PITTSBURGH (AP) — Aaron Rodgers hopes his bloodied nose isn't broken. The reeling Pittsburgh Steelers feel the same way about their season.
The four-time MVP's fractured left wrist turned out to be far from Pittsburgh's biggest problem in a 26-7 loss to Buffalo on Sunday that dropped the Steelers back into a tie with Baltimore atop the AFC North.
Click to Gallery
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin reacts after an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) walks to the sideline to be check out for injury during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) walks to the sideline to be check out for injury during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) throws against Buffalo Bills linebacker Dorian Williams (42) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
The 41-year-old Rodgers took a big hit from Bills edge rusher Joey Bosa on the first play of the second half. Bosa drilled the future Hall of Famer into the Acrisure Stadium turf, the ball popped free and Christian Benford scooped it up for a momentum-swinging score.
Rodgers laid face down for several moments before jogging to the sideline. He sat out a series while getting patched up in the medical tent and returned with tape and splotches of blood on his nose.
It wasn't pretty. Fitting for a group that has looked the part of a first-place team in name only for the better part of two months. The Steelers (6-6) have dropped five of seven, with three of the setbacks coming by 10 points or more at the hands of teams in the playoff mix.
“We've got to flush this one,” Rodgers said.
If they want to salvage a season that is threatening to spin out of control, they don't have much of a choice.
Rodgers, playing exclusively out of the shotgun or pistol to protect his injured wrist, completed 10 of 21 passes for 117 yards, most of them in garbage time.
“We just didn't have a lot of positive plays,” Rodgers said. “I felt good enough to be out there. ... Disappointed in my performance. Disappointed in the offensive performance.”
Pittsburgh managed just 166 yards, its third-lowest total in coach Mike Tomlin's 19 years. Yet the offense was just one of the Steelers' many issues.
A defense that knew the Bills and reigning MVP Josh Allen would challenge it on the ground wilted repeatedly.
Buffalo rolled up 249 yards rushing, the most by a visitor at Acrisure Stadium since it opened in 2001. James Cook ran for 144 yards, and Allen mashed his way into the end zone for an 8-yard score early in the fourth quarter that put the game out of reach.
The Bills controlled the ball for nearly 42 minutes and snapped the ball 74 times, nearly double that of the Steelers (40).
“It was (a butt) kicking in all areas,” linebacker T.J. Watt said.
Perhaps just as concerning is the way the Steelers lost their composure. Cam Heyward, a seven-time Pro Bowler and fixture in the locker room for 15 years, was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct in the third quarter when he responded to what he described as Allen kneeing him in the stomach.
“Just jawing back and forth and ticked off the entire game because as a quarterback you’re getting protected, but I’m not,” Heyward said. “It just (ticks) me off.”
There's plenty to get riled up about. While Pittsburgh still controls its playoff destiny, it also faces a closing five-game stretch that includes two meetings with the run-heavy Ravens and a visit to Detroit.
Tomlin believes his team can find the answers it needs over the next month. Yet the reality is the Steelers have been unable to consistently get stops all season when they can't produce turnovers.
Pittsburgh had two takeaways in the first half to mask the fact that it was outgained by a more than 2-to-1 margin. Buffalo did a better job protecting the ball in the second half, and the Steelers yielded.
The fans grew so restless that they chanted “Fire Tomlin!” during the second half. While Tomlin didn't acknowledge hearing it, the longest-tenured coach in major North American professional sports was not surprised.
“I share their frustration tonight,” Tomlin said. “We didn't do enough.”
Tomlin said he's “looking at everything” in terms of solutions, though Pittsburgh has been mostly healthy. What the Steelers haven't been is consistent, and as December begins, it's fair to wonder if consistency is ever coming.
“Players need to take accountability, myself included,” Rodgers said. “And I will.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin reacts after an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) walks to the sideline to be check out for injury during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) walks to the sideline to be check out for injury during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) throws against Buffalo Bills linebacker Dorian Williams (42) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
A 10-day ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump and agreed on by Lebanon and Israel appeared to be holding in Lebanon early Friday, potentially boosting efforts to extend a ceasefire between Iran, the United States and Israel.
It was unclear whether a lasting deal would be reached between the U.S. and Iran before the ceasefire ends next week, but the pause in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah could be an indication some progress has been made.
An end to Israel’s war with Hezbollah was a key demand of Iranian negotiators. Israel has not been fighting with Lebanon itself, but rather with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group inside Lebanon, which said in a statement that “any ceasefire must be comprehensive across all Lebanese territory and must not allow the Israeli enemy any freedom of movement.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he agreed to the ceasefire “to advance” peace efforts with Lebanon, but said Israeli troops would not withdraw.
