My Hottest Take: Aaron Rodgers Gives The Steelers a Fighting Chance

The Steelers might be the last team in for the AFC title, but they have just as good a chance as anyone to make a run for the title with the league’s most experienced signal-caller at the helm. Rodgers flexed his clutch gene last night, finding Calvin Austin III for a go-ahead touchdown with under a minute left in the game. He finished just shy of 300 passing yards, bouncing back nicely after a rough game against Cleveland last week.

There’s plenty of young star power at quarterback, including reigning MVP Josh Allen, but none of them have an answer for Rodgers’ 22 career playoff appearances. Rodgers proved that he can be productive without a true WR1 in DK Metcalf’s absence, distributing the ball nicely throughout the Baltimore game while being complemented by two running backs with 1,000+ all-purpose yards in Kenneth Gainwell and Jaylen Warren. With Metcalf’s suspension coming to an end, Pittsburgh’s offense has a real chance to shake up the AFC.

What You Need To Know: Houston’s Defense is Terrifying

The one issue with Pittsburgh’s hopes of offensive production is their buzzsaw of a first-round opponent. The Texans and their defense have proven to be gamewreckers, allowing the fewest total yards per game of any team in the NFL. Arthur Smith will have an opportunity to prove his mettle in gameplanning for Monday’s meeting- Houston uses a shockingly barebones defensive scheme, relying on their players’ ability to dominate individual matchups and communicate in the secondary.

Smith’s offense has already proven that it can function quickly to keep pressure from the front four away from the quarterback (See the team’s strategy against Cleveland and Myles Garrett), but Houston’s secondary poses an equally dangerous threat, which means that Rodgers will need more time to dissect coverages, time his offensive line might not be able to buy him on every snap. It will likely be Pittsburgh’s most challenging opponent yet on defense, but certainly a great opportunity to prove the world wrong for an offense that has been largely written off so far this year.

Before You Go: The Great Shift Is Upon Us

Making the playoffs means there’s more football to play for Pittsburgh, but for teams that have completed their season, change is coming. Four teams let their head coaches go following the conclusion of their seasons (Las Vegas, Cleveland, Atlanta, and and Arizona), with more change expected to follow in the coming days. Several teams are also projected to look for a new quarterback, either through the draft or through free agency.

I’ll wait to dive further into potential additions to the roster until the end of the season, but for now it’s good to be aware that certain members of the organization might be at risk of poaching by other teams. Arthur Smith has head coaching experience with Atlanta and could be considered for another chance, and other coaches might be on the lookout for greater opportunities in greener pastures. In any case, big changes won’t arrive this week, but they could be on the horizon at season’s end. Who knows? Maybe we’ll add a full-time priest to the staff.