Tom Brady is uniquely qualified to understand what it’s like to be in your 40s and play quarterback in the NFL. That’s part of the reason why he’s liked what he’s seen from Aaron Rodgers so far this season amid the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 3-1 start.
“Beyond impressed,”Brady said of Rodgers’ play so far this season during an appearance on “FOX NFL Sunday.” “I think at that age, there are so many other factors that come into play about how to be a great quarterback. We all want to talk about what happens in the offseason with him and there’s some things that are — there’s a lot of narratives out there. There’s a lot of [retreats]. It’s a little different.
“What we know about him on the field is that he’s a surgical passer, he’s got a killer instinct, he’s hyper competitive and he’s brought all of that to Pittsburgh.”
Rodgers, who’ll turn 42 in December, hasn’t aired the ball out much so far in his first season in Pittsburgh. His average intended air yards (4.8) and average air yards to the sticks (minus-4.7) are the fewest in the league, per Next Gen Stats.
However, Rodgers’ throws in the quick game have helped him become one of the league’s more efficient quarterbacks through the first four weeks of the season. Entering Sunday’s slate, Rodgers was 11th in the league in completion percentage (68.5) and ninth in passer rating (102.5).
Tom Brady praises Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers playing into his 40s: “He’s a surgical passer”
That decisiveness and efficiency haven’t necessarily translated to a high number of passing yards for Rodgers. His 786 passing yards so far this season ranked 21st in the league entering Sunday. But it’s kept him relatively clean, taking just 2.3 sacks and eight pressures per game this season, per Pro Football Focus. That’s a slight improvement from last year, when he was sacked 2.4 times per game and pressured 9.2 times per game as Rodgers struggled to get the New York Jets’ offense going.
Of course, the most important part is that Rodgers is playing winning football. Outside of their Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Rodgers has been relatively clean with the ball, throwing just one interception in the other three games.
Rodgers also has a completion percentage of at least 69% in each of the Steelers’ three victories, further solidifying the notion that Pittsburgh wins when Rodgers plays an efficient and clean game.
The Steelers have a Week 5 bye, but they’ll need Rodgers to keep up the efficient play in the coming weeks. They play a tough Cleveland Browns defense in Week 6 before traveling to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals on a short week in Week 7. In Week 8, Rodgers will finally get to face his former team when the Steelers host the Green Bay Packers.
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