Week 13 exposed a plethora of problems for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The offense couldn't move the ball on the ground or through the air, while the run defense allowed 249 yards on the ground. Fans at Acrisure Stadium were chanting for head coach Mike Tomlin to be fired... and there's a legitimate case to be made that the long-time head coach needs to go.
But Aaron Rodgers isn't getting off easy after a disastrous showing against the Buffalo Bills.
Rodgers was battling a fractured wrist that caused him to be an inactive game-time decision in Week 12 against the Chicago Bears. After Rudolph struggled to move the ball effectively in Chicago, fans were hopeful that the return of Rodgers would give the Steelers' offense a spark. It did not.
When the long-time quarterback wasn't getting rid of the ball quickly or dumping the ball down behind the line of scrimmage, he would scramble around and look to make a play, but with no success. By the end of the game, Rodgers completed just 10 of 21 passes for 117 yards. His 5.6 yards per attempt was his second-lowest mark of the season, and his performance was accompanied by a dismal 6.2 QBR, per ESPN stats.
Because of the Steelers' inability to move the ball through the air, Pittsburgh was ultimately outpaced 372 to 166 in total yardage gained while earning just 10 first downs compared to 26 for the Bills. Worst of all, Tomlin's team lost the time of possession battle 18:01 to 41:59.
The Steelers have now lost five of their last seven games, and Pittsburgh has a record of just 6-11 in its last 17 games dating back to the 2024 season. With the way Rodgers has been playing, the Steelers need to have a conversation at quarterback.
This isn't the Aaron Rodgers that the Pittsburgh Steelers thought they were getting
Rogers is hardly the only problem with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025, but because the position he plays holds so much weight, he's one of the biggest issues plaguing this team. The long-time quarterback ranks near the bottom of the NFL in EPA per play (24th), success rate (28th), and air yards (31st). Unfortunately, his performance has been trending in the wrong direction.
Rodgers has shied away from throwing the ball over the middle of the field with any sort of consistency, and he's played the worst football of his NFL career in the second half of the 2025 season.
Over his past five starts, Rodgers has averaged just 16.8 completions on 27.6 attempts for 163.2 yards per game (5.9 yards per attempt) and an 83.5 passer rating. The worst part is that there appears to be no end in sight to these disastrous showings.
READ MORE: Steelers officially have a massive Aaron Rodgers problem
Now the Steelers are 6-6 with zero hope of being competitive in the present and no hope of a future. Perhaps it's time to consider a quarterback change.
We've seen enough of Mason Rudolph to know that he's not the answer. However, Will Howard, Pittsburgh's sixth-round pick and a former national championship quarterback from Ohio State, is waiting in the wings for an opportunity to showcase his talents. Howard likely won't solve the Steelers' issues in the passing game, but could he be worse than what Rodgers has offered recently?
Aaron Rodgers is turning into a nightmare that won't go away, and we know he's not the future of this team. This isn't the player the Pittsburgh Steelers thought they would be getting in 2025, and it's time to start looking toward the future.