Aaron Rodgers put the NFL world on notice in Week 1. The 41-year-old silenced many of his doubters with a four-touchdown performance that carried the Pittsburgh Steelers to a tight win over his former New York Jets.
Of course, not all of Rodgers' doubters were silenced. After all, the Jets sacked him four times, all while keeping a lead for the majority of the game. While New York certainly put its best foot forward and had some advantages due to Justin Fields’ familiarity with the Steelers’ defense, Rodgers' performance in a vacuum was just about all that Steelers fans could have hoped for.
But now the question rings into Week 2 as to whether he can sustain such performances on a week-to-week basis. After all, throwing for four touchdowns is something Rodgers hasn’t done since his most recent MVP season, and that was four years ago.
Aaron Rodgers' path to repeating his Week 1 performance for Pittsburgh Steelers is full of obstacles
While many Steelers fans are concerned about his weapons, the biggest obstacle for Rodgers to repeat his stellar debut performance comes down to the offensive line and his protection. The four sacks that Rodgers took in the opener, along with the pressure he faced on 20% of his drop-backs, are a lot more than anyone in Pittsburgh is comfortable with.
But Week 2 doesn’t offer much reprieve. The Seahawks’ defense, led by former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator and now Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald, pressured Brock Purdy on 57.9% of his drop-backs last week. While Seattle only got home for one sack, Purdy isn’t playing in Week 2 due to injury.
That’s not a scenario Pittsburgh is keen on facing. And without a reliable run game so far in the young season, it’s hard to see a path for Pittsburgh to take some of that pressure off of Rodgers.
Still, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Pittsburgh will be forced into submission by Seattle’s defense. After all, Seattle didn’t win their season opener, and Purdy himself left Week 1 with one of the most efficient performances in the entire NFL. Rodgers himself wasn’t too far behind him in that regard.
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Rodgers completed 73.3% of his Week 1 passes and averaged 11.1 yards per completion. Those stats are in line with or better than his career averages. While yes, that stems from just one game, it continues the trend he established late last year when he began to look like his old self again. As long as Rodgers is playing like the guy who is destined for Canton, there isn’t much logical reason, beyond his age, to doubt him.
Is Rodgers going to throw for four touchdowns and complete nearly 75% of his passes again in Week 2? Probably not. But can he play efficiently enough regardless of the circumstances to ensure the Steelers have the best chance to win? Definitely.