Can the Steelers compete with any offense with Aaron Rodgers?
The Pittsburgh Steelers put up 34 points on Sunday, with Aaron Rodgers tossing four touchdown passes, a team debut record. Granted, he benefited from a turnover in field goal range, and one touchdown pass was a glorified handoff. Still, he clearly helped lead Pittsburgh to the win that included a game-winning drive.
The question is, how good can the Steelers’ offense be with Aaron Rodgers? On a good day, can they go to-to-toe with the best of the Bills, Ravens, Eagles, and Chiefs? The fact that the defense disappointed is not encouraging, but do they have the offensive firepower to make up for it?
It wouldn’t be surprising if there are some early kinks to iron out. There are some plays Aaron Rodgers would like to have back, a couple of balls he put in harm’s way. He also took an unnecessary sack or two, but generally he looked in many ways like Aaron Rodgers.
More to the point, he looked like a player who could make any throw and who could make the right decisions. Rodgers looked like he had accuracy and played better than he did last year. But he also hasn’t had a winning season in years.
The Steelers have had non-losing seasons with Devlin Hodges and Kenny Pickett. They went to the playoffs with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. There’s no reason Aaron Rodgers can’t take them to the postseason, but that’s the bare minimum. Their hope is he can give them an offense that can help them beat the best teams.
Vintage Aaron Rodgers certainly could beat anybody. They’re not getting vintage Aaron Rodgers, but something close to it could be enough. Especially if they can figure out the run game and the defense can settle down.
Mind you, one game isn’t going to tell us much of anything, one way or another. Anybody can have a great game, or a bad game. But I think Rodgers looked better than a lot of people anticipated. How good can he look when the Steelers are playing the teams they haven’t been able to beat?
After another disappointing season and months of retooling, the Steelers are set to try it all again in 2025. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.
Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is the quarterback question. They settled in on Aaron Rodgers, but we still have a lot to learn about him. The 2025 NFL Draft class could play a big role, but veteran additions like Jalen Ramsey will be paramount.
Now we are in the regular season. From Rodgers to George Pickens to Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ramsey, we’ve seen the Steelers make some big changes. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and figuring out how it all works out.
