AFC scout's inside look at Aaron Rodgers' performance with Steelers passes the sniff test

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers produced a mixed bag of results over his first two games with the Pittsburgh Steelers as the club went 1-1. 

For an article published on Wednesday, an unnamed AFC scout spoke with Jeremy Fowler of ESPN about how Rodgers looked over the first two weeks of the ongoing season compared to how he played with the New York Jets during the 2024 campaign. 

Is Aaron Rodgers more confident than he was with New York Jets? 

"It was the Minnesota game in London [in Week 5 of the 2024 season] that marked about six-to-eight weeks of almost zero mobility due to injury," that scout said about Rodgers. "He was compromised, and it showed. But just being a year removed [from the Achilles tear in September 2023], he seems a little bit more secure and a little less hesitant compared to a year ago."

The scout was referring to how Rodgers dealt with a nagging hip issue, injuries to his knees, a low ankle sprain and a serious hamstring problem last fall. However, the 41-year-old seemed to show he still had something left in the tank when he recorded eight touchdown passes and three interceptions over his final four games of the season. 

More recently, Rodgers completed 22-of-30 passes for 244 yards and four touchdowns in Pittsburgh's Week 1 victory over the Jets on Sept. 7. The future Hall of Famer then connected on 18-of-33 pass attempts for 203 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in a 31-17 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks this past Sunday. According to Pro Football Reference, Rodgers ended Week 2 of the campaign ranked 24th in the NFL among qualified players with a 45.8 adjusted QBR and 12th with a 97.8 passer rating. 

Can Aaron Rodgers stay healthy through January?

"The early returns are pretty good," Fowler added about Rodgers' play with Pittsburgh. "His arm strength -- which has never been an issue -- has held up well. He's also moving around slightly better than he did a year ago with the Jets. He's no longer a premier athlete, but he's enough of one to escape the pocket and manage the game. But as many have pointed out, whether Rodgers' body holds up over 17 games is the bigger question."

Rodgers and the Steelers will look to bounce back from Week 2 when they play at the 1-1 New England Patriots this coming Sunday. As of Wednesday morning, ESPN BET had Pittsburgh as a 1.5-point road favorite for that matchup.