Behind The Scenes Details Leak About Steelers' Decision To Sit Aaron Rodgers In Week 12

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the midst of a pivotal moment in the 2025 NFL season. The team sits with a 6-5 record after losing to the Chicago Bears in Week 12. The loss made Pittsburgh fall out of the lead in the AFC North for the first time since Week 1, and the daunting schedule that lies ahead is going to make it hard for Pittsburgh to make it into the playoffs by way of winning the division. A factor that makes this time of the season even more important is the health of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who did not play in the loss to Chicago.

Rodgers slightly fractured his left wrist in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11, and he was initially pushing hard to play the following week in Chicago. He was even pushing to re-enter the game against the Bengals, but the team shot that idea down. It is important the franchise and the player are cautious as the injury could get worse, which is why Rodgers' status for Pittsburgh's Week 13 matchup with the Buffalo Bills is up in the air. 

NFL insider Dan Graziano wrote about Rodgers' chances of playing on Sunday in a piece for ESPN, and he shared what went into the decision to hold the quarterback out against the Bears.

"The Steelers feel better about Aaron Rodgers' chances of playing this Sunday against the Bills than they did at this time last week about his chances of playing in Chicago," Graziano wrote. "Talking to people with the Steelers on Saturday and Sunday, I was told the decision about Rodgers playing against the Bears would come down to his own comfort level and whether he felt he could function on the field with that fracture in his left wrist."

The three major factors to consider when deciding whether or not Rodgers could play come down to his comfortability, his ability to perform, and whether or not there is any risk in him playing with the injury. Those three things will be considered heavily before making a decision about his status for Buffalo.

Pittsburgh rolled out backup quarterback Mason Rudolph to be the starter against Chicago, and the loss was not completely on him. He did turn the ball over twice, but he had the offense moving down the field a good bit. The team should still feel somewhat comfortable in Rudolph if he has to start again. According to Graziano, he did not find out he was going to be the starter until Sunday morning as the insider had some information as to when that decision was made.

"Ultimately, the team and player made the decision together Sunday morning that they'd be better off with a fully healthy Mason Rudolph than an injured Rodgers," Graziano wrote. "They played the first-place Bears within three points with Rudolph and felt their offense had a good day overall -- specifically, 186 rushing yards. And they believe Rudolph can operate their offense if Rodgers needs another week to heal. But my expectation is that [Rodgers] does more in practice this week and that the decision doesn't come down to game day like it did in Week 12."

This varies from what Head Coach Mike Tomlin told the media after the loss to Chicago. He stated that the team and Rodgers made the decision on Saturday, while Graziano reported the decision came on Sunday morning before the game -- which is when it was reported initially. It wouldn't be the first time that Tomlin lied to the media.

Steelers' Aaron Rodgers Probably Doesn't Make A Difference In The Outcome Of The Game

Rudolph did not play bad enough to be solely blamed for the loss, and the blame should be placed more on the defense. The defense could not make the necessary stops in the most crucial moments of the game once again, and the secondary was picked apart as the defense seemed to revert to its old self. Schematic changes need to be made on defense moving forward.

What do you think about Graziano's reporting? Let us know in the comments below!

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