If Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin didn’t want the public to know about the team’s miscommunication on what appeared to be an attempted trick play against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night, quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn’t get the memo.

The Steelers seemed to run a flea flicker on their second drive of the game in Week 7 versus the Bengals. Rodgers handed the ball off to Jaylen Warren, who quickly tossed it back to Rodgers.

After the game, Tomlin delivered two quick words to the media on the play and on whether it was a flea flicker.

“It was,” said Tomlin.

But in Rodgers’ press conference after the 33-31 loss to the Bengals, the quarterback said the play was something else.

“Yeah, it wasn’t supposed to be a flea flicker. Yeah, we weren’t on the same page,” said Rodgers.

Ultimately, the play didn’t work. Rodgers threw an incomplete pass to tight end Jonnu Smith. The drive resulted in a punt when the Steelers couldn’t convert third down on the following play.

Aaron Rodgers, Jaylen Warren Miscommunication Early Turning Point in Loss

There’s a lot of moments a team that suffers a two-point defeat can point to and blame for a loss. After giving up 33 points, a lot of those moments will be on defense.

The Steelers offense started quickly Thursday, giving the team a 7-0 lead after one possession. They then had an opportunity to take a double-digit lead in the middle of the first quarter.

Pittsburgh’s offense was already approaching midfield and faced a manageable second-and-4 as well.

But the flea flicker play helped stopped that drive in its tracks. Again, the Steelers punted two snaps after the failed trick play.

If that miscommunication doesn’t happen, maybe the Steelers get points on that drive. That could have put the Bengals in a bigger early hole. The Bengals erased a 10-point deficit in the second quarter Thursday.

Cincinnati scored on seven of its final eight drives in the game. The Steelers ended the game with two turnovers. So, to win, they needed points on just about every other drive.

The possession where they failed to convert the flea flicker resulted in one of Pittsburgh’s two punts in the game.

Was the Steelers’ First Quarter Play a Flea Flicker?

Reading between the lines, it appears Tomlin may have been covering for his players when telling the media that the play was a flea flicker. If that was the case, Rodgers’ response was the truth.

The quarterback indicated without saying it that Warren misunderstood the play call. That appeared to be what happened based on Rodgers’ reaction immediately after his pass landed incomplete on the play.

To Rodgers’ credit, he didn’t completely throw Warren under the bus with his answer. But his answer was more forthright than Tomlin’s.

Of course, that’s assuming the play wasn’t a flea flicker. Steelers fans can pick who they want to believe.

As crazy as it sounds, there’s also a scenario where both Tomlin and Rodgers could both be correct. The call from offensive coordinator Arthur Smith could have been a flea flicker. But then Rodgers may have checked to a different play at the line of scrimmage.

That’s where the miscommunication could have happened — Rodgers changed the play, but Warren missed the check.

Connecting the dots, that’s a possibility. Regardless, the end result was an incomplete pass and a missed opportunity to score again on the second offensive drive of the game.

Dave Holcomb is a sports reporter covering the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions. Originally from Pittsburgh, Holcomb has covered college and professional sports for outlets including FanSided, Rotowire and Yardbarker. More about Dave Holcomb

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