely to happen with other Steelers games at home throughout the rest of the season.
Steelers home crowds will likely not experience this again
The Steelers fans who experienced the onslaught of Packers fans taking over Acrisure Stadium were motivated by a very particular reason. They were watching their former quarterback, the QB who led the Packers to Super Bowl XLV, play against them and have a chance at revenge. They wanted to watch Love outduel Rodgers and be proved right in their debates regarding whether or not they should have let Rodgers go when they did. Their intention was to make the atmosphere as hostile as possible for their former quarterback, and they succeeded.
Considering the Steelers will not be partaking in any other revenge games against a team's former franchise quarterback this season, the likelihood that Arians' remarks about Rodgers using a silent count at home being true again is very low. This should be good news for Steelers fans hoping to not see their home stadium taken over by opposing fans again this season, and hopefully, the majority of crowds in Acrisure Stadium will be Steelers fans again.
Insider Reveals Chiefs Trade Deadline Focus Ahead of Huge Bills Matchup
The NFL trade deadline is fast approaching. We’re just a few days out from November 4, at which point no more trades will be allowed until the start of the new league year in March. For contending teams that want to add a final piece or two as they gear up for the stretch run, now is the time.
For the Kansas City Chiefs, they have specific priorities in their approach to the trade deadline. Coming off a Super Bowl loss last season, they addressed many of their flaws through free agency and the draft, boosting weak areas of the roster that were exposed against the Eagles. Though they started the 2025 season 0-2, the Chiefs have won five of their last six and are picking up steam as they enter the heart of their schedule.
Kansas City’s offense struggled a bit early in the season. Rookie first-round LT Josh Simmons took some time to get acclimated, and the Chiefs lost WR Xavier Worthy to a dislocated shoulder early in their first game, a matchup with the Chargers in São Paulo. Plus, top WR Rashee Rice was suspended for the first six games of the season due to his role in a major car accident last year.
Simmons is currently away from the team dealing with a personal matter, but the return of Rice and Worthy has jump-started this offense, and they’re starting to hum. Instead of looking for reinforcements on offense, the Chiefs have a different idea in mind as the trade deadline looms.
Insider Predicts the Kansas City Chiefs will Target the Defensive Line on the Trade Market
The Athletic’s Diana Russini wrote about the Chiefs’ plans in her Saturday report. According to her article breaking down the intel she’s gotten on the trade deadline, Kansas City is “actively searching” for defensive linemen on the trade market. Her language indicts the Chiefs are more than merely “interested” in such a move — it sounds like they’ve been calling teams to inquire about the availability of specific players.
It’s unclear if the Chiefs are targeting help at edge defender, defensive tackle, or maybe both. We’ve already seen one edge rusher traded when the Patriots sent Keion White to the 49ers. Other trade targets on the edge include the Bengals‘ Trey Hendrickson and the Dolphins’ Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, and Matthew Judon. The only interior defender Russini mentioned in her article is the Jets‘ Quinnen Williams, though he would be a very expensive trade target — if New York would be willing to move him at all.
The Kansas City Chiefs Face a Key Test Against the Bills
The Bills and the Chiefs: Josh Allen vs. Patrick Mahomes. The greatest currently rivalry in the AFC. It’s a huge showdown with massive playoff implications for both teams, but given what the Chiefs have coming up after, it looms even larger.
After the Bills game, the Chiefs face the Broncos, Colts, Cowboys, Texans, and Chargers — and they already have three losses on the year. If they want to stay in the hunt for the AFC’s No. 1 seed, they need to win the most of these games. And that starts in Buffalo on Sunday.
