Aaron Rodgers’ honest admission makes his bounce-back even more impressive

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is 1-0 as a 42-year-old quarterback in the NFL. It was a nice return to form for Rodgers, who turned 42 last Tuesday and then completed 23 of 34 passes for 284 yards and a score in his first outing against the Baltimore Ravens.

Even before he suffered the fractured left wrist (and broken nose), Rodgers wasn’t playing quite as well as he or anyone associated with the Steelers would like. The Steelers didn’t complete a pass of 20 or more air yards through the entire month of November. That’s not totally on Rodgers, but he certainly held plenty of blame, too.

Pittsburgh got that November burden off its back early, as Rodgers connected with DK Metcalf for a 52-yard pass, 42 of which, poetically, came through the air. Rodgers also ran in his first rushing touchdown since New Year’s Day 2023 and joined Jerry Rice as the only players in league history with a catch at 42 years old. 

Aaron Rodgers opens up on how he felt physically heading into his first Steelers-Ravens contest

Rodgers said after the game that he woke up feeling “great”, which isn’t always the case for someone of his veteran stature.

“I mean, some games you feel better than others,” Rodgers said. ”I was just telling the linemen, you'll understand this when you're 40. You know, some days you feel “better than others. Wake up, and there's no specific reason why. You know, thinking like, ‘What did I do last night? Did I sleep wrong or whatever?’ But some days you feel great, other days you feel maybe just good. Today I felt great.”

That’s a relatable sentiment for many of us who watch along from the comfort of our own couches. And we don’t even have to outrun NFL defensive linemen to the endzone.

“It's been a long time,” Rodgers said about his first rushing score in nearly three years. “That there was in no way the play at all. It was a play to Jonnu [Smith] and the whole left side just caved in, and I started running and realized I had two, uh, ‘larger’ humans chasing me that I maybe was equal to or slightly faster than.”

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Still, Rodgers' admission to the realities of his age can help soothe some of the pains this season has brought, especially recently. Rodgers didn’t play well in three of his four games in November. From Weeks 10-13, excluding the Week 12 game he missed, Rodgers completed 60% or less of his passes, threw for 161 yards or less, and threw as many interceptions, two, as touchdowns.

For many quarterbacks, that would just be a slump, but for Rodgers in what will likely be his final season, it seemed to be the reality Pittsburgh fans would have to endure. Luckily, Rodgers proved that that isn’t the case with his performance against Baltimore.

That said, Pittsburgh isn’t exactly in a position to endure another slump, or even a few days where he doesn’t wake up feeling great. The Steelers are back in the driver's seat of the AFC North, and how Rodgers goes, so too go the Steelers. Here’s to a handful of great Sunday mornings for Rodgers as the regular season comes to a close.