The Steelers offense wasn’t able to get on track against the Texans, putting up only six points on two Chris Boswell field goals.
“I don’t feel like we ever got the momentum on our side, honestly,” said quarterback Aaron Rodgers. “We had a lot of chances. Defense played really good in the first half. They’ve got a good defense.
“But we had a lot of opportunities. A lot of opportunities. Didn’t make the most out of hardly any of them.”
The Steelers were only two of 14 on third down, something Rodgers said stemmed from them not moving the ball on first and second down.
“We had a lot of third and 10 plusses to start,” said Rodgers. “Those are low-percentage conversions. I think first and second down wasn’t very good. That’s why third down was difficult.”
Rodgers said it was a myriad of things that led to the offense not being able to get on track, especially as the game rolled on.
“I feel like every play is unique to itself,” said Rogers. “We had some opportunities, and either drops or pressure or just total Mas (missed assignments), or not the right throw. We had a lot of chances. We had plays set up with missed assignments. We had opportunities to take shots with not enough time.
“We just didn’t make the most of any of the little opportunities.
“Against a good defense like this, you’re not going to get many opportunities, and when you get them, you’ve got to make the most of them.
“There were a lot of plays there to be made for sure. They’ve got a good defense, no doubt about it. But we had them on our home field, on our grass and had opportunities, especially in the first half, to put a lot of points on the board and make it easier for our defense that was playing really good.”
Rodgers, who in his 21st season in the NFL didn’t discuss his future after the game, did say he enjoyed this year with the Steelers.
“I was fortunate to play in an incredible football city (Green Bay) for 18 years, and I never took it for granted. I enjoyed that time there,” said Rodgers. “This has been a really beautiful back end to that first 18, to be able to be here for a year.
“This is a special place. You’ve got tradition, got excellence, got all-time greats. You just look around the stadium, just to see the fans. There wasn’t a big splattering of Texans fans, and there’s a lot to be said for that.
“There’s only a few places in the league that have the tradition and the town and the organization, and I’m thankful that I played for two of them.”
Rodgers said there is a lot that will resonate with him from the season, even if the year ended in disappointment.
“There’s so many fun moments from the year, starting going back to Latrobe and the beauty in that opportunity, to come together as a team,” said Rodgers. “We faced a lot of adversity.
“But there’s a lot of special moments that I’ll think back on. Right now, it’s just disappointment. But thankful to put the colors on and run out of the tunnel and be a part of this organization.”
