Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was leading his team down the field in the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati when something went wrong.
Rodgers, who threw a touchdown pass to put the Steelers up 7-0, was in the middle of a play when running back Jaylen Warren didn’t help out much.
What Happened With Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers?
On a play from the line of scrimmage, Rodgers took the ball and handed it off to Warren. Well, Warren thought the play was a flea-flicker and threw the ball back to Rodgers.
Rodgers threw a pass that fell incomplete. When the play was ruled dead, Rodgers stared right at Warren and had a few words for the running back.
The Steelers ran a flea-flicker by accident..
Aaron Rodgers to Jaylen Warren: “What are you doing?… It wasn’t a flea flicker.” pic.twitter.com/7HLXEk3XtW
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) October 17, 2025
“What are you doing?” Rodgers can be seen saying in the video. “It wasn’t a flea-flicker.”
Rodgers has been a steady hand for the Steelers so far this season. Pittsburgh came into the Thursday night game with a 4-1 record.
Blown flea flicker. Some miscommunication. #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/Kqbw8dPgWd
— Blitzburgh (@Blitz_Burgh) October 17, 2025
On this other view, the full play can be seen. Needless to say, Warren probably learned a lesson on Thursday night.
Rodgers is in his first season with the Steelers, who have had some issues getting a solid quarterback as a starter for some time. He signed a one-year contract ahead of the 2025 NFL season and has stated that this will be his last season.
The Steelers tried having Russell Wilson as their quarterback last season, but that didn’t work out. Now, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin hopes that Rodgers can provide some stability at the position at least this season.
Warren is in his fourth season with Pittsburgh. Last season, he had 120 carries for 511 yards and one touchdown. In the 2023 season, Warren scored four touchdowns. The Steelers have also been looking to solidify their rushing attack.
Tomlin and Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith hope Warren can be their primary back in the 2025 NFL season. Heading into Week 7, he is ranked 23rd among running backs based on PFSN’s RB Impact metric.
Pittsburgh and Cincinnati have a long-standing rivalry that is getting the spotlight on Amazon Prime. Rodgers hopes that there will be no more confusion with Warren or other teammates as the game rolls along. It will be worth watching to see if the four-time NFL MVP can keep his cool under pressure.