Aaron Rodgers had one of the worst games of his career last week. He was awful against the Los Angeles Chargers, throwing for 161 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. While one of the interceptions wasn’t his fault, he made plenty of other mistakes. That stat line doesn’t tell the full story of how poorly Rodgers played. However, former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel believes Rodgers is primed for a bounce-back performance Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
“Aaron Rodgers gets back on track. I truly believe it,” Daniel said recently on his YouTube channel. “I think the Steelers are gonna win 21-17. Bengals are still a couple weeks out from Joe Burrow, if he plays.
“This is a huge game for the Bengals, though. Classic AFC North matchup. They have to win if they want any chance at staying in the playoff hunt, but I’ve got Steelers 21 Bengals 17.”
Rodgers had a solid day against the Bengals earlier this season. He completed 23-of-34 passes for 249 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions. Despite moving the ball well, Rodgers’ mistakes in that game ended up weighing heavily in the Steelers’ loss. The Bengals turned both those turnovers into 10 points, and they only ended up winning by two points.
However, if Rodgers eliminates those mistakes, he could be in for a big game against the Bengals. They have the NFL’s worst defense and the 30th-ranked pass defense. That should put Rodgers in a position to play better than he did last week.
Also, one of Rodgers’ biggest issues against the Chargers was getting skittish in the pocket. That should be less of an issue against the Bengals. They’re missing their top pass rusher, Trey Hendrickson, and Shemar Stewart, their first-round pick this year. That should allow Rodgers to settle into the game easier.
If Rodgers struggles again, though, then the Steelers could be in trouble. Unless the Bengals totally turned their defense around over their bye week, Rodgers has no reason to play that poorly against them.
However, the game might not be as low scoring as Daniel predicts. The Steelers’ defense had major issues against the Bengals earlier this year. While that unit has been better recently, the Bengals’ offense presents some different challenges. Therefore, Rodgers might need to have another solid day for the Steelers to win.
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