Aaron Rodgers' Wrist Fractures: Steelers' MNF Collapse, Week 14 Ravens Nightmare
Aaron Rodgers lasted barely a half in Pittsburgh's 26-7 Monday Night Football humiliation against Buffalo. The 41-year-old quarterback exited after a strip-sack aggravated three fractured bones in his left wrist and managed only 14 passing yards. Post-game blame aimed at teammates for missed film sessions and poor protection deepened locker room cracks. The 6-6 Steelers now face a short-week trip to the 8-4 Ravens with a battered quarterback and fractured chemistry. This piece centers on Rodgers - the physical toll, the public criticism, and the looming Baltimore disaster.
- Krishna Sagar
- 4 min read
Monday night was supposed to mark Aaron Rodgers’ defiant return. Instead it became the clearest proof yet that the 41-year-old’s body and the Steelers’ season are both breaking.
Playing with three wrist fractures (one described by Ian Rapoport as a consequential break from significant force), Rodgers completed 1 of 2 passes for 14 yards before Joey Bosa’s strip-sack bloodied his nose and ended his night.
Pittsburgh collapsed 26-7, surrendered 249 rushing yards, and now sits 6-6 with a Week 14 date at the 8-4 Ravens staring them down. The loss was ugly. Rodgers’ post-game comments were uglier. The strip-sack wasn’t just a play; it was a snapshot of everything crumbling at once. Four games remain, and the Steelers now trail Baltimore by two in the AFC North with a quarterback whose wrist is held together by tape and pride.
What began as a mid-season trade meant to salvage a contender has morphed into the stark reality that 41-year-old bodies don’t forgive December hits the way 31-year-old ones do. Week 14 in Baltimore isn’t just another division game anymore; it’s the moment Pittsburgh finds out whether Rodgers still has one more miracle left or whether the fractures finally win.
1. Rodgers’ Night Ends Early, Blame Game Begins
Rodgers’ wrist fractures sustained in Week 11 against Cincinnati were always going to dominate the story. The brace, the pain tolerance, the legend of playing through anything. What no one expected was how quickly everything unraveled.
On Pittsburgh’s first second-half possession, Bosa beat rookie tackle Troy Fautanu clean, crushed Rodgers from the blind side, and stripped the ball. The fumble was returned 17 yards for a touchdown. Rodgers left the field holding his left arm, blood trickling from his nose, and did not return.
He finished 1 of 2 for 14 yards. Mason Rudolph threw a pick-six on his first snap. The Steelers never threatened again.After the game, instead of owning the obvious physical limitation, Rodgers pointed fingers.
“When there’s film sessions, everyone shows up. When I check to a route, they run the right route,” he told reporters, a direct shot at teammates for missed meetings and blown assignments that he believes worsened the protection breakdowns and, by extension, his wrist. Offensive lineman Dan Moore Jr. fired back on social media within minutes: “We got your back, but let’s own it together.“The fracture in the locker room now looks as serious as the ones in Rodgers’ wrist.
2. From Halftime Lead to Total Collapse
Pittsburgh entered halftime clinging to a tenuous 7-3 advantage only because Nick Herbig forced a James Cook fumble that James Pierre recovered at the Buffalo 39. Jaylen Warren punched in a 1-yard touchdown, Pittsburgh’s lone score of the night.
The second half became a 23-0 Buffalo clinic. Josh Allen rushed for an 8-yard touchdown and threw a 1-yard score to Keon Coleman after Rudolph’s interception.
Buffalo running backs gashed Pittsburgh for 249 yards on the ground, the most ever allowed at Acrisure Stadium.
Twelve penalties for 95 yards, 58 total rushing yards, and a season-low 166 offensive yards completed the embarrassment. Mike Tomlin called it “an awful performance by us across the board.”
3. Week 14 Ravens Outlook: Nightmare Scenario
Next up is a short-week trip to Baltimore to face an 8-4 Ravens team that just watched its division rival get embarrassed on national television.
Lamar Jackson is playing at MVP level. Baltimore’s defense ranks top-five against the run and loves to blitz. The forecast calls for 38 degrees and possible rain, perfect conditions to re-aggravate a fractured wrist on every snap or handoff.
If Rodgers cannot grip the ball cleanly, if the offensive line remains unsettled after public criticism, and if the locker room is still simmering, Pittsburgh could be staring at 6-7 and the edge of playoff elimination before December is a week old.
The iron-will narrative that carried Rodgers through Achilles tears and COVID toes is meeting its harshest test yet. Right now the fractures, both literal and figurative, appear ready to win.