Aaron Rodgers aims brutal passive-aggressive dig at his own Steelers coaches after first loss of the NFL season

Aaron Rodgers didn't point any fingers after the Pittsburgh Steelers' 20-3 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday, or at least not directly.

Instead, the 42-year-old quarterback blamed play-calling issues that limited Pittsburgh to just 235 yards of offense. And while those plays were called by first-year Steelers coach Mike McCarthy, who previously spent 13 seasons with Rodgers in Green Bay, the four-time MVP framed his complaint as a self-critique.

'In a game like today where there wasn't a lot of flow to it, we need to be better, and that starts with me at making sure Mike knows what's working, what's not working, our coaches know, so we can call stuff that we feel like has a better chance,' Rodgers told reporters in Foxborough after the Steelers fell to 1-1.

To be fair, Rodgers did admit to poor execution on offense, where the Steelers turned the ball over twice while surrendering four sacks for a loss of 43 yards.

But while he described the plays that were called as 'fine,' he implied the game plan may need to be reduced going forward.

'If there's too much stuff in the plan, we've got to cut it back,' he said. 'I always like to push the envelope. If I see guys doing it the right way in practice, then I feel good about it, but we've got to practice the practice to the game, obviously, and all the details that come with it.

'Can't feel sorry for ourselves,' added Rodgers, who has completed 59.5 percent of his passes for 408 yards and one touchdown over two games. 'Can't point fingers. We've all got to play better. I think we can all give a little more. The best teams are player-led teams. We've got to keep taking the ownership.'

For his part, McCarthy did point the finger at his own play calling against a Patriots defense that helped New England reach the Super Bowl last season.

'As an offensive coach, I always welcome the opportunity to play against pressure defense,' McCarthy said. 'I think it's clearly an opportunity for big play potential. That was not the case today.

'We didn't answer the bell,' the Super Bowl winner continued. 'Our protections weren't clean. We had opportunities, whether it was communication and breakdowns, clearly in the first half that took away some opportunities for big plays. The run game was a little bit herky-jerky.'

The Steelers defense did a decent job limiting Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, who finished with 208 yards and an interception on 14-of-22 passing.

But Pittsburgh still surrendered a number of big plays, including a 39-yard touchdown run by Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson and a 63-yard connection between Maye and receiver Romeo Doubs.

Pittsburgh's schedule doesn't get any easier next week with the 2-0 Cincinnati Bengals in town.