by Team Del Genio
Friday, Oct 31, 2025Aaron Rodgers played against the Green Bay Packers for the first time since leaving the team three years ago last Sunday night. Of course, the revenge narrative featured prominently in the buildup for the game.
Rodgers' first opportunity to get some payback against a former team took place in the opening week of the season. The veteran was very vocal about his desire to prove he could still play against the Jets, who asked him to fly into New York to discuss his future with the team before being quickly told by rookie head coach Aaron Glenn that he was no longer in their plans. He was released in March and eventually signed with the Steelers as a free agent in the summer. Rodgers did get his revenge in that game by leading Pittsburgh to a 34-32 victory, yet the Steelers did not cover the point spread after being installed as a 3-point road favorite.
Historically, the revenge motivation for future Hall of Fame quarterbacks tends to be overrated. In Tom Brady’s one game against New England, Tampa Bay did not cover the point spread. Peyton Manning did not cover the point spread in all four of the Denver Broncos’ games against Indianapolis. Brett Favre split his four games against the spread when playing the Packers in a Minnesota Vikings uniform, yet the Vikings did not cover the point spread in their one game when playing the New York Jets, which was the team he played for after leaving Green Bay.
Rodgers downplayed the revenge angle tonight since he feels he left on good terms with the organization and plans on retiring as a Packer. What will be more important is what happens on the field. Rodgers was averaging only 211.7 passing yards per game this year, operating what has mostly been a quick passing attack featuring short and safe passes. His average depth of target was the 34th lowest of qualifying NFL quarterbacks. Turning 42 years old in December, his mobility has changed from a strength to a weakness at this point in his career. In their 33-31 loss at Cincinnati last week on Thursday Night Football, he did challenge the Bengals' secondary more often, yet he threw two interceptions. One of the interceptions came from a tipped ball in coverage, and the other was a deep ball that sailed well over the head of his target. The offense is limited in what it can accomplish.
Of greater concern for head coach Mike Tomlin may be the state of his defense. The vaunted Steel Curtain had allowed three of their six opponents to score 31 or more points. The opportunity to pressure Joe Flacco with their pass rush was a great opportunity for them last week. Instead, Flacco completed 31 of 47 passes for 342 yards and three touchdown passes. A struggling Bengals offense exploded for 470 yards. Tomlin has had extra time to correct the problems with his defense, yet Sunday Night Football has not been the best spot for these bounce-back teams. Teams playing on Sunday night following a loss in their previous game have only covered the point spread in fifteen of those previous forty games.
Green Bay had won two games in a row to improve their record to 4-1-1 since their 40-40 tie at Dallas. The Cowboys were the only team to score more than 24 points against them, and the Packers' defense had held four of their six opponents to less than 19 points. Micah Parsons had to be licking his chops to go after Rodgers in that game. His 5.5 sacks this year put him just under a sack a game. The Packers offense had scored 27 or more points in five of their six games. Quarterback Jordan Love plays at his best in a clean pocket, where he has a 133.5 passer rating. Head coach Matt Lafleur will study the tape regarding how Flacco was able to have so much success in the passing game and neutralize the Pittsburgh pass rush. Wide receiver Christian Watson was expected to return from injury for this game.
The Packers come off a 27-23 win at Arizona last week, and they had covered the point spread in eight of their previous ten games after winning on the road in their previous game. Green Bay usually is at their best in these prime-time games, where they have a 19-8-1 straight-up record and a 20-7-1 mark against the spread in their previous twenty-eight games at night.
Rodgers had early success against the Packers and led the Steelers into halftime with a 16-7 score. Yet it was Jordan Love who used the national stage in the second half to make a statement. Love tied a Green Bay franchise record by completing 20 passes in a row. That accomplishment tied with Brett Favre, not Rodgers, for the Packers' all-time record. Love completed 29 of 37 passes for 360 yards with three touchdowns to lead Green Bay to 28 second-half points in a 35-25 victory. Rodgers completed 24 of his 36 passes but for only 219 yards.
