We've seen good teams win playoff games and even Super Bowls without an elite quarterback at the helm in recent years. The 2024 Philadelphia Eagles are a prime example of how success came from the talent on the roster, not from a QB carrying the team on his shoulders. Unfortunately, the Pittsburgh Steelers don't have that luxury.
Like it or not, the Steelers' 2025 roster is average at best. T.J. Watt has taken a big step back in his ninth NFL season, while the league's highest-paid defense ranks 28th in yards per game allowed (369.3). Meanwhile, Pittsburgh's defensive front has allowed over 215 rushing yards to its opponents in back-to-back games, and they have no threatening wide receiver outside of DK Metcalf.
Mike Tomlin is desperately looking to snap his team's eight-year drought without a single playoff win. But that's only going to happen if the Steelers get the version of Aaron Rodgers we saw in Week 14.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a glimmer of hope in the playoffs with a confident Aaron Rodgers
While the Steelers hold pole position of the AFC North at just 7-6 and control their own destiny in the final month of the season, Pittsburgh isn't guaranteed a playoff spot just yet. The 6-7 Baltimore Ravens—whom they defeated in Week 14—is the only team still in the divisional race.
However, if the Steelers can secure a playoff spot this year, fans want to know that this isn't just another team that will be one-and-done. Thankfully, Rodgers' latest performance offers hope that we couldn't see before Week 14.
Before his outstanding game against the Ravens, Rodgers had averaged just 163.2 passing yards per game for a mere 5.9 yards per attempt and an 83.5 passer rating. With a stagnant running game and a pitiful run defense, this quarterback play would never be good enough for the Steelers to snap their winless playoff drought.
Fortunately, a 42-year-old Rodgers still showed that he has more than enough arm talent left in the tank. In Week 14, Rodgers fearlessly slung the ball all over the field—going 4/4 on throws 20 or more air yards. It looked like Rogers was going to cruise to his first 300-yard game since his 2021 MVP season with the Green Bay Packers. However, the Steelers' offense stalled late.
Still, Rodgers' aggressiveness down the field with the football aided the Steelers to 27 points in the first three quarters of the game before the offense took its foot off the gas. Rodgers' performance proved to be enough for Pittsburgh, even though Tomlin's team was outgained on the ground 34 to 217 yards.
If the Steelers make the playoffs, they will face teams better than the Baltimore Ravens—and we'll have to pray that the run defense improves soon. But if Rodgers continues to show a willingness to push the ball down the field and create explosive plays in the passing game, Pittsburgh will at least have a shot to compete in an underwhelming AFC.
The Steelers are an average team at best on paper, with a few major issues late in the season. The fate of Pittsburgh's 2025 playoff hopes rests in the arms of a confident Aaron Rodgers.