Aaron Rodgers began his Hall of Fame career in Green Bay with the Packers. He had a chance to join Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Tom Brady in beating all 32 NFL teams when the Green Bay Packers came to town to face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.
The stage was set for Rodgers to beat his former team in primetime and beat the quarterback who was drafted to replace him. Rodgers made it seem like no big deal all week, but Rodgers is known to be a very competitive person, and it was very likely that winning this game would have meant more than he put on.
The Packers came in with four wins, one loss, and a tie. The Steelers sat at the top of the AFC North at 4-2.
Pittsburgh was coming into the game with the sour taste of defeat to division rival Cincinnati just 10 days earlier. The primetime game against a tough NFC opponent would be just what the doctor ordered if they could pull off the win.
Pittsburgh Steelers fall in tragic fashion to Aaron Rodgers former team
Green Bay had other ideas, as they spoiled the Steelers' hopes and beat them 35-25. The quarterback matchup was very lopsided in favor of Jordan Love in more ways than just the scoreboard.
Jordan Love went 29 for 37 with 360 yards and three touchdowns. He also threw no interceptions and had a 134.2 passer rating. Love was phenomenal against the league's highest-paid defense by a wide margin.
The young QB had total command of his offense and was able to march up and down the field with ease in the second half. The Packers scored 21 points in the fourth quarter, and Love fed his playmakers the ball all game long to lead them to victory.
Aaron Rodgers, on the other hand, went 24-for-36 for just 219 yards and two touchdowns. He also did not throw an interception, and his passer rating was 101.5.
Rodgers had a decent game, and the offense has largely not been the biggest issue on the team as it has been in the past. He was able to move the ball and put up a couple of touchdowns, even though his second came with the game well in hand by that point.
The Steelers' offense has been let down by the defense a lot this season, which is something fans did not see coming. The defense is broken right now, and Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the offense will suffer from that as well.
In what was likely the last chance Rodgers had to beat his former team, he played generally well but was not good enough to beat his former team or best his former backup. This loss will likely sting Rodgers for a long time to come, regardless of how the rest of his season turns out.