Chris Gates | The Pittsburgh Football Podcast
If you look at Aaron Rodgers’ statistics from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 16-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, there’s probably not much that jumps off the page.
Rodgers completed 19 of 30 passes for 212 yards and one touchdown.
No eye-popping numbers. No 300-yard passing performance. Nothing that would necessarily suggest the Steelers got an exceptional performance from their 42-year-old quarterback.
But if you actually watched the game, you saw something entirely different.
You saw a quarterback who looked comfortable in the pocket, moved exceptionally well under pressure, made difficult throws on the run, and consistently put his offense in positions to succeed.
And perhaps most importantly, you saw a quarterback who helped the Steelers win their third consecutive game, improving to 5-2 and maintaining their position atop the AFC North.
Aaron Rodgers might not be putting up MVP-caliber statistics, but he’s playing like an MVP for the Steelers right now.
And the more I watch him play, the more convinced I become that he’s a significantly better quarterback than the one we watched in Pittsburgh last season.
This Isn’t the Same Aaron Rodgers We Saw Last Season
One of the biggest questions surrounding Rodgers entering this season was whether he had anything left in the tank.
I mean, hell. It took a while to even confirm whether he was going to play again this season.
At 42 years old, nobody should reasonably expect him to move around the field like he did during his prime in Green Bay. Father Time catches up with everybody eventually, and Rodgers certainly isn’t immune.
But there’s a difference between acknowledging that a quarterback is getting older and assuming he’s no longer capable of making plays.
And Rodgers is proving that distinction matters.
Over the past several weeks, we’ve seen him make plays that simply weren’t happening consistently a season ago.
Two weeks ago against Tampa Bay, Rodgers repeatedly found ways to escape pressure, extend plays, and deliver throws that helped the Steelers complete a fourth-quarter comeback.
Against New Orleans, we saw more of the same.
There was the 51-yard completion to DK Metcalf, where Rodgers navigated pressure and delivered a beautiful throw downfield.
And then there was the eight-yard scramble late in the game, when Rodgers recognized an opportunity to take off, picked up a critical first down, and helped Pittsburgh run out the clock.
Think about that for a moment.
A 42-year-old quarterback, with the game hanging in the balance, using his legs to help secure a victory.
That’s not something many people expected to see from Rodgers at this stage of his career.
His arm strength remains impressive, too. He’s still capable of delivering the football with velocity and accuracy, particularly when he has an opportunity to push the ball downfield.
No, he’s not the same quarterback he was at 25 or 35 years old.
But he’s demonstrating that he doesn’t need to be.
Rodgers Is Doing Exactly What This Offense Needs
What’s particularly impressive about Rodgers’ recent performances is that he’s doing all of this without a fully healthy group of wide receivers.
Michael Pittman Jr. has been sidelined, with questions surrounding how much longer he could be out. Let’s not forget, Pittman was a major acquisition in the offseason and viewed as a clear WR2 for this Steelers team.
Roman Wilson, who had emerged as one of Pittsburgh’s most effective receiving options before his injury, has also been unavailable the past two weeks.
That has left Rodgers working primarily with Metcalf, rookie Germie Bernard, and a rotating collection of other receiving options.
It’s hardly an ideal situation for any quarterback, let alone one in his 40s.
Yet the Steelers keep finding ways to move the football and win games.
Some of that credit obviously belongs to Jaylen Warren, who has been phenomenal this season. Warren rushed for another 101 yards against New Orleans and continues to establish himself as one of the NFL’s most productive running backs.
Rico Dowdle has also provided valuable contributions, both as a runner and as a receiver out of the backfield.
But the relationship between Pittsburgh’s rushing attack and its quarterback works both ways.
Warren’s effectiveness on the ground creates opportunities for Rodgers in the passing game. At the same time, Rodgers’ ability to make defenses respect the passing attack helps create opportunities for Warren.
And perhaps the biggest difference between this season and last is that Rodgers is consistently making the decisions necessary to keep the offense functioning.
