Steelers' Broderick Jones addresses tackling Aaron Rodgers in loss to Bengals
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn't hide that he was less-than-pleased about being taken to the ground by left tackle Broderick Jones. His Steelers teammate tackled him as he celebrated a 68-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter of the club's 33-31 loss at the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 16.
While speaking with reporters on Monday, Jones insisted that he and Rodgers are just fine with each other following what occurred in Cincinnati.
Broderick Jones and Aaron Rodgers can now joke about ill-advised TD celebration
"We’re still joking about it," Jones said about Rodgers' reaction to a hit the 41-year-old didn't expect to endure during the Bengals game, per Chris Ward of Steelers Now. "Yeah, he was a little mad, but it’s all right. You know, it’s football. It gets intense. It’s still no love lost. It’s just the energy that he brings and that I bring. He told me, don’t lose the fire and I told him the same. We shall see [this coming Sunday] after he throws another touchdown, I might tackle him again."
Jones was criticized for his in-game performances as a blocker throughout September. NFL analyst Sam Monson of the "Check the Mic" podcast noted, however, that Rodgers' ability to slide in the pocket helped Jones produce a solid outing versus the Bengals (h/t Jeremy Pike of Steelers Depot).
Broderick Jones discusses matchup against Micah Parsons
Much will be discussed throughout the week about what this Sunday's game between the 4-2 Steelers and the Green Bay Packers (4-1-1) will mean to Rodgers, who played for Green Bay from 2005 through the 2022 season. Jones will understandably have other things on his mind heading into the "Sunday Night Football" showdown, as he and other members of the Pittsburgh offensive line will be responsible for blocking Packers star pass-rusher Micah Parsons during that game.
Parsons tallied three sacks in Green Bay's 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
"He’s just relentless," Jones said about Parsons, according to Tim Benz of the Tribune-Review. "He doesn’t stop like most people in the league. It sets him apart because he has a motor about him. He has a deep bag of tools. He has finesse to his game. The Packers do a good job of moving him around — from the inside to the outside to lining up at linebacker. We’ve got a lot of film to break down."
As of Tuesday morning, ESPN BET had the Steelers as 3.5-point home underdogs against the Packers. How Jones and others protect Rodgers throughout the game will likely determine if Pittsburgh can earn an upset victory in front of a primetime audience.
NFL Insider Blasts Commanders Front Office for ‘Playing Games’ With Roster
If this truly ends up being a lost season for the Washington Commanders, it’s not a stretch to say there is one particular incident we can look at as the source.
That thing? The franchise’s unwillingness to cut a deal with NFL All-Pro wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
The decision to not sign McLaurin immediately after the season — when the price would have been lowest — and drag it out until right before the regular season seems to be the biggest culprit in the Commanders getting off to a 3-4 start in the 2025 regular season.
The Commanders eventually signed McLaurin to a 3-year, $97 million contract extension on August 25 — less than 2 weeks before the season opener against the New York Giants — but not after costing themselves and second year quarterback Jayden Daniels an entire offseason of training and throwing with his top target.
Now, McLaurin is in the middle of the worst season of his career and has missed the last 4 games with a quad injury/hip flexor. Daniels is also hurt, once again, after injuring his hamstring in a 40-22 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6 and has already missed 2 games with a knee sprain.
The whole situation is made even worse after the Commanders went 12-5 and made the NFC Championship Game in 2024 for the first time since 1991 and entered this season as legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith went on “First Take” on Tuesday, October 21, and placed the Commanders’ struggles squarely on the shoulders of ownership and general manager Adam Peters who trying to outmaneuver McLaurin in negotiations.
“The Commanders have messed this season up,” Smith said. ” … They really messed it up. The Washington Commanders messed up because they took for granted what happened last year. They thought they could play games. I’m blaming their front office for anything that’s happened this season. Take into account the quad (injury) as being in football shape and being in proper condition (for McLaurin). They let business get in the way of the business of winning games and now it’s messing with them on the football field.”
Commanders Made Bizarre Personnel Moves
Not signing McLaurin when it was obvious to everyone in the football world that was the right move was just part of a series of roster moves the Commanders made that didn’t totally make sense.
While the knee jerk reaction by the front office was to revamp and improve the roster, there wasn’t a lot of thought seemingly given to keeping some of the players they’d had so much success with in the first place.
Most notable among those moves — or non-moves by the Commanders — was allowing veteran edger usher Dante Fowler Jr. to return to the Cowboys on a 1-year, $6 million contract after he led Washington with 10.5 sacks in 2024.
The Commanders waited until way too late to get an edge rusher and had to pick from the free agent scraps, signing 36-year-old former Super Bowl MVP Von Miller to a 1-year, $6.1 million contract on July 17.
Another befuddling move was trading away veteran running back Brian Robinson Jr. to the San Francisco 49ers on August 22 — most contenders don’t trade away proven offensive weapons right before the start of the regular season.
