R1 Aaron Rodgers is getting absolutely shredded in a viral film review after one brutal line stopped viewers cold: “Are you high or something?”
It was a frustrating afternoon in Cleveland for Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17.
The Steelers had a chance to lock up a playoff spot with a win that would have secured the AFC North. Instead, Rodgers and the Pittsburgh offense went missing, and the lowly Browns held off their division rivals to save the Baltimore Ravens‘ season.
That sets up a winner-take-all primetime showdown for the division in Week 18, and if the Steelers are going to eke their way into the postseason, they’ll need Rodgers — and the entire Pittsburgh offense — to be better.
And while the Steelers offense was shorthanded vs. Cleveland, Rodgers still took plenty of heat. No critic was more vocal than the man behind the X account “Film Watchers” (@Filmwatchers1), who absolutely tore Rodgers apart in a viral film review.
As of Dec. 30, the tweet titled “And despite this, Rodgers still has the audacity to consistently blame everyone around him, I can’t stand it,” had more than 1.3 million views.
Aaron Rodgers Ripped for Decision Making vs. Browns
The entire video is worth a watch on X. As harsh as the review seems (more on that in a second), it also doesn’t seem entirely unfair.
The opening line certainly packs a punch: “Aaron Rodgers, please just retire, this is pathetic.”
The Film Watchers user points out that Rodgers missed multiple opportunities to pick up drive-extending first downs by simply executing the playcall. The first example explains how Rodgers doesn’t take what Cleveland gives him with a single-high safety, Cover-1 look, passing over an open Adam Thielen for a sideline fade to Scottie Miller.
“Adam Thielen is wide open across the middle of the field on a fourth and 1, yet Aaron Rodgers manages to not read the fact that the Mike (linebacker) blitzes,” the video explains. “His head immediately turns to Scottie Miller running a fade on fourth and 1. No disrespect to Scottie Miller, that’s not a high-percentage play. The ball misses entirely. Like what even is that?”
Another example shows Rodgers missing an open Miller and instead throwing another fade, this time to Thielen.
“Scottie Miller is just running this wheel,” he says in the video. “So you can throw this perfect little back-shoulder fade ball, pick up the first down on third and medium. Well, guess who doesn’t even notice that? Mr. Aaron Rodgers. Instead, he’s going to look directly over to 35-year-old Adam Thielen, running the fade ball on third and medium, throw it up to him, and what do you know? It’s incomplete. Like, what are you doing?”
Internet Reacts to Rodgers’ Puzzling Decisions
There were plenty of fans — and media — who supported the criticism.
“Good example of why so many Rodgers offenses look similar. He often defaults to low-percentage, but safe, one-on-ones where he’s making a hero throw rather than trusting the scheme to create open receivers,” longtime NFL analyst Steve Palazzolo said in a quote-tweet.
Quarterbacks coach and consultant Quincy Avery offered an important caveat but largely seemed OK with the critique, too.
“Might be a little unfair if we don’t know how he’s asked to read these, but I appreciate a good breakdown,” Avery tweeted.
Of course, not everyone was a fan of the work.
“This is why fans having access to to All 22 film was the worst thing to happen to NFL Twitter,” one user said in a quote-tweet.
Former NFL quarterback and Rodgers’ ex-backup in Green Bay, Matt Flynn, was even more direct in a reply to the tweet.
“You’re a clown,” he said.
In fairness to Rodgers, the Steelers weren’t playing with a full deck. The loss of DK Metcalf, who was serving the first of a two-game suspension for a Week 16 altercation with a fan in Detroit, was a major factor. And quite frankly, Rodgers targeting the trio of Miller, Thielen and Marquez Valdes-Scantling 21 times is the sign of a deeply flawed stable of pass catchers.
Regardless, that’s not going to change in Week 18, and the Steelers have their work cut out for them with the season on the line.
