The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered their worst loss of the season on Sunday night, falling 25-10 to the Los Angeles Chargers in primetime.
The Steelers couldn’t do anything right, enduring one of the NFL’s worst statistical losses in 50 years.
Aaron Rodgers’ poor play under center was a major factor in Pittsburgh’s defeat. Not only did he take a safety in the first quarter, but he also threw a pair of picks and was sacked three times. He completed a season-low 51.6 percent of his passes, registering a season-worst 50.6 passer rating.
With Rodgers struggling, the Steelers had trouble moving the ball through the air. They finished with just 148 net passing yards — their second-lowest total of the season behind their Week 3 win over the New England Patriots.
Pittsburgh wasn’t able to get much going on the ground, either, managing just 73 rushing yards and losing a fumble.
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Even Chris Boswell wasn’t himself, missing a field goal for just the third time this season.
Add it all up, and the Steelers were the first NFL team in half a century to allow a safety, miss a field goal, have a minus-three or worse turnover margin, have under 75 rushing yards and have under 150 net passing yards in the same game (regular season or postseason), according to OptaSTATS.
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That hadn’t happened since Super Bowl IX on Jan. 12, 1975, when the Minnesota Vikings were dominated 16-6 by Pittsburgh at Tulane Stadium.
The Steelers will try to bounce back this week at home against the Cincinnati Bengals, who are coming off their bye week after losing six of their last seven games. Their only win during that time came at Pittsburgh’s expense, however, on Thursday Night Football in Week 7.
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Featured image via Katie Stratman/Imagn Images