Mike Tomlin has 'no long-term reservations' about Aaron Rodgers while AFC North rivals closing in on Steelers
The Baltimore Ravens have won three straight games, including two in a row since two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson came back from a hamstring injury. The Cincinnati Bengals designated their franchise quarterback, JJoe Burrow, to return from injured reserve, with a Thanksgiving appearance against the Ravens not out of the realm of possibility.
"Our division is wide open," Burrow, a two-time NFL Comeback Player of the Year, told reporters Monday, noting how rare that is for the AFC North at this point of the season.
It's up for grabs because the Pittsburgh Steelers haven't protected what was once a 2.5-game lead. Since their 4-1 start, they've lost three of their past four games.
While a dynamic Jackson is surging with the Ravens and a resilient Burrow is giving the Bengals hope, the Steelers are left with an aging Aaron Rodgers, a 41-year-old who looked far past his prime during a 25-10 road defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers on "Sunday Night Football."
Rodgers was sacked three times, once for a safety, and logged a mere 161 yards passing on 31 attempts while tossing two picks, although one bounced off the hands of wide receiver Calvin Austin III, and a garbage-time touchdown. Consistently throwing high, Rodgers hit on just 51.6% of his passes against the Chargers. That's his lowest completion percentage in a game in which he's thrown at least two passes since the 2020 season. Granted, Rodgers won his third of four NFL MVPs that year, however, he was still pulling the ripcord more than he has been in the final chapter of his career.
Rodgers' 6.8 yards per pass attempt this season rank him only 23rd in the NFL in that category, and he's 24th in the league in pass EPA, according to Next Gen Stats.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that he's not simply chalking up Rodgers' performance versus the Chargers as an "off night." He's not diagnosing "long-term concerns," either.
"Sunday night was what it was,” Tomlin said. “But I have no long-term reservations about his ability to play the position and play the position at a high level for us."
Rodgers has turned back the clock at times this season. He threw four touchdowns in a redemptive, season-opening win over the New York Jets. He completed 81.8% of his passes to the tune of victory in Ireland against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4. And he went back and forth with fellow 40-something Joe Flacco on "Thursday Night Football" in Week 7, albeit in a 33-31 loss to the Bengals.
Rodgers held himself accountable Sunday after his head-scratching outing at SoFi Stadium, where the Steelers were a combined 2 of 12 on third and fourth down.
"A lot of stuff wasn't working," Rodgers said postgame, via ESPN. "We were bad on third down. I was just a little bit off. ... I missed, obviously, some throws, for sure. And then we weren't getting guys open and just [couldn't] put it all together times the guys were open.
"I missed some throws I usually make."
Rodgers finished with a 50.6 passer rating. He's had nine games in his 21-season career with a passer rating south of 51. His teams have lost all but one of those contests.
By patiently waiting for Rodgers this offseason, Tomlin and the Steelers handcuffed themselves to a future Pro Football Hall of Famer who ultimately decided to he had more football in him.
In doing so, though, the Steelers signed up for getting the good, the bad and the ugly — as well as the enigmatic — from a veteran Rodgers, two seasons removed from his season-ending Achilles tear.
The ugly was on full display Sunday.
Rodgers' backup is Mason Rudolph, who didn't run away with the starting job when given the spotlight earlier in his career. Rookie Will Howard, the Steelers' sixth-round pick, is still making his way back to the field from a hand injury he suffered in training camp that cost him valuable preseason action.
Tomlin is standing by Rodgers, and Pittsburgh will need a lot more of the good from him going forward, especially to buoy its takeaway-dependent and injury-riddled defense that mostly hasn't lived up to expectations after entering the season with the highest-paid defensive roster in the league.
The Steelers have a chance to avenge their defeat to the Bengals in Week 11, and Rodgers has a chance to put his clunker in the rear view mirror.
They have to, with their AFC North rivals closing in on the division lead.