Steelers' Aaron Rodgers "Looked Superb" Despite Unfortunate Loss To Bengals In Week 7

The Pittsburgh Steelers fell to the rival Cincinnati Bengals on the road Thursday night by a score of 33-31. As the score indicates, Pittsburgh's offense certainly doesn't deserve much blame for the team coming out on the losing end. Future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers tossed four touchdown passes and did essentially all he could to help vault his team into a winning position. However, it was not to be, as fellow veteran quarterback Joe Flacco and the Bengals were just too much for the Steelers' struggling defense. 

Despite throwing a couple of interceptions and coming out on the losing side, Rodgers had an impressive performance. One that made pundits and fans remember the days of the four-time MVP in Green Bay. One of those pundits was NFL Network's Rich Eisen, who is holding Rodgers in high regard after he showed up and showed out in Cincinnati. This is what he said about Rodgers on Friday via The Rich Eisen Show: 

"Aaron Rodgers looked superb," Eisen said. "He looked like old-school Rodgers where he's moving around, he's sliding around... He's got eyes in the back of his head, dropping dimes... He's finding every tight end that he's got for a touchdown... He's showing up and showing out...He threw another perfect Hail Mary shot for a chance to win it."

The Steelers appear to have the best quarterback that they have had since the height of the days with Ben Roethlisberger. Rodgers threw for nearly 250 yards and found eight different pass-catchers on his way to posting a passer rating of 103.7. This was his fourth game this season in which he posted a passer rating above 100 and his fifth game in which he completed over 67% of his passes. As Eisen noted, all four of his touchdown passes went to the tight end position. Two went to Pat Freiermuth, who led the team in receiving. 

Jonnu Smith and Darnell Washington also caught one each. At 41 years of age, Rodgers appears to have taken a drink from the fountain of youth as he has reminded a lot of people why he is one of the greatest players in NFL history. If not for a poor performance from Head Coach Mike Tomlin's defense, Pittsburgh would be 5-1 and have a stranglehold on the AFC North. 

Steelers Receive Early-Season Ego Check

After a strong 4-1 start to the season, Tomlin and his team received a slice of humble pie from the Bengals. Instead of widening the gap in the AFC North, things have gotten more interesting with the Bengals now only a game back in the loss column. Additionally, Pittsburgh's defensive woes have become very evident. Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin's unit has allowed 30+ points in three of the team's first six games, which is not the usual norm in the Steel City. 

Unfortunately, the road for the Steelers does not get any easier over the next couple of weeks. They will welcome in Rodgers' old team, the Green Bay Packers, who are sitting in first place in the NFC North. That game is sure to have plenty of emotion involved. After that battle, they will welcome in resilient quarterback Daniel Jones and the AFC South-leading Indianapolis Colts. This is why getting to a record of 5-1 would have been so key for Pittsburgh. Now, Tomlin, Rodgers, and co. are going to have to find a way to overcome some tough teams if they want to continue to hold the lead in the division.

The good news for fans in the Steel City is that Rodgers and this Arthur Smith-led offense look to be cooking with gas right now. If the offensive line can continue to protect Rodgers and pave the way for Jaylen Warren out of the backfield, this team can stay in every game. However, as of right now, the likes of All-Pro edge rusher T.J. Watt and star defensive tackle Cam Heyward will need to lead this defense back to relevance for this team to have a chance at making a Super Bowl run.

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