It felt a little bit like Green Bay, and for Aaron Rodgers, it looked a little like Green Bay, too — frigid conditions, high stakes, the number of games dwindling.
During the four-time Most Valuable Player’s long run with the Packers, this was the time of year that Rodgers thrived.
While the Pittsburgh Steelers are not Green Bay and the 2025 version of Rodgers is not quite the 2015 version, he offered a reminder on Monday night against the Miami Dolphins that there is still life in his 42-year-old right arm, and in his maddeningly hot-and-cold team.
Photo: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Rodgers passed for 224 yards and two touchdowns, as the Pittsburgh Steelers kept their grasp on the top spot in the AFC North with a clinical 28-15 victory over the Dolphins, who were eliminated from playoff contention.
While Rodgers was not quite in what he called a “flow state,” he certainly looked comfortable while becoming the oldest quarterback in league history to complete at least 85 percent of his passes.
Rodgers connected on 23 of 27 against the Dolphins, including third-quarter touchdown throws of 19 yards to Marquez Valdes-Scantling and 28 yards to D.K. Metcalf.
Photo: AP
“I think he’s the best quarterback to ever play this game,” said Valdes-Scantling, who played alongside Rodgers with the Packers and signed with Pittsburgh’s practice squad earlier this season. “I don’t care if he’s 65 years old or not, he can still spin the ball and he’s always playing chess with the defense.”
Throwing short passes that got the ball out of his hands quickly, Rodgers was fine working underneath and letting Pittsburgh’s skill position players do the work.
Running back Kenneth Gainwell had 126 total yards, including a team-high seven receptions. Metcalf’s touchdown catch — he shoved former Steeler Minkah Fitzpatrick out of the way en route to the end zone — came on a pass between two defenders that echoed Rodgers in his prime.
The Steelers (8-6) maintained their one-game lead over the Baltimore Ravens in the division with three weeks to go.
As spotty as Pittsburgh have looked at times, everything remains on the table as Christmas approaches.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been a part of stuff like this,” said Rodgers, who last made the playoffs in 2021. “Nothing changes. It’s just, I feel real comfortable in this environment.”
Miami (6-8) saw their slim playoff hopes vanish in the chill as their four-game winning streak was snapped. The Dolphins prepped by practicing in the snow at nearby Robert Morris University over the weekend, but it did not help.
While Miami took a 3-0 lead during a sluggish first half on Riley Patterson’s career-long 54-yard field goal, Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins’ offense had no answer once Rodgers heated up.
Tagovailoa completed 22 of 28 passes for 254 yards with two garbage-time touchdowns and his NFL-leading 15th interception.
De’Von Achane, who had powered Miami’s recovering from a 1-6 start, ran for 60 yards and caught six passes for 68 more, but was a nonfactor during the middle portion of the game, when the Steelers scored touchdowns on four straight possessions to remain unbeaten at home on Monday nights since 1992.
Tagovailoa remained winless in games where the temperature at kickoff was less than 4.4°C. Miami had minus-20 yards of total offense in the third quarter.
“It’s disappointing we didn’t get the outcome we wanted to, and everything that goes on with the playoffs,” Tagovailoa said. “When you start the season the way we did, we made it hard on ourselves.”
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