When the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Aaron Rodgers, they weren’t expecting elite quarterback play. And at times, Rodgers has had elite games. He had four touchdown passes in a win over New York to start the season and had another four-touchdown performance in a tremendous effort during the Steelers’ loss in Cincinnati a little over a month ago.
Those performances haven’t been consistent, but that’s hard to expect from a nearly 42-year-old quarterback. However, analyst Gregg Rosenthal has been less than impressed with Rodgers. Which is why he wonders if the Steelers should just start Mason Rudolph Sunday with Rodgers nursing a wrist injury.
“That’s why I ask the Mason Rudolph question, I just don’t know. I think he can unlock DK Metcalf maybe a little more. Put it this way, I would say, you put Mason Rudolph in, you know what he is. He’s a backup for a reason,” Rosenthal said Wednesday on his NFL Daily podcast. “Aaron Rodgers is one of the worst two or three starting quarterbacks, to me, in the NFL right now. It wouldn’t shock me, if [Rudolph] played, he would help out. And I think Aaron Rodgers would be aware of that, too.”
The argument that Rodgers isn’t leading an explosive offense is a fine one. He doesn’t trust his pocket most of the time and looks to get rid of the ball too quickly for things to consistently develop deeper down the field. Even against Cincinnati, a team that struggles to create pressure, those issues were prevalent.
However, calling Aaron Rodgers one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the league is quite a stretch. Especially in the same league where quarterback like Geno Smith, Justin Fields, Tua Tagovailoa, Kyler Murray, Justin Fields and Michael Penix Jr. could all be considered worse options this season. In passer rating alone, Rodgers’ 97.7 mark is the 12th-best in the NFL. But Rosenthal’s not alone on his argument that the Steelers should start Rudolph instead this week.
Yet as well as Rudolph played last week, the chances of him starting seem to be looking less likely as the week goes on. Rodgers still has two days of practice to see how he feels, but the coaching staff seems ready to trust his decision as to whether he wants to play against the Bears.
Aaron Rodgers will want to win in Chicago one last time. But even if he plays the offense is going to need to look a little better. Chicago is capable of putting up points, and the Steelers’ offense hasn’t looked especially impressive in recent weeks. Apparently, it’s been bad enough to convince Rosenthal that Rodgers is one of the worst quarterbacks in the league.
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