Although it could be classified as an easy pick, it's hard to ignore the potential for an eye-popping Sunday for Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in Week 6.
For all the talk about Rodgers nearing the end of his career, his arm talent and ability to win within the ears remain as elite as anyone to ever play the sport -- and against a Browns defense undergoing transition in the secondary, he’s poised to exploit every crack.
Cleveland made a move this week. acquiring Tyson Campbell from the Jacksonville, slotting him immediately into a perimeter role. Campbell has the length and athletic profile to limit even the best of the elites at the position, but scheme familiarity isn't on his side this week against a signal-caller who could know the defensive coverage better than you do.
Thrown into a new system on short notice, he’ll be facing one of the deadliest pre-snap manipulators in NFL history.
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers is primed for a huge Week 6 against the Browns
Rodgers doesn’t just diagnose defenses -- he toys with them. Hard counts, quick tempo shifts, and isolation looks are designed to force Campbell into solo coverage situations before safety help can rotate. Whether it’s DK Metcalf testing him vertically or tight end Jonnu Smith up the seam, Rodgers will make Campbell and the rest of the Browns' secondary declare early and punish hesitation.
Of course, Cleveland’s pass rush is capable of wrecking any script. Myles Garrett remains a one-man show, and defensive tackle Maliek Collins has quietly been one of the league’s most disruptive interior rushers, logging four sacks through the first five games.
But Rodgers has made a career out of neutralizing pressure through timing, outlet throws, and surgical ball placement. He won’t hold the ball long if pressure is near. He won’t give Garrett second chances. And if Pittsburgh leans into heavy play-action or quick RPO concepts, Collins’ interior penetration can be used against him, as well.
More importantly, it's the type of game Rodgers lives for-- divisional games, defensive hype, and a chance to deliver an early knockout punch.
Pittsburgh’s defense is more than capable of holding its own against Cleveland’s offense, but if Rodgers and the offense jump out to an early multi-score lead, the Browns’ margin for error crumbles.
That’s why Rodgers isn’t just a key player -- he’s the pivot point in Week 6. If he comes out firing and establishes the offense early, the game won’t be about Garrett, Collins, or Campbell on the outside.
It’ll be about the future Hall of Famer reminding everyone that even in 2025, few quarterbacks are more dangerous when blood is in the water.