LATROBE, Pa. — Another day. Another dominant performance from the defense.

When the Steelers put the pads on for just the third time in camp, the defense began the day by stifling the offense in Seven Shots for a 6-1 win. Aaron Rodgers went 0-for-3 during the period. He threw a pair of incomplete passes intended for tight end Jonnu Smith and receiver Ben Skowronek. On the third play, the veteran QB would have been sacked in a game, but he rolled out and threw the ball away.

The Steelers ended practice with a goal-line drill that didn’t go any better for the offense. The only touchdown scored during the period came when Rodgers found Darnell Washington, as the defense won that drill 6-1, controlling the line of scrimmage and repeatedly hitting ball carriers in the backfield.

“That’s what we’re expected to do,” outside linebacker Nick Herbig said. “We’re the Pittsburgh Steelers. We’re the Steel Curtain.”

The offense better hope the 2025 Steelers defense is the Second Coming of the 1970s team, because there have been few feel-good moments for Rodgers and company in camp. When Rodgers opened camp by throwing an interception to Patrick Queen, it would have been premature to overreact. Ten practices later, let’s look at some of the biggest areas of concern and ways in which this offense needs to improve before the Sept. 7 opener against the Jets.

1. No room to run

The most optimistic Steelers fan might tell you that Rodgers isn’t in his prime, but the team doesn’t need him to be with a tenacious defense and consistent running game supporting him. That argument falls apart if the Steelers can’t run the ball effectively.

Only six teams averaged fewer yards per carry than the Steelers (4.1) last season. Even after the Steelers invested heavily into their offensive line, they still aren’t the kind of team that can line up and bully an opponent at the line of scrimmage, as the goal-line period showed.

2. Vertical passing game not in sync

While Rodgers’ quick release has married well with DK Metcalf’s ability to win on slants, the QB hasn’t been able to unlock his big-play threat downfield. During Sunday’s practice, Rodgers did find Metcalf on a deep cross thanks to some blown coverage. But that touchdown is the outlier in an offense that’s relied overwhelmingly on short, quick passes or checkdowns.

During a seven-on-seven period, Rodgers overthrew Metcalf on a pair of vertical routes. This comes days after Rodgers and Metcalf failed to connect on a go route during the two-minute drill to end Friday Night Lights. The only other memorable deep ball between the two in team periods also fell incomplete about a week ago, when Rodgers’ pass fluttered out of bounds as Joey Porter Jr. stayed in Metcalf’s hip pocket.

Last year, Rodgers completed 35.4 percent of passes with 20-plus air yards, which ranked 23rd. Compare that to his two most recent MVP seasons, when he completed 42.9 percent and 40.3 percent of such passes in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

3. WR2 connection missing

The most noticeable receiver not named Metcalf? Scotty Miller. The 28-year-old, 5-foot-9 receiver had another strong day Sunday, winning several two-on-two reps during a competitive receivers-on-DBs period.

While that’s good news for Miller, it’s not so much for an offense that was counting upon development from Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson. On Sunday, Rodgers looked for Wilson on a corner route. The uncatchable ball skipped well in front of the receiver. Either the throw was errant or they weren’t on the same page. It was a similar story last week, when Rodgers looked for Wilson along the sideline and threw it well out of bounds. After that misfire, Rodgers walked Wilson through how to run his route the way the QB wants. Meanwhile, Austin missed his second consecutive practice with an injury. If defenses game plan to shut down Metcalf, someone needs to step up and start forming chemistry with Rodgers.

Steelers tackles Troy Fautanu, left, and Broderick Jones have their work cut out for them. (Barry Reeger / Imagn Images)4. Young tackles taking their lumps

Starting left tackle Broderick Jones needed to have a strong camp to quell concerns after he allowed the second-most sacks in the NFL last year (11). He’s missed a significant chunk of camp (including the first two padded practices) with a groin injury, robbing him of valuable developmental time. The moments that Jones has played in lower-contact environments, he’s been beaten by Alex Highsmith and others.

Meanwhile, Troy Fautanu has been better. But he still looks like a redshirt rookie going against the Defensive Player of the Year when facing T.J. Watt and admits the knee injury is still causing a mental hurdle. The Steelers will need to use Washington to help their tackles if they’re going to slow down the AFC North’s best edge rushers.

In 2024, Rodgers was the worst QB in the league (minimum 300 attempts) against the blitz with a -0.20 EPA, according to TruMedia. Teams that bring pressure could present significant problems for the offensive line. Countless passes have been batted at the line of scrimmage, as Rodgers has had little time to throw in pass-under-pressure drills.

More observations from Sunday

• Highsmith sustained a groin injury during one-on-one drills.

• Inside linebacker (and former college running back) Mark Robinson lined up at fullback during the goal-line period and delivered a blow to fellow linebacker Queen.

• The Steelers got a number of players back from injury, including FB/TE DJ Thomas-Jones, DT Keeanu Benton and C Ryan McCollum.

• Meanwhile, CB Donte Kent, Austin, CB Cory Trice Jr., DT Esezi Otomewo and tackle Calvin Anderson remained sidelined with injuries.

• Will Howard tried to fit a ball into a tight window, and rookie Sebastian Castro reeled in a one-handed interception during 11-on-11 drills.

• Washington continues to show he’s more than a blocking tight end. But we’ve said that before in training camp.

• Rookie outside linebacker Jack Sawyer’s physicality in the run game was noticeable again, as he made a number of tackles.

• Rookie defensive lineman Derrick Harmon has flashed his pass-rushing prowess. He would have sacked Rodgers at least once in a game setting.

(Top photo of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and Aaron Rodgers: Barry Reeger / Imagn Images)