The Pittsburgh Steelers had a imaginative and prescient.
And it took some severe endurance.
It wasn’t till early June that Aaron Rodgers reached a one-year, $13.65 million contract with the Steelers, practically 4 months after the Jets knowledgeable the veteran quarterback of his launch.
Pittsburgh went via free company, the NFL Draft and OTAs with out including a beginning QB, taking a threat as Rodgers thought-about his future.
However Rodgers lastly signed, and a few seven months later, he and the fourth-seeded Steelers (10-7) are getting ready for a playoff sport in opposition to the Houston Texans (12-5).
“This was the vision in the spring when we pursued him,” head coach Mike Tomlin stated after clinching the AFC North with an instant-classic 26-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens within the regular-season finale.
“That’s why you do business with a 41, 42-year-old guy, been-there, done-that guy with a résumé like his. He’s not only capable, man. He thrives in it.”
Monday evening’s Wild Card Spherical sport at Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium marks Rodgers’ first postseason look since January of 2022.
That drought included a disappointing two-year tenure with the Jets during which Rodgers missed virtually the entire 2023 season as a consequence of an Achilles tear, adopted by a 2024 season during which he went 5-12.
Though Rodgers was productive in 2024 — he handed for 3,897 yards and 28 touchdowns — and completed the season robust, the Jets’ new regime of head coach Aaron Glenn and normal supervisor Darren Mougey opted for a clear slate and moved on from the headline-making four-time MVP.
The Jets in the end began three quarterbacks — together with Justin Fields, who spent 2024 with Pittsburgh — throughout their 3-14 season in 2025.
Their loss proved to be Pittsburgh’s achieve, because the Steelers went 10-6 in Rodgers’ begins and gained their division for the primary time since 2020.
“A lot of gratitude for the journey,” Rodgers stated. “Every season is different, has its challenges, adversity. We haven’t made it easy on ourselves, really all season, I guess, but I’m proud of our guys.”
Rodgers, who turned 42 final month, handed for 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns with seven interceptions in 16 video games.
He was at his finest when it mattered most, throwing for a season-high 294 yards and main the Steelers on two fourth-quarter landing drives in opposition to the Ravens with the division on the road.
The latter of these touchdowns was a 26-yard cross to Calvin Austin with 55 seconds remaining — a go-ahead rating that held up because the game-winner when Ravens rookie kicker Tyler Loop missed a 44-yard field-goal try as time expired.
“It’s cool when you see the ball in the hands of [No.] 8 there,” stated Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt, referring to Rodgers. “It’s like, he’s here for a reason. This is why he’s here. This is the best dude in the NFL for this moment.”
The Steelers enter the playoffs having gained 4 of their final 5 video games, however they started the week as 3.5-point underdogs to the fifth-seeded Texans.
That’s as a result of red-hot Houston has gained 9 video games in a row, largely on the power of one of many NFL’s stoutest defenses.
The Texans allowed an NFL-low 277.2 yards per sport, whereas opponents scored an AFC-low 17.4 factors per sport in opposition to them.
Go rushers Danielle Hunter (15) and Will Anderson (12) mixed for 27 sacks — a bonus Rodgers will try and thwart with one of many NFL’s quickest launch occasions.
“Aaron, he’s done it at a high level for a long time because he’s probably one of the smartest quarterbacks to play the game,” stated Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans, a former linebacker who confronted Rodgers throughout his enjoying profession.
“He does a really good job, understands defense really well. But for us, that doesn’t change. … It’s about our guys playing together, collectively, against a really good opponent.”
One factor working in Rodgers’ favor is the return of prime vast receiver D.Okay. Metcalf, who’s again after a two-game suspension for hitting a fan throughout a Week 16 win in Detroit.
Tomlin stated Metcalf — who led Pittsburgh with 850 receiving yards and 6 landing catches in 15 video games — is “in a great place” and “happy to be back.”
So is Rodgers, who seeks his second Tremendous Bowl championship after successful his first a decade and a half in the past with the Inexperienced Bay Packers.
“It just takes a little belief at this point in the season,” Rodgers stated. “There’s 14 teams that’ll be left, 18 that’ll be planning their offseasons. It’s good to be part of the 14.”
