Aaron Rodgers had undisclosed illness before playoff loss to Texans

If Aaron Rodgers was looking a little pale before Pittsburgh's playoff loss to the Texans, it wasn't because he was about to face the best defense in the NFL.

>As explained by Mike Silver of The Athletic, Rodgers was sick before the 30-6 home loss to Houston in the wild-card round.

>“I wasn’t feeling good, and I actually came over to the team hotel, and they sent me home — probably because I was pale and looked like shit,” Rodgers told Silver on Saturday from training camp.

>Silver said Rodgers's symptoms included fever and vomiting. He insisted that he had recovered before kickoff.

>“He’s definitely downplaying it,” former Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith told Silver. “There was never a question he was gonna play, and he’s never one to complain, but he looked terrible [before the game].”

>It's not a great look nearly six months after the game, because the Steelers didn't disclose that Rodgers had an illness.

>Against the Texans, Rodgers completed 17 of 33 passes for 146 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. His passer rating was a postseason career-low 50.8, with his final throw turning into a pick-six.

>Smith knows all too well the potential consequences of failing to disclose an illness. In 2023, Smith received a $25,000 fine (the Falcons separately had to fork over $75,000) for not disclosing that running back Bijan Robinson was ill on the morning of a game. (Robinson played in the game.)

>And so, in a week that has caused plenty of commotion regarding things Rodgers said publicly, what he (and, more specifically, the Steelers) failed to say before the playoff loss could cause a bit of a ruckus, as far as the league office is concerned.