Aaron Rodgers had a heartwarming gesture to Mike McCarthy after the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1.
The Pittsburgh Steelers began the Mike McCarthy era with a 20-13 home victory against the Atlanta Falcons.
McCarthy, who was born and raised in Pittsburgh, received a heartwarming gesture from QB Aaron Rodgers in the locker room after the game. The legendary QB gave his head coach the game ball.
"First team ball, first win, so it's obviously a special moment," McCarthy said. "Really appreciate the guys, appreciate Aaron and the kind words. It's time to move on and get team victories from here on. I'm not one for attention, so the homecoming has been great. Just glad to get this one under our belt."
"We all know how special this city is to Coach and this team is to Coach," said T.J. Watt. "To be able to have him grow up just down the road from our practice facility, to have his first win as a Steeler, is a pretty cool moment, and it was kind of cool Aaron got to give him the game ball."
"It meant a lot," said Rodgers. "Mike has had a lot of wins, but it's always special when it's the first one at a place, and extra special when it's the team you grew up cheering for, and you grew up just on the other side of the river from the facility, your parents are still living in town. Super special to be able to do that. I was really, honestly, looking forward to that today as much as anything."
Rodgers, who is retiring from the NFL after this season, finished with 221 passing yards and one passing touchdown against the Falcons.
McCarthy and Rodgers won Super Bowl XLV against the Steelers as members of the Green Bay Packers. Now, they are trying to win a championship as members of McCarthy's hometown team.
"Offensively, it was a little herky-jerky, starting with me," said McCarthy. "Getting into a flow was just a bit challenging. Third down was the thing that kind of stood out to me where we've got to maybe A.) Get more favorable, and B.) Convert those. But I loved the way we battled back. We had some tough flags against us, and that's football. That's September football. So, we clearly have a lot to correct [Monday]. It's a good place to be after your first win and know that you have room for improvement."
The Steelers face the New England Patriots in Week 2.
Let's see how Rodgers and Co. perform against last season's AFC champions.
