The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a poor 31-28 loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 12, and most would agree the quarterback play the Steelers had was below the proverbial standard. The quarterback in Chicago wasn’t Aaron Rodgers, but Mason Rudolph. The Steelers chose to rest Rodgers with his fractured left wrist and go with their proven back-up.
However, Rudolph wasn’t capable of pulling off the win, and the Steelers are now at 6-5 on the season, 2nd place in the AFC North and on the outside of the AFC Playoff Picture heading into Week 13.
The Steelers are hopeful they will get their veteran quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, back in the lineup when they host the Buffalo Bills in Week 13. After the loss Sunday in Chicago Mike Tomlin met with media and said he anticipates Rodgers being ready to play next Sunday.
This from Teresa Varley of Steelers.com:
Coach Mike Tomlin said he anticipates quarterback Aaron Rodgers being ready to play next week against the Buffalo Bills.
— Teresa Varley (@Teresa_Varley) November 23, 2025
Whether Rodgers will make a difference in the result is up for debate, but it is safe to say the offense can’t be much worse than what fans saw vs. the Bears. Rudolph’s deep passes were off target, and the game plan, not necessarily Rudolph’s design, clearly wanted to avoid the middle of the field to avoid turnovers.
The Steelers still turned the ball over twice, and those two turnovers were turned into 14 points. Not that Rodgers hasn’t turned the ball over this season, but most would argue the thought of a potential quarterback debate has been silenced after his performance Sunday.
The next question is whether the week off has done much to improve Rodgers’s wrist injury, or his ability to do all aspects of being a quarterback in the NFL. We’ll likely hear more from Tomlin during his Tuesday press conference, and we’ll have all that covered right here at SCN.
In the meantime, check out the SCN Post-Game Podcast in the player below