McCarthy wants Rodgers to play in preseason

Rodgers and the Steelers couldn’t get anything going through three quarters. They had just three points on the board and Germie Bernard check-downs were their only method of moving the ball. Even that was barely working. Running out of options, Rodgers simply started forcing the ball to DK Metcalf. He targeted Metcalf 12 times in the fourth quarter and overtime. The Steelers scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and another seven in the extra frame. Rodgers now has at least 230 yards and multiple touchdowns in four straight games. The Steelers’ pass-crazed approach under Mike McCarthy has kept him in the QB2 mix so far, and it will do so again when he faces the Saints next week.

The Steelers seemed worried about the Colts’ pass rush today, so there were a lot of quick-hit passes from Rodgers. The vast majority of them went to running backs or tight ends. Only nine of Rodgers’ 22 completions went to wide receivers, and 80 of his 235 passing yards came on a short pass to Jaylen Warren that the running back took up the sideline for a long touchdown. That’s not to say Rodgers didn’t play well. He did a good job avoiding sacks and not taking negative plays, but the Steelers’ offense didn’t look very potent outside of two explosive plays from Jaylen Warren. They may find things a little bit tougher against the Bucs next week.

Rodgers was under constant pressure from an unrelenting Cleveland pass rush, taking five sacks while throwing two interceptions in the loss. The offense struggled to maintain consistent efficiency as the Steelers fell into a 21-7 hole in the second quarter, eventually requiring more Rodgers fourth quarter heroics to knot the game at 24 with under two minutes to play. That would be enough time for Deshaun Watson to get the Browns into field goal range for the go-ahead kick with 10 seconds remaining. With just one timeout in hand, the Steelers were forced into downfield aggression on the final play of the game, which resulted in the second of two Rodgers interceptions. The Steelers have now been involved in three one-score games through four weeks, something both Steelers fans and those familiar with head coach Mike McCarthy are all too familiar with - two of those games resulted in wins. Up next for Rodgers and the Steelers are the reeling Colts in Week 5, against whom Rodgers will remain a middling QB2 in fantasy circles.

Rodgers’ first throw of the game came on a 30-yard dump-off to Jaylen Warren, but three plays later, Rodgers would connect with a wide-open Roman Wilson down the left sideline for a 38-yard touchdown. That would be the first of two touchdowns Rodgers would throw in the first quarter, with his second coming on a play-action pass to Ben Skowronek for a 23-yard score. Rodgers and the offense would stall a bit in the second quarter, with an interception on a dropped pass by Roman Wilson highlighting their struggles, but in the second half, the Steelers would rip off four plays for 20-plus yards to keep the pressure on the Bengals’ defense. Rodgers threw a six-yard touchdown pass to DK Metcalf in the third quarter to put the Steelers up 24-20, and benefited from a long catch-and-run by Darnell Washington on a 47-yard play that helped set up an eventual field goal by Chris Boswell. This was easily the best game of the season for Rodgers, who averaged a solid 7.1 ADOT on his completed passes against a Bengals defense that was solid through the first two weeks. Despite the strong outing, Rodgers shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than a QB2 in Thursday’s game against the Browns.

The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo penned a rather pessimistic assessment of the Steelers’ current state on Sunday night. We can’t necessarily blame him. The results have been disappointing. Perhaps thinning out the playbook will pay off. McCarthy believes QB Aaron Rodgers “could play with any volume of game plan, but at the end of the day, it’s a team game.” DeFabo notes that the Steelers moved WR DK Metcalf into the slot at times, attempting to avoid Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez’s coverage, but Gonzalez surprisingly trailed him, and Metcalf turned in an inefficient outing.

Rodgers led an anemic offense in a defense-heavy matchup with the Patriots for Week 2. The Steelers began the day with a couple of three-and-outs and were unable to find chunk plays the whole game. Rodgers fumbled in the second quarter on a play that pushed the Steelers back 37 yards due to a game of pinball in an effort to scoop up the ball; the play kicked the Steelers out of field goal territory. He later fumbled for a Pats scoop-and-score in the fourth quarter. Rodgers’ second turnover was an interception coming off a Germie Bernard bobble in the fourth quarter. A 4.8 yards per attempt mark indicates an offense that cannot push the ball downfield. Fantasy managers will not see chunk gains from Rodgers, who should be a fantasy QB3 for Week 3 against the Bengals.

Rodgers averaged just 5.5 yards per completion and didn’t complete a single pass over 20 yards downfield, going 0-for-6. He was also just 4-for-14 for 64 yards when he was under pressure. That being said, he also didn’t make many bad decisions and threw a couple of beautiful passes in tight windows over the middle of the field. It’s a new season, but this doesn’t really feel much like a new Steelers’ offense, which means the ceiling might be low when it comes to fantasy production. Rodgers remains just a QB2 option next week against the Patriots.

The Steelers will head into the regular season with Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and Drew Allar, who shined in training camp and during preseason outings in Mike McCarthy’s offense. If the 2026 season goes south for Pittsburgh, look for McCarthy to see what he has in Allar and perhaps Howard. Rudolph will likely back up Rodgers to start the regular season.

Rodgers may not play at all, and reports indicate that he, personally, could go either way on the matter. Steelers coach Mike McCarthy plans to play quarterbacks in three groups. The first two will split first-half reps, while the third plays for the entire second half. Shortly after this report, during pre-game warmups, Pryor said that “all signs are pointing to Rodgers being on the bench tonight.”

McCarthy will coach QB Aaron Rodgers for the first time since 2018, which was McCarthy’s final season with the Packers. Rodgers remained in Green Bay until 2022. McCarthy’s pre-snap shift rates fluctuated significantly over his final three seasons with the Packers and generally hovered around the league average during his 2020-24 run with the Cowboys. Rodgers is reportedly looking forward to returning to the updated version of his old scheme and should have little issue adjusting to McCarthy’s offensive wrinkle. The Steelers’ 63.9 percent pre-snap shift rate ranked 21st last year. Agreeing on terminology appears to be the only real issue that the two are working through, which Rodgers says he will be “stubborn about,” but is a natural part of the growing process.