Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers got off to a great start, only to stumble as the season came to a close. After an aging veteran quarterback didn’t work out the first time around, the Steelers are hoping the same approach ends differently with Aaron Rodgers leading the offense this season.
“He’s their hope, he’s their Band-Aid,” Sharp said Wednesday on his YouTube channel. “But it’s an illusion. Rodgers isn’t Rodgers anymore. In 2024, Russell Wilson, yes, Russell Wilson, was better than Rodgers across most major statistics. So how does this season end? Probably how most Steelers seasons end lately. Competitive in September, overwhelmed by December. Maybe a playoff game. Definitely a playoff loss.”
Statistically, Wilson and Rodgers were similar in 2024, and one could make the case that Wilson was a little better, although he played in six less games.
But starting with arm talent, there’s a big difference between the two. Wilson can still throw the ball deep, and we saw his signature moon ball plenty last year. But there isn’t much variance outside of that. Aaron Rodgers can still throw the ball with pinpoint accuracy, to a level that’s not really comparable with Wilson, to all levels of the field.
Mentally, Rodgers has an edge as well. He’s one of the smarter quarterbacks the game has seen, evidenced by his career interception rate of just 1.4 percent. Most importantly, he can read the middle of the field significantly better than Wilson. That alone will allow the Steelers’ offense to be more dynamic than last year.
Whether that’s enough to win a playoff game is a different story. Each of the Steelers’ last three playoff losses were on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens. Those three teams are easily the top echelon of the AFC. If Pittsburgh is going to end its playoff losing streak, it’s gonna be really hard to so in that environment.
Their best chance is hosting a playoff game, which means they’d have to win the AFC North for the first time since 2020. That’s difficult but entirely possible. Despite losing their last four regular-season games in 2024, the Steelers still had a chance to win the division going into Week 18. They’re certainly not favorites to do so this year, but most would agree they have more talent than last season so they should find themselves in the mix.
Sharp hasn’t been high on the Steelers all offseason. He doesn’t think Aaron Rodgers can be the savior. But they don’t need him to be. The roster around him is talented enough that the Steelers should be in the playoff conversation regardless. Once there, anything can happen, and the Steelers hope his wealth of experience can give them an advantage.
