Though Aaron Rodgers is amid his first season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he's no stranger to leading a team that's ruling the north.
On a frigid Monday night, Rodgers and the Steelers heated up in the second half to stay atop the AFC North and turn a tight ballgame into an impressive 28-15 win over the Miami Dolphins.
Stringing together 13 consecutive completions at one point, Rodgers was pinpoint, finishing the game with 224 yards on 23-of-27 passing, throwing touchdowns to Marquez Valdes-Scantling and DK Metcalf while completing 85.2% (the second-highest of his career) of his passes for a 125.9 rating (his season high).
"Probably the cold weather," said Rodgers of finding a rhythm. "I'm a California kid, but I've always enjoyed playing in the cold weather. I feel like there can be some advantages to the offense, especially when you're playing on a field that's a little beat up or super slick like Green Bay became over the years. So, I've always enjoyed that. I'm gifted with hands that can handle a cold ball and a ball that's a little slick when the weather gets cold like this. So, I've always been able to throw pretty good, but it doesn't tell the whole story. There was some nice catches. There was some good adjustments. There were some dink and dunks. But I knew I needed to be efficient today."
While the Dolphins lost for a 14th straight occasion in a game played with a temperature below 40 degrees, Rodgers, a four-time MVP who won eight NFC North titles in 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, had no issues playing on an evening that saw kickoff with the temperature around 16 degrees.
While the weather was just fine for Rodgers and the Steelers, so too is their timing.
Having begun the season at 4-1 and slipped to 6-6 with back-to-back losses in Weeks 12-13, head coach Mike Tomlin's squad has reversed its fortune with the games at their most pivotal.
"It's that time of year, it doesn't need to be said," Tomlin said.
Pittsburgh has now put together consecutive wins for the first time since the last two weeks of September. The Steelers (8-6) hold a healthy AFC North lead over the Baltimore Ravens (7-7) with three games left to play, including the finale against their second-place rival.
"Has it been that long?" Rodgers said of the winning streak. "Yeah, I mean these are two huge games. Obviously, the division game is the most important game, but these guys had won four straight coming in. We know, well, some of us know about the first way to get to the playoffs is to win your division. Having beaten Baltimore already and there's obviously tiebreakers that come into effect, including division record, conference record. So, winning your AFC games are really important. Keeping the one-game lead plus the head to head is big as well."
Trailing, 3-0, with five minutes left in the second quarter, Rodgers directed a 12-play, 60-yard scoring march. It ended with a Connor Heyward touchdown plunge that began a 28-point run for the Steelers.
Receiving the ball to open the second half, the Pittsburgh's rushing game took over, with Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell gobbling up 52 yards on five carries before Rodgers hit former Packers teammate Valdes-Scantling for a 19-yard score.
"We didn't expect it to be easy but certainly after we got it going, we had a little bit of fluidity there," Tomlin said.
On the ensuing drive, Rodgers fit a nice ball over the middle into a tight window for Metcalf, who did the rest, tossing aside an initial Dolphins tackle attempt before juking two more defenders and stiff-arming one last one for an eye-spinning 28-yard score.
"The play by DK was one of the better plays I've seen in my 21 years," Rodgers said.
A Jonnu Smith touchdown capped the four-TD swing for the Steelers, the longest such streak for Pittsburgh since Week 2 of 2018, per NFL Research.
Rodgers, who tallied his 166th game with multiple touchdown passes to surpass Peyton Manning for third all time in that category, hasn't been to the postseason since 2021 with the Packers.
Playing meaningful December football again was one of the utmost reasons he decided to keep his career going and join the Steelers.
"In [2022 with the Packers], we were 4-8 at one point and we won four straight and gave ourselves a chance," Rodgers recalled. "[In 2023 with the New York Jets], I played four plays. [In 2024 with the Jets], we weren't very good. So, it's been a while since I've been part of stuff like this. Nothing changes. I feel real comfortable in this environment."
Over the final three weeks of the regular season -- likely Rodgers' last of his career -- the Steelers play at the Detroit Lions, at the Cleveland Browns and host the Ravens. Each of those games will have major playoff implications and/or take place in chilly conditions.
Said Tomlin of the importance of playing well in December: "You know, see you next week. Keep watching."
