Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers returns — but takes no snaps under center, then suffers bloodied nose

Aaron Rodgers didn’t like how he played during Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills. He didn’t care much for how the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense did on whole, either.

But whatever was wrong with Rodgers in particular or the Steelers in general had little if anything to do with the fracture in Rodgers’ non-throwing wrist that had prevented him from playing in the Steelers’ previous game.

“I felt good enough to be out there,” Rodgers said after Sunday’s 26-7 defeat. “Just not ready to take a snap (under center), and hopefully next week for that.

“Disappointed in my performance. Disappointed in the offensive performance.”

The Steelers were limited to a season-low 166 yards of offense, and Rodgers had a passer rating of just 65.0 while completing 10 of 21 passes for 117 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions.

It was the second-fewest passing yards for any career start the 21-year veteran Rodgers had ever made in which he finished the game.

That said, Sunday was not a “full” game for Rodgers because he missed one Steelers series early in the third quarter because his nose was bloodied after he absorbed a sack from behind by Bills pass rusher Joey Bosa.

Rodgers’ nose was red and bruised in multiple areas when he spoke to media after the game.

“I hope it’s not broken,” he said. “But yeah, just had to stop the bleeding. It was bleeding all over the place.”

Rodgers fumbled during the sequence while getting sacked by Bosa, and Buffalo’s Christian Benford picked up the loose ball and ran it in for a touchdown to give the Bills their first lead.

As Rodgers was attended to in the blue medical tent on the Steelers’ sideline, Mason Rudolph replaced Rodgers for the Steelers’ ensuring drive. It lasted only four plays — ending with Rudolph getting intercepted by Benford.

What might have taken a greater beating than Rodgers’ nose was the reputation of the Steelers’ offense after such an impotent performance. But no one associated with the unit was willing to attribute their poor results to Rodgers’ ailments.

Rodgers suffered the wrist fracture during a win against the Cincinnati Bengals two weeks prior. He did not play in the Nov. 23 loss at the Chicago Bears; Rudolph started in his place after also playing the second half versus the Bengals.

Rodgers practiced fully Thursday and Friday this past week. He took every snap Sunday from the shotgun or “pistol” formation (the latter with the tailback lined up behind Rodgers).

“I think everything was open (in the playbook),” receiver Calvin Austin III said. “Probably have to ask someone (else), but from my standpoint, everything was open. We just didn’t execute.”

When reporters did ask someone else — someone no less important than the team’s head coach — if the offense was limited by Rodgers’ wrist, all Mike Tomlin would say was, “It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t.”