After a week of speculation about whether Aaron Rodgers would be able to push through a fracture in his left wrist for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 12, the black and gold finally know the status of their 41-year-old quarterback. According to NFL Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, Rodgers will not play against the Chicago Bears.
Rodgers pushed to play, but in the end, as Rapoport reports, the situation was much too quick, and the team opted to avoid the risks for this game. However, Rodgers could return to the lineup next week against the Buffalo Bills.
In Rodgers' stead, the team will turn to Mason Rudolph as the starting quarterback with sixth-round rookie Will Howard serving as his backup.
With Aaron Rodgers out, Pittsburgh Steelers face Chicago Bears relying on their contingency plan
It will be Rudolph’s first start for the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2023 postseason in a Wild Card road trip to Buffalo. Rudolph spent last season with the Tennessee Titans and started five games, winning one.
Mason Rudolph will be starting at QB today for the Steelers, Mike Tomlin tells @EvanWashburn pic.twitter.com/5xdy28COps
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 23, 2025
As a Steelers starter, however, Rudolph holds an 8-4-1 record. This season, he hasn’t been asked to do much, most of his stats coming in the second half of last week’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals. On the year, Rudolph has 149 yards and a score on 14 of 18 passes.
Last week, Rudolph looked calm in the pocket and found open receivers quickly. Steelers fans will be hoping for more of the same in Chicago.
While Rudolph will bear the pressure of filling in as the Steelers’ starting quarterback, the Bears’ defense might not offer the same pressure as it did through the first 11 weeks of the season. Injuries have dismantled the Chicago defense that leads the NFL in takeaways. Chicago will be without their entire starting linebacker group, while three starting defensive backs missed practice time and will be questionable to play.
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Considering the defensive injuries Chicago faces this week, it’s a wonder if that impacted the Steelers’ decision with Rodgers. This would have been Rodgers’ 30th meeting against Chicago, having won 24 of the previous matchups in the rivalry.