Aaron Rodgers didn’t need his own teammate taking him down from behind.
The Steelers’ 41-year-old quarterback was visibly frustrated after offensive lineman Broderick Jones enthusiastically tackled him in celebration following a go-ahead touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter Thursday night.
Rodgers got up, shoved Jones, and appeared to have a few sharp words for the lineman as he showed clear irritation during Pittsburgh’s 33-31 road loss to the Bengals.
The bizarre moment came late in the fourth quarter of the heated rivalry matchup in Cincinnati, with the Steelers trailing 30-24.
Rodgers had just connected with tight end Pat Freiermuth for a 68-yard touchdown — his fourth of the game and second to Freiermuth — to give Pittsburgh a 31-30 lead with 2:21 left on the clock.
Rodgers landing on the ground.
Aaron Rodgers did not like getting tackled by his own lineman 😂 pic.twitter.com/Yk4VyxHHNj
— Coach Blew It (@CoachBlewItNFL) October 17, 2025
Rodgers broke into his trademark jump-and-fist-pump celebration as he sprinted toward the Steelers sideline, even throwing his arms down in excitement.
But he wasn’t the most fired-up player on the field.
Broderick Jones, overcome with adrenaline, sprinted up behind Rodgers and wrapped his arms around the quarterback’s neck — bringing him down to the turf as if he were a Bengals defender making a sack.
Rodgers hit the ground, rolled away, and quickly made his frustration known to Jones, the former first-round pick from the 2023 NFL Draft.
Aaron Rodgers looked visibly irritated after the unexpected takedown.
Several former NFL offensive linemen were stunned by the moment — and couldn’t help but laugh at the replay.
“It honestly gets funnier the more you watch it,” tweeted David Bakhtiari, one of Rodgers’ longtime friends and former teammates.
The Bengals went on to kick a game-winning field goal with seven seconds left, sealing a 33-31 victory that dropped Pittsburgh to 4-2 while improving Cincinnati’s record to 3-4.
Rodgers and the Steelers now turn their attention to a Week 8 “Sunday Night Football” showdown against the Green Bay Packers — a revenge matchup for the veteran quarterback.
“This is a short week, division opponent, anything can happen,” Rodgers said after the game. “Obviously, Joe (Flacco) played really well for them and (Ja’Marr) Chase and Tee (Higgins) got going for them. This is the NFL. We had a chance to really open up some space, but we’re 4-2, still first in the division, got a couple home games coming up back to back, another Sunday night opportunity against my former team.
“I’m not going to ride the rollercoaster, and I know (Steelers coach) Mike (Tomlin) isn’t — and hopefully the guys follow suit.”
