The Pittsburgh Steelers have jumped out to a 3-1 start this season and lead the AFC North thanks largely to a strong performance from the timeless Aaron Rodgers — but not everyone believes he is doing so well.
The analysis outlet Pro Football Focus ranked Rodgers as the worst starting quarterback in the NFL this season, marking him down for failing to stretch the field. The ranking has sparked some controversy, with others closer to the team defending Rodgers for doing what the team has asked of him so far this season.
Steelers Insider Pushes Back on Ranking
Reporter Joe Starkey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called out PFF for their league-worst ranking of Rodgers, noting that the outlet tries its best to measure all of the intangibles for players but falls short. Starkey believes that’s the case for Rodgers, saying his PFF score is a poor reflection of how well he’s been playing this year.
“The Steelers have needed a lot from Rodgers — and here’s the important part that PFF seems to ignore: He’s working around an offensive line that nearly got him killed in the first few weeks of the season and only has one legit wide receiver,” Starkey wrote.
The Steelers reporter added that Rodgers has a knack for making winning plays, which is exactly what he’s done while leading Pittsburgh to a 3-1 record so far this year.
“What Rodgers has done is deliver the ball accurately and make plays in big moments. He’s thinking the game and mostly winning the game,” Starkey wrote. “In fact, the Steelers are winning largely because of Rodgers, not in spite of him. He was spectacular by any measure (except PFF’s) in the season opener against the Jets, going 22-of-30 for 230 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions with a brand new team.”
Rodgers is having a strong statistical season as well, completing 68.5% of his passes for 786 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions, good for a 102.6 passer rating.
Others have joined Starkey in pushing back on the ranking, generating some controversy as they believe the ratings don’t accurately reflect just how efficiently the veteran quarterback and former MVP has been playing.
Fox Sports host Colin Cowherd called out the analysis outlet for ranking Rodgers below some clearly underperforming quarterbacks.
“Not to be obnoxious to PFF, but I’m gonna go with no. He’s not the worst,” Cowherd said. “He may win the division because currently, in the AFC North, the starters are Jake Browning, Dillon Gabriel, and Cooper Rush.”
Aaron Rodgers Explains New Approach
Rodgers is aware that he hasn’t been stretching the field much this season, telling reporters this week that it’s a reaction to opposing defenses trying to keep the offense from making big plays.
Rodgers said as long as opponents remain in two-high safety formations meant to take away the long ball, the Steelers will continue to pick apart those defenses with shorter passes.
“Until we get them in one-high [safety], it’s going to be precision passing and short of the sticks,” Rodgers said. “‘If you’re playing Cover 2, there’s not going to be a lot of shots open down the boundary. We’re just trying to be efficient.”
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