Everyone with the Pittsburgh Steelers was thrilled by QB Aaron Rodgers’ Black-and-Gold debut against the New York Jets. Over 73 percent completion percentage? Four passing touchdowns? Who wouldn’t be thrilled?
Unfortunately, Week 2 was a different story. Against the Seattle Seahawks, Rodgers only completed 54.5 percent of his passes and threw one touchdown versus two interceptions. It was quite a stark difference in the stat line.
“Rodgers was really bad in this one,” Nick Wright said Tuesday on What’s Wright? With Nick Wright. “He doesn’t know how to accept that he is no longer good. And I think the Week 1 mirage probably made it harder for him to accept it. The Steelers’ offense, I don’t think Rodgers is gonna save the day.”
Stats-wise, it’s hard to disagree with Wright’s “really bad” statement. Rodgers completed nearly 20 percent fewer of his passes against the Seahawks than he did against the Jets. He did not throw an interception in Week 1 but threw two a week later.
But does one bad performance equal not being a good quarterback? On one hand, the two interceptions are part of a growing trend. He got lucky against the Jets not throwing an interception, and he could have thrown a third against the Seahawks.
However, one of the two interceptions he threw on Sunday was not a bad play by him. He targeted TE Pat Freiermuth in the end zone, but WR Calvin Austin III undercut the route and tipped the ball into the air for an interception. Had Austin stayed put, Freiermuth would have either caught the ball for a touchdown or it would have fallen incomplete.
So, if we’re going to ding Aaron Rodgers for potential interceptions that did not happen, we should also excuse an interception that wasn’t his fault. And he didn’t make a bad read on the second interception; it was the result of the Steelers being down late in the game and trying to make something happen.
Does that really mean anything, though? Rodgers is 41 years old. His best years are behind him. And yes, that’s all true. However, that doesn’t mean he’s a bad quarterback. Just check out this incompletion to Freiermuth early in the game. Bad quarterbacks don’t make that throw. But Rodgers still can.
Aaron Rodgers was not stellar in Week 2. There is no debate there. The reality is that he’s no longer an MVP candidate, but he’s not trash either. The Steelers intended to surround him with a great defense and a strong running game to keep the pressure off him. The goal is for Rodgers only to have to make a handful of big plays each game. He can make plays still, as evidenced by some of the throws he’s made in the first two games.
The Steelers have simply failed to keep that pressure off him.
