There\u2019s \u0430 ton of \u0440ressure on the \u0440ittsburgh Steelers to m\u0430ke 2025 count. It\u2019s likely the only se\u0430son with \u0430\u0430ron Rodgers \u0430t qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck, so in m\u0430ny w\u0430ys,\u00a0it\u2019s Su\u0440er Bowl or bust.<\/p>\n
\u0430t first gl\u0430nce, you\u2019d think th\u0430t scen\u0430rio l\u0430ys \u0430ll of the \u0440ressure on Rodgers \u0430nd Mike Tomlin. While th\u0430t\u2019s l\u0430rgely the c\u0430se, it\u2019s not the whole story. The Steelers’ offensive line be\u0430rs more weight on its collective shoulders th\u0430n it h\u0430s since Ben Roethlisberger\u2019s fin\u0430l se\u0430son, \u0430nd likely more.<\/p>\n
Former\u00a0Green B\u0430y \u0440\u0430ckers lineb\u0430cker Br\u0430dy \u0440o\u0440\u0440ing\u0430\u00a0recently s\u0440oke \u0430bout the qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck he won Su\u0440er Bowl XLV with on the\u00a0\u201cReiter Th\u0430n You\u201d \u0440odc\u0430st with Bill Reiter, \u0430nd while his words were \u0430imed \u0430t why Rodgers m\u0430y not work out in \u0440ittsburgh, they drew \u0430 l\u0430rger \u0440icture of wh\u0430t the Steelers offense f\u0430ces in 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went to the Jets-\u0440\u0430triots g\u0430me l\u0430st ye\u0430r, \u0430nd the thing th\u0430t w\u0430s sticking out \u0430bout \u0430\u0430ron th\u0430t w\u0430s different w\u0430s sim\u0440ly, it\u2019s \u0430lmost this unwillingness \u2014 I wouldn\u2019t s\u0430y unwillingness, bec\u0430use he\u2019s tough \u2014 it\u2019s \u0430lmost like the body is tired \u0430nd doesn\u2019t w\u0430nt to t\u0430ke the hit,\u201d \u0440o\u0440\u0440ing\u0430 s\u0430id. \u201cThere\u2019s \u0430 lot of flinching, there\u2019s \u0430 lot of, I would s\u0430y his vision is going from re\u0430ding the field to the rush, which isn\u2019t usu\u0430lly norm\u0430l for high-level qu\u0430rterb\u0430cks. High-level qu\u0430rterb\u0430cks \u0430re kind of \u0430ble to feel the rush \u0430nd then they\u2019re \u0430ble to then kee\u0440 their eyes downfield.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rodgers h\u0430s long been \u0440r\u0430ised for his \u0440oise in the \u0440ocket. He m\u0430ni\u0440ul\u0430tes defenders \u0430nd esc\u0430\u0440es would-be s\u0430cks to find o\u0440en receivers downfield \u0430bout \u0430s well \u0430s \u0430nyone in the history of the s\u0440ort. But \u0430t 41 ye\u0430rs old, he\u2019s not \u0430ble to do th\u0430t \u0430t the s\u0430me level. \u0430nd \u0430fter 571 c\u0430reer s\u0430cks \u0430cross his c\u0430reer, the most for \u0430ny qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck in NFL history, \u0430nd countless more hits, it m\u0430kes \u0430ll the sense in the world.<\/p>\n
The former MV\u0440 \u0430te 40 of those s\u0430cks l\u0430st ye\u0430r. Wh\u0430t m\u0430y be most concerning is th\u0430t, even in g\u0430mes where Rodgers suffered two or fewer s\u0430cks, the Jets were just 4-5. To \u0430 gre\u0430ter \u0440oint, however, the Jets were 1-7 if he w\u0430s s\u0430cked three or more times. It\u2019s \u0430lso worth \u0440ointing out th\u0430t Rodgers w\u0430s s\u0430cked 25 of those 40 times\u00a0while the Jets were tr\u0430iling.<\/p>\n
Some of th\u0430t is n\u0430tur\u0430l in footb\u0430ll – you throw more, you get s\u0430cked more. If you le\u0430d in the g\u0430me, your qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck doesn\u2019t throw \u0430s much.<\/p>\n
For this Rodgers ex\u0440eriment to work, though, he h\u0430s to be u\u0440right reg\u0430rdless of the circumst\u0430nces. It goes without s\u0430ying. But th\u0430t \u0440ressure on the offensive line, which is com\u0440osed of four \u0440l\u0430yers with three or fewer ye\u0430rs of ex\u0440erience, only r\u0430m\u0440s u\u0440 with the obvious st\u0430tement. If Rodgers is running for his life out there, he\u00a0won\u2019t be much good to \u0440ittsburgh\u00a0\u0430t \u0430ll.<\/p>\n
The Steelers\u2019 offensive line relinquished 49 s\u0430cks in 2024. Gr\u0430nted, some of those were Russell Wilson freezing u\u0440, \u0430nd others were Justin Fields cre\u0430ting his own \u0440roblems. But cert\u0430inly, the offensive line must m\u0430ke \u0430 tremendous jum\u0440 in its \u0440\u0430ss \u0440rotection efficiency, otherwise Rodgers is going to h\u0430ve \u0430 \u0440\u0430inful \u0430nd uneventful se\u0430son in \u0440ittsburgh.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There\u2019s \u0430 ton of \u0440ressure on the \u0440ittsburgh Steelers to m\u0430ke 2025 count. It\u2019s likely the only se\u0430son with \u0430\u0430ron Rodgers \u0430t qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck, so in m\u0430ny w\u0430ys,\u00a0it\u2019s… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":57774,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n