Aaron Rodgers may play 1-2 series in preseason W1

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 didn’t take a preseason snap for the Steelers last season, but it sounds like the 42-year-old vet will be on the field for each of the Steelers’ first two preseason games this year. Interestingly, they are against the Packers and Jets. Speaking with The Athletic’s Michael Silver, Rodgers didn’t seem particularly excited about taking preseason snaps, but said, “If (McCarthy) wants me to, I will.”

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.

For the first time in a long time, Rodgers isn’t stringing anyone along or drawing out a decision for months. When asked if this was his final year, Rodgers responded point-blank, “Yes. This is it.” He told reporters he thought he was done after Mike Tomlin walked away, but the hiring of Mike McCarthy eventually changed his mind. Rodgers did, however, wait until after the draft and then some to make his decision. The hope for Steelers fans is that McCarthy will get more out of Rodgers than Arthur Smith did, though we remain skeptical that there is much left in the tank as Rodgers enters his age-43 season.

Howard is set to compete with veteran Mason Rudolph for backup duties to begin the season. Rudolph and Howard were splitting reps in the team’s offseason program last month. NFL Network reported in January that Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy “likes Will Howard a lot” and sees potential in his offensive system. “I’m not saying the Steelers believe Will Howard will be the quarterback for ten years after Aaron Rodgers is gone,” Breer said. “But I do think Mike McCarthy sees a little something there and wanted to take a closer look.” Howard, going into his age-25 season, threw for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions during his final collegiate season at Ohio State in 2024. He ranked fourth among all CFB quarterbacks in adjusted yards per attempt that season.