Aaron Rodgers Could Provide Steelers With a Different Playoff Fate

Pittsburgh has gone one-and-done its last five postseason appearances, but the 42-year-old Rodgers showed Monday that he's still capable of delivering strong performances down the stretch.

Rodgers completed 23 of his 27 pass attempts in the Steelers' 28–15 win over the Dolphins. / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

No one asked for a seventh Jurassic Park movie this year, but we got one anyway, and many of us caved and watched despite the same storyline of the suits convincing the scientists to go to a restricted island filled with dinosaurs that may or may not eat them. 

The 2025 Steelers are a lot like the seventh Jurassic Park movie. Perhaps their season will end differently because the cast has changed, but in reality, they’ll likely meet their dinosaurs next month in the form of the Bills, Chargers or Texans to whimper to their sixth consecutive playoff loss. Pittsburgh has already played two of those three current AFC wild-card teams and lost by a combined 34 points to Los Angeles and Buffalo.  

But even though we know the ending, we’re going to care more about this latest one-and-done playoff appearance from Pittsburgh because Aaron Rodgers is starring in this one. He’s a box office draw, just like when the Fast & Furious franchise added Dwayne Johnson, giving the redundant storyline some spice, going from street racing to saving the world. 

I can see it now, nonstop promos telling us to subscribe to Amazon Prime to watch Rodgers’s Steelers against Josh Allen’s Bills on Saturday or Sunday night of wild-card weekend for a No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup. That scenario seems likely after the Steelers held onto a 28–15 victory over the Dolphins on Monday night to strengthen their odds of capturing the AFC North title. 

It was a dull prime-time matchup, but it was somewhat fun watching Rodgers operate in another cold game with temperatures below 20 degrees and having a vintage moment when he connected with former Packers teammate Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 19-yard touchdown in the third quarter. That’s a perfect example of how Rodgers can still deliver storylines even at age 42, but don’t expect a different outcome for this upcoming playoff appearance for the Steelers. 

Maybe I shouldn’t be so quick to compare a Rodgers-Allen playoff matchup to the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing exhibition from last year. (We all know who is who in this comparison.) The Steelers have played well enough lately to gain some of our attention, beating the Ravens and Dolphins in back-to-back games to recover from an embarrassing loss to the Bills in Week 13. On Monday night, Rodgers was 23-of-27 for 224 yards and two touchdowns.

Pittsburgh (8–6) has found a way to make it work with a middle-aged Rodgers, who lacks mobility and has lost some zip on his fastballs. The front office made a wise decision to pair running backs Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell, two pass-catching options who have racked up quick throws from Rodgers this season. Star receiver DK Metcalf got lost in this slow-moving offense in the first half, but he found the end zone in the third quarter. The deep ball is still there for Rodgers, but it takes plenty of time to set up the downfield shots. 

The Steelers have also leaned on fullback Connor Heyward, the younger brother of Cameron, in short-yardage situations while Rodgers stands a few feet away from the action with his hands on his hips before signaling the eventual first down. His mannerism during the Heyward push (gotta work on that name) made for several viral moments on social media, which TV executives love. Also, the younger Heyward filled the role of the underdog after coming up clutch a handful of times against the Dolphins, including recovering the onside kick to avoid a fourth-quarter meltdown in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers could have a fighting chance against Allen’s explosive Bills offense or Jim Harbaugh’s gritty Chargers or the Texans’ elite defense. Now I’m starting to sound like those boxing promoters who tried to convince us that a near-60-year-old Tyson had a chance against the much younger YouTube star-turned-boxer. But, hey, we all cared when Philip Rivers came out of retirement at age 44 last week. The outcome was predictable with Rivers throwing a floater in the middle of the field that was picked off to end a one-score game. The game, however, was highly entertaining with Rivers and the Colts nearly knocking out the mighty Seahawks at their house. 

What the Steelers have shown the past two games has the makings of a team that can at least produce a down-to-the-wire home matchup in the postseason. But none of us would be surprised if Pittsburgh gets crushed by more than 20 points for a one-and-done playoff appearance. And angry Steelers fans chanting “Fire Mike Tomlin” again could be another dramatic storyline for this predictable team. 

There’s still a chance the Steelers don’t make the playoffs because they face the Lions, Browns and Ravens to end the regular season. But Baltimore (7–7), the second-place team in the AFC North, has a difficult remaining schedule vs. New England, Green Bay and Pittsburgh. I’m sure the TV executives are rooting for Rodgers to bring his audience to a predictable—and maybe entertaining—playoff game.

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