Rodgers Shouts for Play Call in Steelers’ Loss to Browns

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers shouted at the sideline for a play call during the first quarter of Thursday’s 27-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns, in an exchange with head coach Mike McCarthy that was captured on the game broadcast. McCarthy appeared to respond, but reports differ on the words he mouthed, and the exchange’s meaning remains unclear. Rodgers was waiting outside the huddle with his arms outstretched when he yelled, “What the f-, call it!” toward the sideline. The moment occurred during a 17-play Pittsburgh drive that ended in a touchdown. The broadcast then showed McCarthy, who appeared to mouth a brief response. The footage does not establish a definitive wording. After the game, McCarthy acknowledged using negative words and said he wished he had not. He also said communication is not always expressed in the best choice of words and that, in his view, what is said on the field usually stays there. Rodgers had not provided a postgame account of the exchange in the supplied reports. Cleveland won on Andre Szmyt’s 56-yard field goal in the final seconds.