Steelers Hit Rock Bottom in Week 13, and Aaron Rodgers Is at the Center of It
Week 13 was supposed to be a turning point for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Instead, it exposed just how far this team has to go.
A lopsided loss to the Buffalo Bills didn’t just raise questions - it screamed them from the stands at Acrisure Stadium, where chants calling for Mike Tomlin’s job echoed through the fourth quarter. But while Tomlin’s seat may be warming, it’s the quarterback situation that feels like the most urgent issue in Pittsburgh right now.
Aaron Rodgers, battling through a fractured wrist that kept him sidelined in Week 12, returned to the field - but not with the spark fans had hoped for. If anything, his performance against Buffalo only deepened concerns about where this team is headed.
Rodgers completed just 10 of 21 passes for 117 yards. That’s 5.6 yards per attempt - his second-lowest mark of the season - and a QBR of 6.2, per ESPN.
Those are numbers that don’t just fall short of expectations; they fall off a cliff. The offense never found rhythm, never found answers, and never found the end zone often enough to matter.
Meanwhile, the defense - typically a strength under Tomlin - got bulldozed for 249 rushing yards. That’s not a typo.
The Bills ran at will, controlled the clock, and dominated the line of scrimmage. By the end of the game, Buffalo had racked up 372 total yards to Pittsburgh’s 166, and held the ball for nearly 42 minutes.
The Steelers? Just 18:01 of possession time and 10 first downs.
That’s not just a bad day - that’s a team getting outclassed in every phase.
Rodgers Isn’t the Only Problem - But He’s the Most Pressing One
Let’s be clear: this isn’t all on Aaron Rodgers. The offensive line has struggled, the run game hasn’t consistently shown up, and the defense has had its lapses. But when your quarterback is a future Hall of Famer, expectations are different - and Rodgers just isn’t meeting them.
Statistically, it’s hard to sugarcoat what we’re seeing. He ranks 24th in EPA per play, 28th in success rate, and 31st in air yards.
That’s not just below average - that’s near the bottom of the league. And the trend line is going the wrong way.
Rodgers has shown a clear reluctance to attack the middle of the field, and his second half of the season has been the worst stretch of his career. Over his last five starts, he’s averaging just 163.2 passing yards per game on 5.9 yards per attempt, with an 83.5 passer rating. Those are backup-caliber numbers from a player who was brought in to elevate the franchise.
The Steelers have now lost five of their last seven games and are 6-11 over their last 17 dating back to last season. That’s not a slump - that’s a pattern. And with Rodgers at the helm, there’s no sign of it turning around.
Time to Look Ahead
At 6-6, the Steelers are stuck in the NFL’s worst place: the middle. Not good enough to contend, not bad enough to rebuild. And right now, it’s hard to see a path forward with Rodgers leading the offense.
We’ve seen enough of Mason Rudolph to know he’s not the long-term answer. But there is another option worth exploring: rookie quarterback Will Howard.
The sixth-round pick out of Ohio State hasn’t taken a regular-season snap yet, but he’s a national championship winner with a reputation for poise and leadership. No one’s expecting him to be a savior overnight - but at this point, could he really be worse than what we’ve seen?
Rodgers was brought in to be the bridge to a brighter future. Instead, he’s become a roadblock.
The version of Aaron Rodgers the Steelers thought they were getting in 2025 - the savvy veteran, the clutch performer, the guy who could make the most of a gritty roster - simply hasn’t shown up. And with each passing week, it becomes harder to justify keeping him under center.
The Steelers need to start thinking about what comes next. Because whatever this is? It’s not working.