Aaron Rodgers may no longer wear green and gold, but on Sunday, he did the Packers a massive favor - and he did it in classic Rodgers fashion.
Now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rodgers walked into Detroit and delivered a performance that not only stunned the Lions but also gave his old team in Green Bay a huge boost in the NFC playoff race. The Steelers came in as underdogs and walked out with a win, and in doing so, Rodgers helped tilt the postseason picture in favor of the Packers - yes, even from the AFC side of things.
Let’s set the stage: Green Bay had just dropped a frustrating game to the Bears on Saturday night. That loss left them clinging to the No. 7 seed in the NFC, but with injuries piling up and two tough games left on the schedule, their playoff hopes were hanging by a thread.
Jordan Love exited the Chicago game with a concussion, and his status remains uncertain heading into the week. The offensive line is battered, with Zach Tom and Evan Williams potentially sidelined for multiple weeks.
And the injury report is already a laundry list of key contributors - Micah Parsons, Tucker Kraft, Elgton Jenkins, Devonte Wyatt, and John FitzPatrick are all done for the season. It’s a brutal stretch for a team trying to hang onto a postseason berth.
The road ahead isn’t exactly a gauntlet - the Ravens and Vikings are all that remain - but this Packers team has shown it can play down to opponents. Just ask the Cleveland Browns.
So, heading into Sunday, Green Bay was staring at two must-win games to lock in a playoff spot. Then Rodgers happened.
With the Lions in control of their own destiny, Rodgers went into Ford Field and played spoiler. His Steelers offense didn’t just squeak by - they put up 29 points on a Detroit team that had been rolling.
Rodgers looked like the guy Packers fans remember: 27-of-41, 266 yards, one touchdown, and, perhaps most importantly, zero turnovers. Vintage stuff.
Rodgers’ win over Detroit bumped Green Bay’s playoff odds to 94%, per The Athletic. What had been a murky, uphill battle suddenly became crystal clear: beat either Baltimore or Minnesota, or have the Lions lose one more, and the Packers are in. Rodgers didn’t just help the Steelers - he gave his former team a playoff lifeline.
And if that’s not poetic enough, remember this: Rodgers’ final game as a Packer came in Week 18 of the 2022 season - a win-and-in scenario at Lambeau Field against these very same Lions. Green Bay lost that night, and Rodgers walked off the field for the last time in green and gold. Now, nearly two years later, he returns to Detroit and flips the script, this time putting the Lions on the brink and giving Green Bay a shot at redemption.
When asked after the game if that 2022 loss was on his mind, Rodgers didn’t shy away from the moment.
“Pretty much,” he said. “I’ve had some fun games over the years here.
They had a fierce defense in the 2010s. I would see guys whose names you know.
Obviously, in 2015 it’s always going to stick out as a special thing. But I’m thankful for the years here.
I will say again, kudos to the fans. That was a really loud environment… I lost my voice out there, and that’s because of that.”
Rodgers has always thrived in the chaos, and Sunday was no different. The Steelers needed the win just as badly as the Packers did.
With Baltimore losing to New England on Sunday night, Pittsburgh now holds a two-game lead in the AFC North with two games to go. And yes, the Steelers and Ravens will meet in Week 18.
A win over Cleveland next week - or a Packers win over Baltimore on Saturday - clinches the division for Pittsburgh.
That’s right: the Packers, still in the hunt thanks to Rodgers, could now return the favor and help him lock up the AFC North. Green Bay plays Saturday night.
Pittsburgh plays Sunday. Rodgers could be watching from the couch, playoff berth in hand, thanks to his old team.
It’s the kind of storyline you almost couldn’t script - Rodgers, the longtime Packer, now a Steeler, helping his old team while chasing a division title of his own. The Packers, battered and bruised but still alive, needing just one more win or a Lions stumble to get in.
And Rodgers? He’s done his part.
He’s still doing it, really. Sunday wasn’t a game where Pittsburgh leaned on its defense and hoped for a field goal fest.
Rodgers and the offense were aggressive, efficient, and clutch. As he put it:
“I was proud of our guys. Some games the defense has stood on its head and given us a chance, and a few times we’ve done it. (Sunday) was one of those times where we just kept answering, starting with the two-minute drive at the end of the first half.”
For the Lions, it was another chapter in a familiar story - one where Rodgers plays the villain and Detroit plays the victim. For the Packers, it was a twist of fate that might just be the break they needed.
Now, it’s up to Green Bay to finish the job. But make no mistake: Aaron Rodgers just handed them the pen.