Colin Cowherd had very low expectations for the Pittsburgh Steelers this season. In late July, Cowherd said the Steelers were the 10th-best team in the AFC. And despite winning two of their first three games, he wasn’t impressed with the team, the offense especially. But after the Steelers beat the Minnesota Vikings in Ireland, Cowherd started to come around a bit, especially on QB Aaron Rodgers.
Cowherd drafted an apology letter to Rodgers, saying he is a “baller, not a bailer.” And after Rodgers’ performance against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Cowherd continued his Rodgers apology tour.
“Let me defend Aaron Rodgers again,” Cowherd said Sunday on The Colin Cowherd Podcast. “So far this season, [10] touchdowns, [three] picks, 69-percent completion percentage, 104 passer rating. He made a couple of throws today that were so Aaron, running right, throwing left. He had that throw in the end zone to Connor Heyward.
“I don’t want to buy into Pittsburgh, but it’s hard not to. Because I do think Aaron’s intelligence and experience has sort of synthesized all these talented parts. They just felt like players the last six years. Now they feel like a real offense with a rhythm to me.”
That’s exactly why head coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers pursued Aaron Rodgers. They wanted the four-time NFL MVP to help guide a young offense. And Rodgers has done exactly that. Even with the run game struggling early, Rodgers has (mostly) kept the offense on an even keel and made the plays needed to win.
He’s also getting the ball to his biggest (both metaphorically and literally) playmakers. Rodgers has thrown a touchdown pass to WR DK Metcalf in four straight games. That included a beautiful throw on a beautiful route for a 25-yard touchdown Sunday.
That @AaronRodgers12 ➡️ @dkm14 connection 🔥
📺 #CLEvsPIT on @ParamountPlus pic.twitter.com/UtVwyL2BW6
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) October 12, 2025
Speaking of big, Rodgers got TE Darnell Washington involved in the passing game, too, against the Browns. Washington is continuing to see the lion’s share of snaps at tight end because of his blocking ability. The Steelers and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith love to use their jumbo package to help kick-start the running game. And the Steelers ran for at least 100 yards in their second straight game on Sunday. But Washington saw the third most targets of any Steelers offensive player with five and had three catches for 62 yards (only second in yards to Metcalf’s 95).
Make no mistake, the Steelers are not elite offensively. But they are competent and efficient. The Steelers are scoring 23.8 points per game, 14th-most in the league. And with the Steelers’ defense looking dominant (six sacks against the Browns), competent is enough for the Steelers to make Colin Cowherd a believer.
And Aaron Rodgers believes the Steelers are positioning themselves to be a contender in the AFC, too.
