Aaron Rodgers is on pace for his best season since his last MVP campaign (2021), as the combination of improved health and better surroundings have helped to revitalize his final act.<\/p>\n
By no means has Rodgers resembled anything close to his prime form, but he at least has an opportunity to excuse much of the New York Jets chapter from his late-career arc. The 41-year-old quarterback has helped the Steelers build a first-place cushion in a suddenly fragile AFC North despite an up-and-down performance from Pittsburgh\u2019s defense.<\/p>\n
\u201cRodgers can still spin it,\u201d a rival team executive said. \u201cHe can still win at the line of scrimmage. The mobility isn\u2019t what it was, but the Steelers help him with the running game. They\u2019re going to keep winning games. He\u2019s exactly what they needed there. If they can keep him upright and healthy, they\u2019ll continue to get better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rodgers has completed 68.6 percent of his passes for 1,270 yards, 14 touchdowns and five interceptions over six starts. He\u2019s on his way to his best year since that 2021 MVP season with the Green Bay Packers, also the last time Rodgers advanced to the playoffs.<\/p>\n
A major factor, predictably, has been the added time to recover from the torn Achilles. Even upon Rodgers\u2019 return from the injury in 2024, coaches and executives were skeptical of his ability to recapture prior magic. It\u2019s a challenging injury to rehabilitate as a pristinely conditioned 20-something, let alone for a player who\u2019s been roaming the earth since the Reagan administration.<\/p>\n
Rodgers can still maneuver about the pocket and keep plays alive by scrambling behind the line of scrimmage, as he showcased several times Thursday night during the Steelers\u2019 33-31 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. His ability to do that before uncorking a Hail Mary bid that traveled almost 70 yards in the air was more than enough evidence of Rodgers\u2019 remaining physical prowess. He may not be as good snap-to-snap as he once was, but he can have moments of vintage Rodgers.<\/p>\n
\u201cAaron has looked good so far,\u201d another executive said. \u201cThe end of last year was not bad, and he can still throw the ball. His mobility is not what it used to be, but he is still savvy and accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Certainly, Rodgers\u2019 days of scrambling for yards are all but a distant memory. Those runs were tapering off even before the Achilles injury, and this year he\u2019s only run five times (excluding kneel downs) for 30 yards. The majority of that came on a 17-yard scramble that ended in a fumble against the Minnesota Vikings. Rodgers had 17 scrambles for 111 yards in 17 games last season with the Jets. Perhaps it\u2019s related, but one coach pointed out Rodgers\u2019 hesitation to draw out play fakes, limiting an important element that led to a lot of success earlier in his career.<\/p>\n
Of course, the Steelers don\u2019t need Rodgers to turn back the clock with his legs. Their running game has recovered from a poor start, doubling their production from an average of 63 yards over their first three games to 126 over their last three. The support matters more than ever at this stage of Rodgers\u2019 career. Head coach Mike Tomlin\u2019s program had been in place for years before the quarterback\u2019s offseason arrival, as opposed to the Jets, who traded for Rodgers in 2023 and then tried to build around him on the fly. It was a risky approach from the start, but Rodgers and the Jets never got an honest chance to see it through because of his injury.<\/p>\n
The Steelers are very much a work in progress, but there\u2019s a solid foundation. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith\u2019s scheme is widely respected by his peers, and Pittsburgh went big by acquiring wideout DK Metcalf to headline its group of skill players. They need more, though. While Metcalf leads the Steelers with 22 catches, all other Pittsburgh wide receivers have combined for 16 receptions. There\u2019s no shame in spreading it around to tight ends and running backs, but one defensive coordinator believed the Steelers are at risk without QB-friendly wideouts who are deftly skilled route runners to suit Rodgers\u2019 precision game.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll see where it ends up, or how to measure true success with this Steelers-Rodgers union. The future Hall of Famer\u2019s 18-year run with the Packers hit turbulence by the end, to the point where the organization has looked prescient in its decision to flip from Rodgers to Jordan Love. And the Jets became a punchline during a Rodgers experiment that resulted in the firings of head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t dismiss the Steelers\u2019 recent doldrums, either. The organization with six Super Bowl victories hasn\u2019t met its own high standards. Pittsburgh hasn\u2019t won a playoff game in nine years; since Ben Roethlisberger\u2019s retirement following the 2021 season, they started Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, Justin Fields and Russell Wilson at quarterback before Rodgers\u2019 arrival.<\/p>\n