He’s not forcing throws into dangerous situations. He’s not making costly mistakes. He’s recognizing pressure, adjusting within the pocket, and taking advantage of the opportunities that present themselves.
It’s not always flashy football.
But it’s winning football.
Mike McCarthy Deserves Credit, Too
Of course, Rodgers isn’t doing this alone.
When the Steelers hired Mike McCarthy, one of the most intriguing elements of that decision was the opportunity to reunite him with Rodgers.
The two had already spent years working together in Green Bay, and that familiarity seemed like something that could help Pittsburgh’s offense take a step forward.
Even with Rodgers another year older, I thought there was reason to believe he could actually be more effective in 2026 than he was in 2025.
And we’re beginning to see why.
McCarthy deserves considerable credit for developing an offensive approach that plays to the strengths of his personnel.
The Steelers have leaned into their running game, found creative ways to utilize their running backs in the passing attack, and given Rodgers opportunities to make plays without asking him to carry the entire offense on every possession.
But Rodgers deserves just as much credit for executing that approach.
The early portion of the season certainly wasn’t perfect.
Pittsburgh’s offense struggled against Atlanta and New England. There were stretches against Cleveland where the offense disappeared for extended periods before Rodgers nearly engineered a fourth-quarter comeback.
But something has changed over the past three games.
The Steelers delivered their best offensive performance of the season against Indianapolis. Rodgers then helped lead a comeback victory against Tampa Bay. And against New Orleans, he managed another efficient performance that resulted in a win.
There’s a growing sense of continuity and confidence within this offense that simply wasn’t there at the beginning of the season.
And Rodgers is at the center of it.
The Statistics Might Never Tell the Full Story
Here’s what I find particularly interesting about Rodgers’ season.
When we get to the end of the year, there’s a good chance he won’t rank among the NFL’s top five quarterbacks in passing yards, touchdowns, or many of the other traditional statistical categories.
He might not even crack the top 10 in some of them.
But what happens if the Steelers finish the season with 10, 11, or even more victories?
What happens if they win the AFC North and put themselves in position to make a legitimate postseason run?
How much credit should go to the quarterback who helped make that possible?
Because that’s the direction this season is beginning to head.
The Steelers are 5-2, winners of three consecutive games, and have an opportunity to enter their bye week at 6-2 if they can defeat Cleveland on Sunday.
And they’re doing it with an offense that still has plenty of room to improve.
Getting healthy at wide receiver could open up additional opportunities in the passing game. Adding another capable receiver before the trade deadline could do the same.
There’s reason to believe the Steelers haven’t come particularly close to reaching their offensive ceiling.
And if Rodgers continues playing the way he has over the past several weeks, that ceiling could be considerably higher than many people expected.
The Steelers Have Something Special Developing
For much of the early season, it was difficult to figure out exactly what kind of football team the Steelers were going to be.
They were inconsistent offensively. They had stretches where they looked capable of competing with anybody, followed by stretches where they struggled to move the football.
But over the past three weeks, something has started to come together.
The running game has become a legitimate strength. The offense has demonstrated an ability to make plays when it matters most. And Rodgers has looked increasingly comfortable operating within McCarthy’s system.
There’s still plenty of football left to play, and there will undoubtedly be challenges ahead.
But I think it’s time to acknowledge just how impressive Rodgers has been.
He’s not throwing for 350 yards every Sunday. He’s not producing highlight-reel touchdowns on every possession. And he’s certainly not the same quarterback who won four NFL MVP awards earlier in his career.
But he’s playing intelligent, efficient, winning football.
He’s making plays with his arm, extending plays with his legs, and leading an offense that’s finding ways to overcome significant personnel limitations.
And at 42 years old, that’s a pretty remarkable accomplishment.
Aaron Rodgers might not be in the MVP conversation when this season is over. But if the Steelers continue winning, there should be no question about how valuable he’s been to their success.
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