At times in his second season with the Steelers, the almost 43-year-old has shown glimpses of the player he was in his prime, slinging the ball with zest and precision, able to suss out any coverage.
asserted
he → show → coverage
Other times he has looked like, well, a guy in his 40s playing a young man’s game.
asserted
he → look → game
Rodgers looked more like prime Rodgers in the Steelers’ gritty 16-10 win over the Saints in Paris.
asserted
Rodgers → look → Paris
He wasn’t satisfied with his side of the ball, telling reporter Molly McGrath, “I don’t think we played very good on offense today.”
asserted
we → tell → offense
But Rodgers did enough to secure the win, including a 51-yard strike to DK Metcalf in the second quarter.
asserted
Rodgers → do → quarter
He later scrambled for a first down on third-and-six to secure the win.
asserted
He → scramble → win
Sure, there were points left on the table – the Steelers had several stalled drives and only scored one touchdown in four red-zone trips – and 16 points against a two-win team isn’t impressive.
asserted
points → be → team
But the Steelers left France with a win, a 5-2 record and a ton of upside.
asserted
Steelers → leave → upside
So here’s a crazy thought: Could Rodgers win a Super Bowl in his final NFL season?
uncertain
Rodgers → ’ → season
But when you consider the parts around Rodgers, perhaps it’s not so crazy.
asserted
it → consider → Rodgers
As competent as Rodgers was against the Saints, the defense stole the show.
asserted
defense → steal → show
They smothered Saints quarterback Tyler Shough, and shut down the Saints run game as Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen had predicted.
asserted
Queen → smother → game
This Steelers run defense is punishing and only improving.
asserted
defense → punish → ?
In Weeks 1-4, they allowed 4.5 yards per carry.
asserted
they → allow → carry
Over the last three weeks, it has dropped to 2.8 yards per carry.
asserted
it → drop → carry
All told, Pittsburgh’s defense has allowed just three touchdowns in the last 15 quarters.
asserted
defense → tell → quarters
Offensively, Rodgers is no worse than Sam Darnold was last year when the Seahawks won the Super Bowl.
asserted
Seahawks → win → Bowl
He’s thrown 13 touchdowns and five interceptions for 1,699 yards through his first seven games this season – Darnold had 12 TDs, four picks and 1,754 yards over the same span in 2025.
asserted
Darnold → throw → 2025
Saints linebacker Kaden Elliss likened Rodgers to a point guard, noting the advantage he has over other NFL quarterbacks.
asserted
he → liken → quarterbacks
“Even though he’s up there in age, I think that’s an advantage to him, his mind,” Elliss said after Sunday’s game.
asserted
Elliss → ’ → game
“And I think he used that today.”
asserted
he → think → that
Maybe Rodgers’s football IQ could catapult Pittsburgh to a deep playoff run in the AFC.
uncertain
IQ → catapult → AFC
Yes, there are the perennial Super Bowl contenders like Kansas City and Buffalo, but no AFC team this season is a winning machine like the Patriots in the Brady-Belichick era.
asserted
team → be → era
And, after a ho-hum Super Bowl from a star power perspective, a Rodgers return to the big stage would set off fireworks.
asserted
return → set → fireworks
Of course, Rodgers comes with plenty of baggage due to his commitment to his “own research” during Covid, his ridiculous antipathy towards Anthony Fauci and his habit of calling out coaches and teammates.
asserted
Rodgers → come → coaches
Recently, though, he appears to have realized keeping his opinions to himself is probably the best course of action.
asserted
keeping → appear → action
His worst take over the weekend was appearing to think Peaky Blinders was set in France rather than England.
asserted
Blinders → appear → France
He’s not exactly likable, but considering what he’s said in the past, his recent behavior seems like progress.
asserted
behavior → ’ → progress
Not that he’s completely quiet.
asserted
he → ’ → ?
In Paris, when asked about the International Series, he let it be known that team owners had considered a 16-game schedule with an entire international week, where teams play all over the world and two byes.
asserted
teams → ask → world
Instead, according to Rodgers, they opted for the 17-game schedule to rake in extra cash.
uncertain
they → accord → cash
Rodgers added that the league “may be a little tight on money,” a refreshing level of shade that will win him some fans.
uncertain
that → add → fans
Realistically, Rodgers and the Steelers will need a good deal of luck to make it to the Super Bowl this year.
asserted
Rodgers → need → Bowl
But that’s the case for plenty of teams.
asserted
that → ’ → teams
A run to the title game would send Rodgers’s smugness of the charts, but you have to admit that his final game coming on Super Bowl Sunday would be interesting.
asserted
game → send → Sunday
Down 13-0 at the half, the Bengals looked destined for an infuriating loss, an art they specialize in.
asserted
they → destine → loss
They had mustered just 49 passing yards, and were struggling to sustain drives.
asserted
They → muster → drives
Meanwhile, the supposedly retooled Bengals defense couldn’t get the Ravens off the field.
asserted
defense → retool → field
At the half, Baltimore, led by a backup quarterback, had dominated the time of possession 22:20 to 7:40.
asserted
Baltimore → lead → 7:40
Yet again, Cincinnati looked like a fringe playoff team not meeting their full potential.
asserted
Cincinnati → look → potential
…and 47 more, not listed.
The Aporia
