NFL schedule makers did not know Aaron Rodgers would be taking on his former team when they matched the Packers and Steelers up against one another in Week 8. Suffice it to say, the ratings for Green Bay's trip to Pittsburgh on October 26th could be a boon for officials at NBC.
League officials deserve some credit for having the foresight to schedule the matchup between the two teams on Sunday Night Football even before news broke that Rodgers would be signing with the Steelers.
Then again, putting a game between two of the most popular teams in the NFL on primetime hardly qualifies as a risk for the television nework in question. NBC executives were only too pleased to get such a compelling matchup on Sunday Night Football. Now fans can expect a massive marketing campaign surrounding Rodgers taking on the team where he achieved the bulk of his professional success.
Interestingly, it won't be the first time Rodgers takes on a former team in a high-profile matchup. He will go up against the Jets in the season opener. That won't have quite the same sizzle as his encounter with Green Bay but it should be a spicy opportunity for journalists to pry headline making quotes from Rodgers. He's sure to have a lot to say about the franchise that seemed to cut him loose without a second thought.
Green Bay Packers fans are going to love another chance to beat Aaron Rodgers
The game against the Packers in Week 8 will be more interesting because fans should have a much better idea on what sort of player Rodgers can still be with a few games under his belt. The ugly truth is that he was nothing more than an average player when he was healthy enough to suit up for the Jets. No one associated with the Steelers should be expecting an MVP caliber career renaissance from the future Hall of Famer.
It's fair to consider what the chances of Rodgers staying healthy enough to be on the field for Week 8 might be. He's largely been healthy during his career with the notable exception of going out in Week 1 of his 2023 campaign. Rodgers will still be playing his age-42 season in 2025. It's difficult for a player of that age to hold up for a full 17-game slate no matter how well they prepare or preserve their body during the offseason.
The good news is that the Steelers won't be exposing him to as many hits as the Jets did. Head coach Mike Tomlin will continue to base his offensive philosophy on running the football to help setup his passing game. Rodgers will still be asked to execute some of the quick game concepts that made him so efficient early in his career, but he'll also get a lot of chances to work out of favorable play action concepts.
Newly acquired Steeler wideout DK Metcalf could be the big winner on those sort of deep passes. He'll prove to be a challenge for Green Bay's secondary when the two sides match up. This is a prime example of when Green Bay might need Jaire Alexander to be on the field playing his best football. He doesn't have the athletic profile required to stop Metcalf by himself but he can slow him down as a primary matchup on the outside.
The most interesting one-on-one matchup when Rodgers takes on the Packers might be the chess match between he and Green Bay safety Xavier McKinney. Defensive coordinator likes to empower McKinney to line up all over the field against opposing pass attacks. That puts the versatile safety in positon to leverage his ball skills into valuable takeaways.
Rodgers still likes to take chances in the passing game so he'll try to use McKinney's aggressiveness against him. It is easy to envision a scenario where a few throws that could turn into explosive plays for Metcalf or interceptions for McKinney could turn the tide of this intriguing matchup.
The one thing Rodgers can't influence in this game is how Jordan Love is able to perform against the Steelers' defense. The Packers' new franchise quarterback will naturally be anxious to prove his superiority over his predecessor. Green Bay fans should not be surprised if Love has a big game to silence any whispers that the Packers might have let go of Rodgers too soon.