• Doing his job to perfection: The future Hall of Famer posted a clean box score, completing 18 of his 22 passes (81.8%) for 199 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions and a 119.5 passer rating. When accounting for drops, his adjusted completion rate rises to 86.4%.
   
• More revealing is how little Pittsburgh is asking him to do: Rodgers averaged just 2.16 seconds to throw, the fifth-fastest single-game mark of his career and fastest among all quarterbacks so far this season. His average depth of target? Just 3.7 yards, the second-lowest mark of his entire career in the PFF era.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers made their long-anticipated “homecoming” to Ireland one to remember, holding off the Minnesota Vikings 24–21 in Dublin.

In a game steeped in symbolism and heritage, the team leaned into its cultural identity and played exactly the kind of football that has defined the franchise for decades. The Steelers, owned by the Rooney family — whose Irish roots trace back to County Down — delivered a performance that would’ve made Art Rooney Sr. proud: physical and efficient.

Defense and the ground game

The run game led the way offensively, finishing with a 0.17 EPA per play, a 93rd-percentile mark among games this season. Pittsburgh rushed for 131 yards at 4.5 yards per carry, including 1.3 yards before contact and 3.2 yards after contact. The team ripped off four explosive runs of 10-plus yards, totaling 51 yards on those plays and forcing six missed tackles on 29 attempts.

Kenneth Gainwell powered the effort, rushing for 100 yards on 19 carries (5.3 per attempt), scoring twice and moving the chains six more times. He forced the six missed tackles on the day and earned an 80.8 PFF grade on first review.

Defensively, the Steelers were stout. They held the Vikings to 5.2 yards per play and a -0.009 EPA per play. The unit racked up two takeaways and seven tackles for loss. The biggest moment came in the final minute, when Pittsburgh’s defense stood firm to stop Minnesota’s comeback drive, forcing a turnover on downs just outside field goal range.

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Rodgers’ Role? Limited

Hidden beneath the run-game dominance and defensive highlights is another growing storyline: the Steelers are winning despite needing little from quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

The future Hall of Famer posted a clean box score — completing 18 of his 22 passes (81.8%) for 199 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions and a 119.5 passer rating. When accounting for drops, his adjusted completion rate rises to 86.4%.

But box scores can be misleading.

Aaron Rodgers: Lowest single-game average target depths

Rodgers earned a 64.6 passing grade on first review — solid, but not close to his peak play. He made just one big-time throw and logged a turnover-worthy play on a fumble.

More revealing is how little Pittsburgh is asking him to do. Rodgers averaged just 2.16 seconds to throw — the fifth-fastest single-game mark of his career and fastest among all quarterbacks so far this season.

His average depth of target? Just 3.7 yards — the second-lowest mark of his entire career in the PFF era.

Aaron Rodgers: From snap to pass

Rodgers threw just three passes beyond 10 yards, completing two for 97 yards and a score. Of his 22 attempts, 81.8% were thrown short of the sticks, and 86.4% were thrown under 10 yards — a new career high.

He did not attempt a single deep pass (20-plus air yards) — only the fifth time in 264 qualifying games where he’s failed to do so.

Heading into Week 4’s 1 p.m. slate of games, Rodgers ranks sixth in passer rating (102.6), but heads into the latest PFF review cycle with a 53.6 passing grade — on pace for a career low. He’s logged just three big-time throws and six turnover-worthy plays so far, all while executing a highly conservative, low-risk offense that keeps him upright and the chains moving.

What It Means

The Steelers are 3–1. They’re winning. The run game is efficient. The defense is playing well. Rodgers, meanwhile, is managing the offense but not leading it.

And maybe that’s enough, for now. But if Pittsburgh hopes to contend in January, at some point, the team may need the old Rodgers to show up.