The Pittsburgh Steelers offense was abysmal against the New England Patriots on Sunday, and now head coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Aaron Rodgers appear to be on different pages about what went wrong. McCarthy took accountability for the unit’s struggles, but Rodgers pushed back on one key detail, setting up a fascinating dynamic heading into a Week 3 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals.

McCarthy puts himself in the crosshairs

When asked about the Steelers’ offensive performance, McCarthy didn’t mince words.

“Offensively need to be better, Mike McCarthy needs to be better,” McCarthy said via the Steelers YouTube channel.

The head coach went further, pointing to the details and execution not being up to par. He said things weren’t crisp enough and that Wednesday and Thursday practices didn’t look right. McCarthy also acknowledged that the coaching staff believed the pass protection plan was in a good place heading into the game, but as everyone saw on Sunday, it completely fell apart.

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Aaron Rodgers didn’t agree

When Rodgers was asked the same question about the practice week, he offered a different take.

“Hmm, yeah, I didn’t feel that way on Wednesday and Thursday,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers went on to put the onus on the players. He said the offense can do more and that the best teams are player-led. In his view, it’s on Pittsburgh’s players to go out and execute at a higher level.

The truth is, both McCarthy and Rodgers are right. The coaching has to improve, and the players have to hold themselves to a higher standard. But the disconnect between the head coach and the quarterback on how practice looked during the week is worth monitoring.

The Steelers offense needs to start over from ground zero

The Steelers need to pretend like the first two games never happened. They need to build this thing from the ground up. The run blocking has to improve. The pass protection has to be set. And then Rodgers and his pass catchers have to execute at a higher clip.

Wide receiver DK Metcalf has to catch the football and get open. Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. didn’t play on Sunday, so Germie Bernard stepped in, and the only time the offense moved the ball down the field with any consistency was when Bernard hauled in four catches on a single drive. Roman Wilson needs more from himself as well.

Start to finish, top to bottom, the Steelers offense has to rebuild from scratch. The Bengals are up next in Week 3, and Cincinnati’s defense has looked pretty good through two weeks. The product the Steelers put on the field Sunday against New England was abysmal, and if the offense doesn’t find answers soon, it’s going to be a very long year.