It feels unrealistic to expect a Super Bowl during Rodgers\u2019 fling with the Steelers, however long it lasts. Would it be enough for both sides if Rodgers saves face after two forgettable seasons in New York, while the Steelers increase their competitiveness and bide their time before the next swing at QB?<\/p>\n
Perhaps, expectations must remain flexible. For now, Rodgers and the Steelers have to feel at least intrigued about where they\u2019re heading.<\/p>\n
The 40 Club<\/p>\n
Since we\u2019re already over the hill, we might as well stay there. Joe Flacco\u2019s second start for the Bengals \u2014 against Rodgers\u2019 Steelers \u2014 was electric under the circumstances.<\/p>\n
Just two weeks removed from a benching in Cleveland and four days after his Bengals debut, the 40-year-old Flacco went 31 of 47 for 342 yards and three touchdowns. He wore out receivers Ja\u2019Marr Chase (16 catches, 161 yards, one touchdown) and Tee Higgins (6-96-1).<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the best Flacco has looked since a surreal stretch in late 2023. But is it sustainable?<\/p>\n
A group of four executives and coaches don\u2019t believe so, at least not to that degree. They pointed toward the Steelers\u2019 uncharacteristically poor defensive start to the season, along with an inability to adjust against Chase.<\/p>\n
As Flacco learns coach Zac Taylor\u2019s offense, defenses will adjust to the pair\u2019s strengths. It may be a lot to ask Flacco to counterpunch with limited institutional knowledge of the system. Let\u2019s also not forget about the Bengals\u2019 issues on the offensive line, the defense\u2019s long-running struggles and the pressure of trying to keep the team afloat until Joe Burrow is ready to return.<\/p>\n
But while it\u2019s fair to be skeptical, let\u2019s not forget the positives. Flacco is a sterling leader and steadying presence, and he\u2019s mentally sharp with a strong enough arm to give the offense a chance with Chase and Higgins.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Bengals have the best wide receiver tandem in the league, so that helps,\u201d an executive said.<\/p>\n
Another added: \u201cThey have elite wideouts, so they\u2019ll have a chance to exploit defenses that aren\u2019t good enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quick hitters<\/p>\n
\u2022 Before the season, a QB expert said it would take Trevor Lawrence until at least the middle of this season to feel comfortable in Liam Coen\u2019s offense \u2014 keep that in mind when things don\u2019t always look right with checks, reads and communications. This is not an excuse for the penalties, drops and mistakes like batted passes at the line, though. As Lawrence becomes more comfortable, it\u2019s important to do the simpler things well with more frequency, and he also needs more help from his teammates.<\/p>\n
\u2022 If the Tennessee Titans had a crystal ball, would they have started the season differently with Cam Ward? The No. 1 pick is taking a merciless pounding with a league-worst 30 sacks through seven games, and it\u2019s taking a toll on his performance and confidence. Now, he\u2019s also dealing with a midseason coaching change that could stunt his development to an extent. While it might actually make sense to sit Ward and give him a chance to take a breath and learn from the sideline, the optics of that decision could be catastrophic. So back to the original question: Would the Titans have kept him on the bench to start his career if they could do it over again? At the bare minimum, it\u2019s a point that validates the idea of slow-playing highly drafted QBs early in their careers.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Tua Tagovailoa\u2019s contract has to be a major consideration when speculating the Miami Dolphins\u2019 future with general manager Chris Grier and coach Mike McDaniel. Tagovailoa has $54 million guaranteed in his 2026 salary. And with a $56.4 million cap hit in 2026, the Dolphins might have to consider spreading out the money, which would make the contract more difficult to escape in 2027. Miami should be wary of tacking more dead money onto the books, like the Cleveland Browns\u2019 annual restructures with Deshaun Watson. So if the Dolphins do ultimately decide to clean house, ownership and key decision makers need a plan with Tagovailoa because the business side will impact the next regime.<\/p>\n
\u2022 As Sunday\u2019s 1 p.m. window came to a close, six of the 12 teams in action wrapped up games with their backup quarterbacks due to lopsided scores (Patriots, Chiefs, Raiders, Dolphins), performance (Jets) or injury (Panthers). Not sure if there\u2019s a grand theme or takeaway here, but it made for a lack of theatrics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Aaron Rodgers is on pace for his best season since his last MVP campaign (2021), as the combination…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":228935,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[436],"tags":[49,48,514,949,82],"class_list":["post-228934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nfl","tag-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228934"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228934\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}