Steelers OC marvels at Aaron Rodgers' game-winning brilliance, highlighting his sharp football IQ on a clutch playoff-clinching touchdown.
Aaron Rodgers can still come through in the clutch, even though he is the oldest player in the NFL and wrapping up his 21st professional season.
Though Rodgers may not be as athletic and agile as he was while winning four NFL MVP awards, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback is still as savvy as ever. Rodgers proved that again last Sunday night when the Steelers rallied to beat the Baltimore Ravens 26-24 in a showdown to determine the AFC North championship.
Trailing 24-20, Rodgers threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Austin III down the left sideline with 55 seconds left for the game-winning touchdown. The degree of difficulty on the pass wasn’t very difficult, but Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smtih said the play was a strong indicator of Rodgers’ football IQ.
"As he told Calvin, we were looking for a double move," Smith said. "We tried one, two plays before. He got the matchup he wanted, told Calvin in so many words to run it. He made a terrific throw, and Calvin ran a great route. Just a big-time moment. I think that situation also helped, too, because corner was so far off. Knowing that the situation you got two downs, I mean, you're at the got-to-have-it moment. And it was a cool thing to watch.”
The touchdown lifted the Steelers (10-7) into the playoffs, and they will host the Houston Texans (12-5) on Monday night in a Wild Card round game at Acrisure Stadium.
Signed as a free agent in the offseason, Rodgers hasn’t had an overwhelming season statistically. He has completed 65.7 percent of his passes for 3.322 yards and 24 touchdowns with seven interceptions.
However, Rodgers can still compete at a winning level and quickly grasped the concepts of Smith’s offense. The understanding of the offense showed in the big TD pass to Austin.
"We were in a third-down call," Smith said. “Like a lot of the things we build in, Aaron does a terrific job with the protections and different mechanisms. Every year you're trying to build in when you've got smart players like we do that can adjust, and he does as good a job as he has the last 20 years."