2 Things ‘Bout the Steelers
1. ‘All-time great’ quarterback
It’s fitting Minnesota is the team with a chance to beat Aaron Rodgers in a third country.
The four-time Most Valuable Player with the Packers is 16-12-1 in starts against the Vikings. Eleven of Rodgers’ losses occurred stateside; the most recent, memorable because of Andrew Van Ginkel’s pick six and Stephon Gilmore’s win-sealing interception, happened last season at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Rodgers is 2-2 in games against Minnesota since O’Connell’s hiring in 2022. More importantly, however, Rodgers is 0-1 facing Brian Flores as a head coach or coordinator (2024 was their only such showdown).
Furthermore, Rodgers has connected on 58 percent of his pass attempts against the blitz since 2024 and generated a minus-40.9 EPA (expected points added) on such plays, the worst mark in the NFL. In the same timeframe, Flores’ unit has blitzed at the highest rate in the league – on 41.3 percent of dropbacks.
Nevertheless, in Year 21, Rodgers, 41, has the Vikings attention.
“This is one of the all-time greats at the quarterback position,” Flores said. “He can still play at a high level. The velocity on the throws is there, the touch is there, the movement [after the snap] is there.”
Team captain Harrison Smith added, “It’s obviously a little bit different [when he’s on a new team], but the things that he can do and is capable of – he still has it. He still can make every throw. He’s obviously in great command of everything pre-snap, post-snap. He’s a very unique player to play against just because of the way he plays the position and the things he’s able to do just with his awareness and his efficiency, even on stuff you don’t notice – his ball handling, his fakes, stuff like that; it’s really high level.
“It’s crazy when you see [21 seasons] on the scouting report,” Smith said. “It’s always been a challenge playing against him, but a very high level of appreciation for what he’s able to do and continue to do.”