Aaron Rodgers defends Mike Tomlin as Steelers cling to AFC North lead

When Rodgers signed his one-year, $13.65M contract with the Steelers over the summer, he made it clear he came to Pittsburgh because of his respect for Tomlin. Under the 53-year-old, the Steelers are 189-113-2 in the regular season, but 8-11 in the postseason. 

The Steelers also haven't advanced to the AFC Conference Championship since 2017. They've also been one-and-done in the playoffs over the past five seasons. The last time they went to the Super Bowl was in 2011, where Rodgers led the Green Bay Packers to a 31-25 victory over Tomlin's team. 

However, Tomlin has nearly always had the advantage over Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. According to ESPN Insights, Tomlin is 22-17 against Harbaugh in his career, which is the most head-to-head wins by a coach.

The partnership between Tomlin and Rodgers has worked, for the most part, this year. The Steelers are now 7-6, and with the Cincinnati Bengals also losing on Sunday, Rodgers' team has control over the division before Christmas.

The 42-year-old also looked much more like his younger, nimbler self on Sunday. Rodgers avoided multiple disastrous sacks to find wide receiver DK Metcalf for big plays. Rodgers threw 23 completions on 34 attempts for 284 yards and one touchdown, avoiding any turnovers or sacks.

The Steelers will play the Ravens one more time to close out the season in early January. That game could have massive playoff implications or even decide the division. If Rodgers and Tomlin want to keep the Steelers fanbase on their side, they'll have to keep winning and proving they can come up big when it matters.