HEAD COACH MIKE TOMLIN
Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, September 21, 2025
MT: Man, it's great to win in the National Football League. Appreciative of the efforts today. Certainly required 60 minutes of effort in all three phases to get it done. Certainly there's a lot of things to work on, but it's good to do that with a win. A couple things of note. I thought we started fast offensively, but then we stalled out obviously, particularly in the second half. A lot of credit goes to New England and their defense and what they were doing. They were major components of that. Defensively I thought we were really tight in the red zone and things of that nature. I thought we could have been better on possession downs. Thankfully we took the ball away from them to alleviate some of that lack of possession down success. All in all, it was a good team victory. We fought for 60 minutes. We utilized a lot of people -- specialization of talent, division of labor, things of that nature. Still finding our way with the number of new people and people out and things of that nature. So it was a good experience. No significant injuries to mention. Slay missed some time in the game with a leg contusion. I think he was able to get back in and finish, same with Broderick, but we'll stack this one.
Q: What's done down there by the goal line, how big was the one at the end of the half?
MT: Huge. That's why we spend as much time practicing down in that space as we do as a collective. We've got to be great on defense in an effort to win the points. We've got to be great on offense. When you take the ball away, you get all seven points. Usually you're fighting for four, but man, those takeaways, particularly down there, were big.
Q: The defense technique is some of the things you're working on in practice with the punching and stuff like that?
MT: No question. We spend a lot of time on our ball search culture. But it's just words, it's an agenda. The efforts of the guys make it real, not only on Sunday but during the course of the week. It just felt like we were heading toward a good game in that area, just the way we worked this week in that area.
Q: The passing game in the end, boom, boom, boom, right down the field Aaron makes the plays.
MT: That's oftentimes the case, man. It cannot be going the way that you desire, but you'd better have enough emotion, you'd better have enough belief. You'd better stay the course in an effort to do that. You can say the same thing about the defense in New York, and we were able to finish it at the end. Same thing with the offense today, but that's what team is about.
Q: Walking out through the tunnel, does this week have any more significance than it's good to win in the NFL as you just said?
MT: It's good to win in the NFL, as you just said.
Q: Rhamondre's fumbles have been an issue throughout his career. Was that a coaching point for you this week?
MT: It is, but it is every week. We identify opportunities, and certainly he had some fumble issues last year. So it was an agenda item for us.
Q: What are your thoughts about how Derrick Harmon played in his regular season debut?
MT: I was appreciative of his efforts, excited for him. He's a competitor. He wanted to be out there with his teammates. I thought he represented himself well today. It's upwards and onwards from here.
Q: I guess 97 did surprise you?
MT: Never. 97 and 90, never surprised.
Q: What surprise did Drake Maye provide for your defense today?
MT: His mobility is an issue, particularly in short yardage moments, fourth down and one and things of that nature. Quarterback play I thought was a factor in some of those things. He got out on the edge on us and extended some possessions. Not that we were surprised by it, it's a component of his game, and it's a component of his game that we respect.
Q: Echols played a lot more snaps. Can you speak to the effort and the tackle?
MT: He's been real solid, but he's been real solid throughout this whole process for us, team development and so forth. He made some big plays today, the interception, the fourth down tackle. He was engaged in the game. He is a good teammate, and I'm glad we got him.
Q: Can you speak to his efforts today coming straight back?
MT: I thought he played with great energy and communication. For a guy that's new, his level of communication is unique in terms of adjustments and so forth. But he's a veteran. He's got a good passion for the game, good relationship with the game, and certainly it's good to win.
QUARTERBACK AARON RODGERS
Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, September 21, 2025
Q: Aaron, could you talk about that last drive and in particular the throw to Calvin.
AR: Yeah, we had to have a drive there. Guys made some plays. I thought the important play was the screen there, Kenny cutting it back inside to give us a third and manageable. Then we actually just talked about that in the huddle before the drive, about just a subtle signal on what I might want if I gave that when Cal was on the other side. That was nice he was on the same page. I didn't throw the best ball, but Cal's so damn fast, he made a great play.
Q: What was the signal he was sending you?
AR: Probably on the TV copy. Everything is these days.
Q: When you're not taking advantage of opportunities, what's keeping you guys confident of getting you through those chances for that last drive to be right?
AR: Just our defense honestly. There was urgency. I think it was one of those weird, disjointed games we had three possessions in the first half, we had a chance on the third possession to keep it going. Just Pat and I weren't on the same page on the scramble drill. Then we sat on the bench for what seemed to be 20 or 30 minutes. So we just couldn't get into a rhythm at all. Then we came out the second half and I made a terrible throw. Defense just kind of stood on their head all day. I thought the first two drives were good rhythm-wise, and we couldn't find that rhythm in the second half.
Q: The play at the end, what does it say about the offense resiliency and stick-to-it-tiveness?
AR: That's what we're supposed to do. We've got to make those plays so we're not in those positions. 14-0 we're feeling pretty damn good about ourselves. We haven't been ahead by two scores yet, two drives, two touchdowns, started fast for the third straight week. Then I just didn't play great. We kind of lost our rhythm, too many penalties and negative yardage plays, and didn't make them pay when we had opportunities.
