Trailing the Cincinnati Bengals in the final seconds of Week 7 and still nearly 70 yards from the end zone and a potential go-ahead touchdown, the Pittsburgh Steelers were in an unenviable position.
That wasn’t to say they were out of options, however.
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers bought time, jogged forward to add momentum and heaved his final pass of the night.
It was knocked down incomplete, just out of arm’s reach of a Steelers receiver, but it didn’t diminish the feat of the throw itself, which traveled 69.8 yards, the longest pass attempt since at least 2017, according to NFL tracking data.
The danger of such a Rodgers heave should be familiar to Pittsburgh’s next opponent, Green Bay. While playing 18 seasons with the Packers and winning four MVP honors and one Super Bowl title, Rodgers became known for possessing perhaps the league’s strongest arm, one that helped him complete three Hail Mary attempts with the franchise. When he completed another with the New York Jets in 2024, their coach said they were “fortunate that we have the best Hail Mary thrower in the history of this game.”
When Rodgers plays Green Bay on Sunday for the first time since forcing his way out of the franchise three seasons ago, the Packers will see a quarterback who is diminished from his former MVP form — yet, from his arm to his ability to spray the ball around the field, remains a viable starting quarterback and has found life after Green Bay.
“They’re asking me this week, ‘Is it a revenge game?’” Rodgers told reporters this week. “What have I got to be avenging here? They paid me a ton of money, I grew up there, and spent some of the best years of my life there and have nothing but love for the organization.”
Last spring, as Rodgers was cut loose by the Jets and entertained only a few suitors in free agency as he mulled whether to return for an 18th season as a starter, and 21st overall, such a development didn’t appear to be a foregone conclusion.
Yet as Rodgers nears his 42nd birthday in December, the oldest active player in the league has helped Pittsburgh to a 4-2 start, and first place in the AFC North.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur dismissed the reunion storyline, saying that “we’re playing the Pittsburgh Steelers, who happen to have Aaron Rodgers.” But days later, LaFleur was back discussing Rodgers again.
“For such an old man, he’s still moving around pretty good,” LaFleur told reporters.
But it will be partly about how well the Packers defend a quarterback who has revived his career amid a season that he has said could be his last. Of the 33 quarterbacks this season with at least 100 attempts, Rodgers leads the league in the percentage of his passes that become touchdowns. In an acknowledgement of Rodgers’ decreasing mobility, Pittsburgh designed its offense around exceptionally quick and short passes, and Rodgers has responded with the highest passer rating on throws in 2.5 seconds or less.
He also ranks seventh in completion percentage, ninth in passer rating and has engineered two game-winning drives. Rodgers remains the only quarterback with multiple games of four-plus passing touchdowns.
It has not entirely been a Rodgers revival tour. His interception rate is the league’s fourth highest.
Wins are not a quarterback statistic, yet a team’s success is still deeply intertwined with a quarterback’s success. When Rodgers started, the Packers had a winning percentage of .647; since leaving Green Bay, his winning percentage stands at .416.
The Packers (4-1-1) have had little reason to look back with regret at their decision to acquiesce to Rodgers’ desire to play in New York in 2023. His successor, Jordan Love, led the Packers to playoff berths in each of his first two seasons, while producing none of the off-field headlines that marked the end of Rodgers’ time in Green Bay. And this season, Love has curbed one of his major weaknesses by throwing just two interceptions in six games; at the same point last season, Love had thrown nine.
“Obviously would’ve loved to ride off in the sunset after a Super Bowl win [with Green Bay], but that’s not the way the league goes sometimes,” Rodgers told reporters. “I knew the writing was on the wall when Jordan was picked.”
“I knew at some point there would be a change, and if I wanted to play, it’d probably have to be elsewhere. So I understand the situation.”
What else we’re watching in Week 8
Dolphins (1-6) at Falcons (3-3): Tua Tagovailoa is still the starting quarterback in Miami despite a league-high 10 interceptions. The Dolphins have yet to win on the road this season.
Jets (0-7) at Bengals (3-4): Aaron Glenn is trying to avoid becoming just the fifth coach in the last 20 seasons to lose their first eight games. Cincinnati has scored at least 27 points in six straight games.
Browns (2-5) at Patriots (5-2): Cleveland has lost its last 11 games on the road, the longest active losing streak. With one sack, Myles Garrett will pass Reggie White for the most sacks before turning 30 since sacks started being tracked in 1982.
Giants (2-5) at Eagles (5-2): New York is 0-4 on the road this season and hasn’t won in Philadelphia since 2014. Philadelphia’s offense ranks only 14th in average scoring, but thanks to the “tush-push,” it scores a touchdown on an NFL-high 82% of red-zone trips.
Bills (4-2) at Panthers (4-3): Buffalo averages a league-best 151 rushing yards, while Carolina ranks third, with a 140.1-yard average.
Bears (4-2) at Ravens (1-5): Lamar Jackson, who has participated in practice this week, was ruled out again with a hamstring injury. With a loss, Baltimore would tie for the worst seven-game start in franchise history. If D’Andre Swift gains 100 yards on the ground for a third straight game, it will be the longest streak by a Bears back since Matt Forte in 2013.
49ers (5-2) at Texans (2-4): The Texans are the first team in NFL history to lead the league in fewest points allowed per game through Week 7 but still have a losing record. Every Texans loss has come by one score.
Buccaneers (5-2) at Saints (1-6): The last time New Orleans started 1-7 was 1999. One bright spot: If Alvin Kamara gets two catches, he’ll join LaDainian Tomlinson and Marshall Faulk as the only players with at least 6,000 career rushing yards plus at least 600 catches.
Cowboys (3-3-1) at Broncos (5-2): Dallas has protected quarterback Dak Prescott marvelously, allowing only 1.1 sacks per game, but Denver is the best in the league at getting sacks. More than 13% of Broncos opponents’ plays result in sacks, by far the highest rate in the league.
Titans (1-6) at Colts (6-1): Opposites meet. Indianapolis has outscored opponents by 92 points, 28 more than the next best team. The Titans have been outscored by a league-worst 96 points, meanwhile.
Packers (4-1-1) at Steelers (4-2): Micah Parsons broke through in Week 7, with three sacks. He is averaging the second-most quarterback pressures in the league, per Pro Football Focus.
Commanders (3-4) at Chiefs (4-3): Quarterback Jayden Daniels has already been ruled out with an injury. Patrick Mahomes leads the NFL with 18 touchdowns and has transformed Kansas City into the betting favorite to win the Super Bowl.
