Steelers' Mike Tomlin Backs Aaron Rodgers After Chargers Loss, 'No Long-Term Concerns'

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had a rough game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night, completing less than half his passes while throwing two interceptions and taking three sacks in a 25-10 loss.

Head coach Mike Tomlin isn't worried going forward, however.

"I'm not gonna chalk it up to an off night, but there are no long-term concerns," he told reporters Tuesday. "I'm just not going to allow your words to be my words. That's all. Sunday night was what it was. But I have no long-term reservations about his ability to play the position, and play the position at a high level for us."

Rodgers, 41, has been pretty solid for the Steelers this season, throwing for 1,853 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 66.8 percent of his passes and taking 18 sacks. The Steelers are 5-4 and currently in first place in the AFC North, though the 4-5 Baltimore Ravens are looming after three straight wins.

But Pittsburgh's offense was dreadful against the Chargers, failing to score a touchdown until the final three minutes of the game. It was a garbage-time score and Pittsburgh's offense did very little the rest of the contest, converting just 2-of-11 attempts on third down while managing only 221 yards of total offense.

Rodgers didn't mince words about his or the team's performance after the loss.

"I didn't play very good at all," he told reporters.

"We were bad. We got to find a way to get over on third down," he added. "We got to find a way to hit them, because that was just bad all over."

But it would surely take a few more performances like that before the team would consider handing the reins over to Mason Rudolph—a road Pittsburgh has been down before—or rookie Will Howard, who was on injured reserve between August and late October.

The next month is crucial for the Steelers, with matchups against the Cincinnati Bengals, Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills and Ravens on tap. The Detroit Lions and Ravens also await in late December and early January. The team's margin for error isn't high, in other words, and performances like Sunday night won't cut it.

Tomlin, at least publicly, doesn't expect them to persist.