Q: Was there something about the Patriots defense you found especially challenging today?
AR: They throw a lot of different things at you. Felt like they were kind of in a two shell to start the game. Ran it at them pretty good the first couple of drives, and they adjusted. Didn't make enough plays. We had some penalties, some bad throws. They played how we thought they were going to play. They're a tough group, they're well coached, and they were sticky in coverage.
Q: Passed Philip Rivers for some milestones today. Where does that rank on the list of accomplishments?
AR: I mean, not super duper high. It means I played a long time. I grew up, and Niners quarterbacks were my favorite, and then Brett, and I got to play with Brett. I was drafted the year after Philip Rivers. Had a friendship through the game with him for years. Loved watching Phil play, just his mannerisms, his lack of swearing, trash talk. Phil was one guy I really enjoyed watching on tape, and the only guy to get out of the pro bowl with an excuse that he had his eighth or ninth kid right before that. Good to be mentioned with those guys.
Q: What's it like to see when a guy like Jabrill Peppers gets to face his old team and makes a big impact play like that?
AR: I think as former players, when you're playing former teams, that's what you want. You want to make a big play and make them think about what they lost. There's always that. Every single week there's a guy that's facing his former team probably, and he'd like to get him the ball or have him make some plays. He was definitely happy in the locker room.
Q: Have you done that?
AR: Yeah, a couple weeks ago.
Q: I know in the game New England led the league in sacks. Your offensive line didn't give up any in that. Talk about maybe the growth that you've seen in this young unit over the first couple weeks to today.
AR: It's a group effort, and I've tried to take accountability the last couple weeks on sacks that were probably my fault. Today I moved around just enough. There's some things to clean up, but I have a lot of confidence in those guys and that Art did a good job keeping them off balance with some different protection schemes and some moving the pocket stuff. I thought those guys played well. They were a little upset after last week. They played with a better attitude this week.
ADDITIONAL STEELERS PLAYERS
Derrick Harmon, DT
(On how he felt about his first career sack)
"I felt good, felt good. Just got to keep stacking these and get better. It felt great, the D-line was rushing together as a unit, that's what we need every game for the whole D-line to rush as well."
(On what his mindset was in the game)
"Excited, ready to get to it. A little bit anxious, but ready to compete at a high level, like you said."
(On what impresses him about Cameron Heyward)
"He comes in to work every day, really gets to it. He's on the little details. He's on my behind about the little details day in and day out. That's why we love Cam. He stays on other players and he stays on himself."
(On what gives him the confidence about future games)
"Just preparation, that's my biggest thing. Preparation and consistency."
T.J. Watt, LB
(On the five turnovers and if this was a good day for him)
"Yeah. There is going to be a lot of good film to watch. We have had some tough performances the last few weeks. Today was a much better performance. There is still a lot of room to grow."
(On third-and-longs being an issue for the Steelers)
"I think it is a matter of working together. The rushing coverage needs to work together. We need to get home. I thought the guys in the back end did a good job of covering. We have to do better, of course."
(On if the team needed this success to feel better)
"We definitely needed a splash. That has been lacking in the last couple of weeks. We need to continue to stop the run, as you have seen in the last couple of weeks. When we make teams one dimensional, we're a pretty dangerous defense."
(On the multiple Patriots fumbles and turnovers all game)
"Yeah. We knew those guys were ball surge victims all week. They have a lot of fumbles on tape. Anytime you emphasize that throughout the week, it needs to show up in the game. It showed today."
DK Metcalf, WR
(On the offense feeding off the defense)
"Without the defense we would not be sitting in this locker room, cheering or happy we got a win. So, big shout out to the defense for creating five turnovers. Two of them were in the red zone where they could have gotten six points easy."
(On Aaron Rodgers' message to the team when things were slowing down in the second and third quarters)
"Everyone's message in the locker room was to keep your head up as a team and execute."
Calvin Austin III, WR
(On the feeling of his touchdown after past misconnections with Aaron Rodgers]
"We know in this game there are going to be ups and downs. This week, we continued to be ourselves and communicate. There was no panic at all from the last game. We get in moments like this and go back to our training and fundamentals."
(On Aaron Rodgers running up to him after the touchdown)
"After my first touchdown against the Jets, he was one of the first ones over there. Stuff happens, but we see each other every day. It is onto the next. I was not surprised by that at all."
(On if the offense fed off the defense's five turnovers)
"Yeah, definitely. The defense came up extremely big. In each of those moments when they were getting those turnovers, obviously, we want to convert on all of them. As Coach T [Mike Tomlin] says, 'Sometimes you may not win pretty.' At the end of the day, it is about executing."
(On struggling during stalling drives)
"Most definitely. Our goals and our expectations are to play until February. We know as an offense we have to do better if we want to get there. It's Week 3. We got a win. We got the right guys and stuff. Everybody is locked in, engaged, and happy for each other. As long as we have that mindset, our talents will be able to show."