Ultimately, the hype that Rodgers would have extra motivation to play well against his former team ended up being more bluster than true insight.
Good luck - TDG.
Rodgers' first opportunity to get some payback against a former team took place in the opening week of the season. The veteran was very vocal about his desire to prove he could still play against the Jets, who asked him to fly into New York to discuss his future with the team before being quickly told by rookie head coach Aaron Glenn that he was no longer in their plans. He was released in March and eventually signed with the Steelers as a free agent in the summer. Rodgers did get his revenge in that game by leading Pittsburgh to a 34-32 victory, yet the Steelers did not cover the point spread after being installed as a 3-point road favorite.
Historically, the revenge motivation for future Hall of Fame quarterbacks tends to be overrated. In Tom Brady’s one game against New England, Tampa Bay did not cover the point spread. Peyton Manning did not cover the point spread in all four of the Denver Broncos’ games against Indianapolis. Brett Favre split his four games against the spread when playing the Packers in a Minnesota Vikings uniform, yet the Vikings did not cover the point spread in their one game when playing the New York Jets, which was the team he played for after leaving Green Bay.
Rodgers downplayed the revenge angle tonight since he feels he left on good terms with the organization and plans on retiring as a Packer. What will be more important is what happens on the field. Rodgers was averaging only 211.7 passing yards per game this year, operating what has mostly been a quick passing attack featuring short and safe passes. His average depth of target was the 34th lowest of qualifying NFL quarterbacks. Turning 42 years old in December, his mobility has changed from a strength to a weakness at this point in his career. In their 33-31 loss at Cincinnati last week on Thursday Night Football, he did challenge the Bengals' secondary more often, yet he threw two interceptions. One of the interceptions came from a tipped ball in coverage, and the other was a deep ball that sailed well over the head of his target. The offense is limited in what it can accomplish.
Of greater concern for head coach Mike Tomlin may be the state of his defense. The vaunted Steel Curtain had allowed three of their six opponents to score 31 or more points. The opportunity to pressure Joe Flacco with their pass rush was a great opportunity for them last week. Instead, Flacco completed 31 of 47 passes for 342 yards and three touchdown passes. A struggling Bengals offense exploded for 470 yards. Tomlin has had extra time to correct the problems with his defense, yet Sunday Night Football has not been the best spot for these bounce-back teams. Teams playing on Sunday night following a loss in their previous game have only covered the point spread in fifteen of those previous forty games.
Green Bay had won two games in a row to improve their record to 4-1-1 since their 40-40 tie at Dallas. The Cowboys were the only team to score more than 24 points against them, and the Packers' defense had held four of their six opponents to less than 19 points. Micah Parsons had to be licking his chops to go after Rodgers in that game. His 5.5 sacks this year put him just under a sack a game. The Packers offense had scored 27 or more points in five of their six games. Quarterback Jordan Love plays at his best in a clean pocket, where he has a 133.5 passer rating. Head coach Matt Lafleur will study the tape regarding how Flacco was able to have so much success in the passing game and neutralize the Pittsburgh pass rush. Wide receiver Christian Watson was expected to return from injury for this game.
The Packers come off a 27-23 win at Arizona last week, and they had covered the point spread in eight of their previous ten games after winning on the road in their previous game. Green Bay usually is at their best in these prime-time games, where they have a 19-8-1 straight-up record and a 20-7-1 mark against the spread in their previous twenty-eight games at night.
Rodgers had early success against the Packers and led the Steelers into halftime with a 16-7 score. Yet it was Jordan Love who used the national stage in the second half to make a statement. Love tied a Green Bay franchise record by completing 20 passes in a row. That accomplishment tied with Brett Favre, not Rodgers, for the Packers' all-time record. Love completed 29 of 37 passes for 360 yards with three touchdowns to lead Green Bay to 28 second-half points in a 35-25 victory. Rodgers completed 24 of his 36 passes but for only 219 yards.
Ultimately, the hype that Rodgers would have extra motivation to play well against his former team ended up being more bluster than true insight.
Good luck - TDG.
