The Pittsburgh Steelers went overseas to Paris and came home with a win over the New Orleans Saints. The offensive performance, however, left plenty to be desired, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers was the first to admit it.

“I don’t think we played very good on offense today,” Rodgers said after the game.

To me, that line is about more than one sloppy afternoon. Rodgers is sending a message to Steelers general manager Omar Khan, and it’s one the front office would be wise to listen to when you see the full quote.

What Aaron Rodgers said after the Steelers’ win in Paris

Here is the full quote from Rodgers, via NFL Network:

“I don’t think we played very well on offense today. Credit to their defense, but we’ve got a lot to work on. They’re a 2-5 team, and we’re a 5-2 team. But we’re not playing as well as we can at this point. I thought our defense played great. It was a disjointed game because of the length of the possessions, but we were really bad in the red zone. We’ve got to clean that up. We had too many penalties, especially 15-yard penalties. However, it’s hard to win in this league. We traveled over on Thursday night, by Friday guys were tired, so it was a gutsy win for us. But we’ve got to go back, get healthy, and play better. We’ve got Cleveland next week.”

So what is Rodgers really saying here? We all know he is one of the more passive-aggressive players to ever suit up for Pittsburgh. He has a sarcastic streak, and he tends to speak through the media rather than around it.

I believe what he is telling us, and telling Khan, is simple. He needs more weapons.

The numbers back up Rodgers’ frustration

Once again, the Steelers did their best work out of a jumbo package with six offensive linemen, using Spencer Anderson as the extra body up front. Pittsburgh leaned on that look with Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle running the football, and it worked.

The passing game is a different story. Metcalf did get vertical on that 51-yard reception, but he finished with just two catches for 56 yards. The team’s leader in receptions was Dowdle, who caught six passes for 45 yards on dump-offs, clear-outs, and catches in the flat.

That’s not going to be good enough. The Steelers have won three games in a row, largely without a functioning downfield passing attack. That approach can carry a team for a stretch, but it has a shelf life.

Next on the schedule is a rematch with the Cleveland Browns, one of the better defenses in the league, with first place in the AFC North on the line. It’s going to be hard to beat that group with only Metcalf and Germie Bernard as reliable targets. To be fair, Bernard has been great, and Metcalf can still take the top off a defense. Even so, Pittsburgh needs more elements in this offense.

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Why the Steelers need to make a trade

Don’t tell me the answer is Marquez Valdes-Scantling. And don’t tell me this offense will be just fine once Roman Wilson and Michael Pittman Jr. get back. Nobody knows when, or if, those two will return, and the Steelers can’t build a plan around a maybe.

That’s where Khan comes in. To his credit, he has been open to making trades in the past, and there are still a couple of weeks until the deadline. The opportunity is there.

Rodgers is talking to everyone in the building. He is talking to Khan, to the offense, and to Mike McCarthy. Pittsburgh needs more vertical elements and more easy buttons in the passing game, because the way the Steelers are winning right now isn’t sustainable over a full season.

Rodgers said it with a shrug and a “credit to their defense,” but the message was clear. Now it’s on the front office to answer it.