Aaron Rodgers gave us both great and bad moments through the first three weeks of the season. In Ireland in Week 4, he was about as good as the Steelers could have asked him to be. While they nearly gave the game away late, Rodgers had the offense running at arguably its highest level this season for much of the day.
According to Steelers insider Mark Kaboly, Rodgers has been the team’s most indispensable player through four weeks.
“I mean, I think he’s team MVP,” Kaboly said Wednesday on 93.7 The Fan. “You couldn’t expect anything more from him right now. We can see him throwing on target. But just how he’s being able to interact with some of the players, I think is something that none of us were able to foresee. I didn’t think he would be that type of a guy. I mean, just look at that Minnesota game. Was there a happier guy out there? I think that goes a long way with the team and the overall morale of the team.”
Playing well matters. But inspiring your teammates and being a true leader is one of the best traits a quarterback can have. With Rodgers’ long NFL resume, he doesn’t need to prove himself to anybody at this stage in his career. But he’s still going out there and putting his body on the line, even in small situations.
Take this play as an example. Connor Heyward misses his block, which causes the play to break down and forces Kenneth Gainwell to have to make something happen behind the line of scrimmage. Most quarterbacks just stand in the backfield and watch. But Aaron Rodgers decides to put his 41-year-old body on the line and actually lays a good hit on a defender.
It’s not something that makes a huge difference in the overall outcome. But late in the fourth quarter in a close game, these types of things don’t go unnoticed by his teammates.
In terms of Rodgers’ actual play, it’s been as good as the Steelers could have expected. He’s completing 68.5-percent of his attempts and has thrown for eight touchdowns with three interceptions. His 102.6 passer rating is on pace to be his highest mark since his 2021 MVP season.
The Steelers still have some problems to work through. But for once, quarterback isn’t one of them. Aaron Rodgers has been exactly what the Steelers hoped he’d be, both on and off the field.
