ESPN projected how Pittsburgh Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers will play against the New England Patriots.
The 1-0 Pittsburgh Steelers face the 0-1 New England Patriots in Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season.
We get to watch Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers go up against Mike Vrabel.
The Patriots have one of the best defenses in the NFL, which is why ESPN projects that Rodgers will have an average game at best: 22/36, 229 yards, one touchdown, one interception.
"Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers visit the Patriots for a Week 2 road clash. He completed 24 of 40 pass attempts for 221 yards with one TD and no INTs while rushing three times for minus-3 yards during Pittsburgh's 20-13 Week 1 victory over the Falcons. The Steelers attempted 41 passes compared to just 21 rushing attempts, as Rodgers connected with seven different receivers on the day. They'll face a tougher test on the road against New England's eighth-ranked defense in fantasy points allowed per game (15.3) to QBs," ESPN wrote.
Rodgers went 24/40 for 221 passing yards and one passing touchdown in Week 1. The future Hall of Famer was sacked twice and didn't throw an interception.
After the Steelers beat the Atlanta Falcons, McCarthy said he wanted to find more balance in his offense, which ran the ball just 21 times to Rodgers' 40 pass attempts.
Rodgers, though, didn't mind all the throwing and wants to see more of it.
"No, keep doing it," Rodgers said. "Keep doing it. I liked the plan from Mike. I liked the play-calling. We took some shots. I felt like we had really close to having one of those really good games. If we come down with a couple of those, it obviously looks a little different on the scoreboard and stat sheet and stuff."
Rodgers was 3/12 under pressure and 3/12 on throws of 15 or more air yards. Both need to change for the Steelers to make some serious noise in 2026.
A four-time MVP, Rodgers didn't play in the preseason. Even though he knows McCarthy's system well, Rodgers and the Steelers' offense weren't that impressive against the Falcons.
"We had a chance to be really, really explosive," Rodgers said during a postgame interview with FOX Sports' Pam Oliver. "We had a couple drops. A couple off targets. A couple non-calls that looked like penalties. ... We were just a little bit off."
Rodgers hasn't won a playoff game since the 2020 season, while the Steelers haven't won a postseason game since the 2016 season.
Only time will tell if Pittsburgh even makes the playoffs, as the team has a difficult schedule.
McCarthy and Rodgers won Super Bowl XLV against the Steelers as members of the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers has been in the NFL since 2005. He has played for the Packers, New York Jets and Steelers.
It will be intriguing to see what kind of numbers Rodgers puts up this season with McCarthy by his side again. Rodgers had 3,322 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions last season.
