Over the previous two weeks, the Pittsburgh Steelers got the Aaron Rodgers experience that they had been expecting. The offense has scored 27 and 28 points respectively in its last two games, and the hope is that this stretch continues on into the postseason. There are still three games left on the regular season schedule, and none of them are exactly easy. The 42-year-old will have to keep playing at a high level to make the postseason, let alone win there.
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Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers throwing pass in Week 15 win vs Miami Dolphins.
A big reason for this latest stretch is his fractured wrist is healing up, even though it's not entirely 100% just yet. After practice on Wednesday, Rodgers was asked about that injury, and he gave a nice little update on the situation.
"It's still not 100%," Rodgers said. "I'm still having battles with the training staff -- happy battles, not knock-down frag-out battles. I'm trying to feel more normal, so I go through practices like today without anything on my wrist. I'm still not without some pain with certain movements, but I'm trying to get my strength back in all those little muscles that have been unused for a number of weeks. It's a work in progress. Last week was obviously just a little pad on top of it, not sure what this week's going to be, but hopefully, at some point, there's not going to be anything on my wrist."
With all the little fractures in his wrist, it makes sense that Rodgers is still in some pain while being four weeks removed from it. There was a lot of conversation about if him coming back as early as he did was a mistake or not, but he has been playing just fine outside of that one atrocious game in Week 13. The game film shows how well he is healing up with each passing week.
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Steelers' Aaron Rodgers holds his wrist during a Week 11 contest against the Bengals in the 2025 NFL season.
During that Week 13 loss, Rodgers was exclusively taking snaps out of the gun, as normal under-center plays turned into a pistol formation. That made the offense more predictable, and it allowed the opposing defense to swallow everything up quickly. After that, he went back to going under center, and that was part of the reason that the offense was much better overall.
Sometimes, with injuries that last more than a few days, working the muscles and taking time without any protection on it can be a good thing. Like Rodgers said, he is not 100% healthy yet, but he's still doing what he can to make sure he can heal up as quickly as possible, even if the training staff wants him to take it a bit slower. Based on what he said, it seems like he is winning these "happy battles."
Justin Guido / Post-Gazette
Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers chats with Head Coach Mike Tomlin during a home game in Pittsburgh in the 2025 NFL season.
It could always be worse. At least Rodgers isn't battling to try and see the field with a major injury. Those kinds of battles with the training staff get more frustrating, as many players have explained that they feel like they let their team down when they can't play. The veteran quarterback is at least out there throwing good balls and contributing to the Steelers' recent success.
Steelers Made It Very Clear How Bad They Need Rodgers
When backup quarterback Mason Rudolph took over back in Week 12, the coaches seemingly limited him to just checkdowns while also giving him nothing to work with over the middle of the field. That gameplan told everyone that they don't have a lot of faith in him to run this offense. They don't feel comfortable unless Rodgers is the one throwing the ball. That's why he came back so early, but also likely why the trainers are trying to be cautious with him.
What do you think about Rodgers' update on his wrist injury? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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