PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It was the critical call of the game and it wasn’t made by Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy rather by quarterback Aaron Rodgers as the Steelers beat Cleveland 27-6.
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Browns had just kicked a field goal to cut the Steelers lead to 13-6. Steelers had dominated the first half, but let several opportunities slip away to only be up a score despite dominating the first half.
Mike McCarthy had called timeout to preserve some time, Steelers get the ball at its own 31-yard line with 40 seconds left. Jaylen Warren runs for 23 yards. They get a break with a Browns injury stopping the clock after a two-yard pass. Then Aaron Rodgers hits Pat Freiermuth down the middle for a 28-yard reception to the Cleveland 16.
Steelers burn the final timeout with 20 seconds left.
A receiver screen-type play in the middle to Germie Bernard as the rookie weaves to the one-yard line. Steelers rush up to the line and Rodgers clocks the ball with five seconds left.
Steelers are at the doorstep, but on two previous drives they were stopped with only field goals after first-and-goal situations. Six plays, no touchdowns. So going for it was risky given what they had done in the game. A field goal and it’s a two-score lead. A stop by the Browns could swing momentum, but a Steelers touchdown, along with getting the second-half opening kickoff, would be huge.
The quarterback decided.
“I wasn’t coming off the field,” Rodgers said postgame. “We were going to go for that. We feel good about that. We got to get that.”
Sometimes you might get different interpretation from the head coach, not here.
“Frankly, actually, Aaron called that play, the Nittany (is what the play is called because Freiermuth went to Penn State),” McCarthy said. “Obviously, everybody agreed with it.”
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“I was like we could get a yard,” Freiermuth said. “Aaron did a good job of telling McCarthy what to be in, and it was good.”
McCarthy said he believed in his team in that moment.
“Aaron’s experience of handling those situations,” McCarthy said. “It’s a group (offensive line) we have a tremendous amount of faith in. Zach Frazier, I think, is a special player, unique player. Who wouldn’t want to run behind them.”
“Helps when we got All-Pro Frazier at center and Darnell (Washington, who pushes Freiermuth from behind to help him in the end zone).
Everything worked out perfectly and the Steelers took a 20-6 lead into half and won 27-6. Thanks in big part to the veteran quarterback who insisted on going for it and those around him trusting his thoughts and executing.
What Aaron said & why McCarthy trusted him to risk run from 1-yard lien
What Aaron said & why McCarthy trusted him to risk run from 1-yard lien
