“We haven’t made it easy on ourselves, really all season, I guess,” Rodgers said with a smirk. “But I’m proud of our guys. I’m proud of the way that we responded multiple times after they took a lead. It just takes a little belief at this point in the season.”
With defensive busts allowing Lamar Jackson to heave 50- and 64-yard touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the Steelers could have shrunken and wandered into the offseason with back-to-back losses. But each time, Rodgers and the offense answered the bell.
“You see the ball in the hands of [No.] 8 there,” Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt said. “it’s like, [Rodgers] is here for a reason. This is why he’s here. This is the best dude in the NFL for this moment. And to be able to see him deliver on a big stage like that was incredible to see.”
Rodgers will be making his 12th playoff appearance as a starting QB, tied with Brett Favre and Ben Roethlisberger for the third-most in NFL history, behind only Tom Brady (20) and Peyton Manning (15). It marks Rodgers’ ninth division title, tied for fourth-most behind Brady (19), Manning (12) and Otto Graham (10).
The Steelers signed Rodgers to win games like Sunday night, but getting into the postseason isn’t the ultimate goal. For the first time since 2020, Pittsburgh is the AFC North champion, but with six consecutive playoff losses, a bigger hurdle lies ahead.
“We are AFC North champs,” Tomlin said. “And that sounds good, and it feels good. But we didn’t come here for that. We came here for what lies ahead, so excited about that.”