Pakistan’s army chief met Thursday with Iran’s parliament speaker as part of international efforts to press for an extension to the ceasefire that has paused almost seven weeks of war.
Mediators are pushing for a compromise on three main sticking points: Iran’s nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz and compensation for wartime damages, according to a regional official involved in mediation efforts.
Reopening the strait is a key demand by the U.S. and the international community as a global energy crisis worsens daily because of the key oil route's closure. The leaders of France and the U.K. will gather dozens of countries Friday to push forward plans to reopen the strait, although the U.S. will not be included..
The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,100 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen U.S. service members have also been killed.
Here is the latest:
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Thursday welcomed the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon and thanked the U.S. for its role as a mediator.
What is needed now, Wadephul said, are long-term agreements on securing the border, protecting civilians on both sides of the Blue Line, and ensuring the safety of UNIFIL peacekeepers.
He said the talks paved the way for a future reality in which the interests of both sides are equally taken into account: Israel’s legitimate security interests and Lebanon’s right to territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Long-term security in the region can only be achieved through the effective disarmament of Hezbollah, Wadephul added.
Relief at a ceasefire beginning in Lebanon on Friday was tempered by the destruction that many encountered upon returning to their homes.
In the southern village of Jibsheet, a trickle of residents returned to flattened apartment blocks and streets littered with chunks of concrete, twisted aluminum shutters and dangling electrical wires.
“I feel free being back,” 23-year-old Zainab Fahas said. “But look they destroyed everything: the square, the houses, the shops, everything.”
In the southern Beirut suburb of Haret Hreik, Ahmad Lahham, 48, waved the yellow Hezbollah flag. He stood on a mountain of rubble that was his apartment building and also housed a branch of Hezbollah’s financial arm, Al-Qard Al-Hassan.
Iran’s pressure in its talks with the U.S. brought the truce, condemning Lebanon’s direct talks with Israel, he said.
“Only the Iranians stood with us, no one else,” he said, calling Lebanon’s leaders “the leadership of shame.”
A South Korean-flagged tanker carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu port has safely exited the Red Sea, South Korean officials said.
The passage marks the country’s first such shipment since it began seeking alternative energy routes while Iran is largely blocking the Strait of Hormuz.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday described the passage as a “valuable accomplishment” during the government’s efforts to overcome challenges posed by the war.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries did not immediately say how many tankers would attempt to use the Red Sea route or when the vessel that passed would arrive in South Korea.
Officials say 26 of South Korea’s vessels remain stranded in the strait.
In two social media posts Thursday night, U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday could have been “a historic day for Lebanon.”
In a separate Truth Social message after the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon went into effect, Trump added that he hoped the Lebanon-based, Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group “acts nicely and well.”
“It will be an GREAT moment for them if they do,” Trump added.
BP has become a fifth company to strike a deal with the Australian government to underwrite fuel imports at prices inflated by the Iran war.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the BP deal on Friday at Viva Energy’s Geelong refinery, southwest of Melbourne, that was damaged by fire over Wednesday night. He said the damaged refinery continued to produce diesel and jet fuel at 80% capacity and gasoline as 60% capacity.
Viva on Thursday secured 570,000 barrels of diesel underwritten by the government in shipments from Brunei and South Korea at prices that might otherwise be commercially unviable.
Australia has sufficient fuel supplies contracted into May, but there are concerns that shortages could emerge in the months ahead.
People stand next to a mural with the images of late Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah, left, and Hashem Safieddine as displaced residents return to their villages following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, in Zefta, southern Lebanon, Friday, April 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Two girls chant slogans as one holds an image of the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Friday, April 17, 2026, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Rescuers search for victims in the rubble of a destroyed building that was struck in Israeli airstrikes in the city of Tyre, south Lebanon, Friday, April 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
In this photo released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, right, meets with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir in Tehran, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (Iranian Foreign Ministry via AP)
A young girl carries a portrait of a killed Hezbollah fighter at a mass grave where civilians and Hezbollah fighters killed in Israeli airstrikes are temporarily buried in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on the village of Qlaileh, as seen from the southern port city of Tyre, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Girls chase bubbles next to their family's tents used as shelter after fleeing Israeli bombardment in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, in Beirut, on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Backdropped by ships in the Strait of Hormuz, damage, according to local witnesses caused by several recent airstrikes during the U.S.-Israel military campaign, is seen on a fishing pier in the port of Qeshm island, Iran, Monday, April 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Asghar Besharati)
