One thing that the Pittsburgh Steelers value above all else at the quarterback position is protecting the football. No matter who is back there, they are a team that wants to win with defense, and that means controlling the clock and not turning the ball over. Aaron Rodgers is the best of all time when it comes to his touchdown to interception ratio, but he managed double-digit interceptions for just the fourth time in his career last season.
Here are all 11 of his interceptions last year, along with a brief breakdown of what went wrong—a special thanks to our Dave Bryan for putting all of the clips together.
Week 1 – at San Francisco 49ers – 1 INT
Rodgers did well to stand in the pocket with a mini pump fake to buy extra time, but he delivered the ball just a hair behind where he needed to. The defender deflected the ball, and there happened to be another player to haul in the interception.
Week 5 – at Minnesota Vikings – 3 INTs
Rodgers has only had six games with three interceptions in his entire career, and this was one of them.
The first one was an excellent play by Andrew Van Ginkel. He showed blitz and timed his drop into coverage perfectly. Rodgers never saw him, and he managed to nab the interception and return it for a touchdown.
The second one was him trying to loft the ball over the first defender and put a little too much air under it. It sailed right into the safety’s hands.
The third was a deep line drive in tight coverage when it probably needed to be either lofted or placed on the back shoulder. It was a little overaggressive, but he had just 44 seconds remaining and a six-point deficit to overcome on 3rd and 10.
Week 6 – vs. Buffalo Bills – 1 INT
This interception was what caused the infamous “red line” comment about WR Mike Williams. Allen Lazard waved his hand and caused defensive backs to rotate his way, and Rodgers threw the no-look pass to Williams down the red line. Williams had strayed inside a bit and attempted to adjust back to the ball as it was intercepted to seal the defeat for New York.
Week 7 – at Pittsburgh Steelers – 2 INTs
Not too many undrafted rookies can say they picked off Rodgers, but Beanie Bishop Jr. did twice in this game.
The first one was probably forced into too tight of coverage and was a bit behind his receiver. Bishop ran the route for him and made a great one-handed grab.
The second one bounced off his receiver’s hands and into the hands of Bishop. Not Rodgers’ fault.
Week 13 – vs. Seattle Seahawks – 1 INT
Rodgers tried to thread it in between the slot corner and the defensive end here. I think he was more worried about the slot corner and favored it towards Leonard Williams, who tipped it up to himself and returned it for a long touchdown.
Week 17 – at Buffalo Bills – 2 INTs
The first interception in this game was a quick pass to the flat, but it was deflected by the defensive end and hauled in by a defensive lineman. He needed a little more air under the ball or a quick pump fake to buy time.
The second one just looked like poor judgment, with his receiver covered the entire way. It was an easy undercut for an interception.
Week 18 – vs. Miami Dolphins – 1 INT
His final interception of the season was another deflection. A quick pass into tight coverage was deflected and fell into the hands of the inside linebacker.
