ExtremeRavens Posted 11 hours ago Posted 11 hours ago The outcome of Pittsburgh versus Baltimore will be decided by Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and whether he has one more miracle left in his 42-year-old body — and right arm. That’s it. Going into Sunday night’s encounter that will determine the AFC North champion, Pittsburgh will be without No. 1 wide receiver DK Metcalf, who is serving the second half of a two-game suspension, as well as behemoth tight end Darnell Washington (broken arm) and possibly injured players such as No. 2 receiver Calvin Austin III and starting left guard Isaac Seumalo. The Steelers aren’t winning unless Rodgers plays out of this world. He has to play like the old Aaron Rodgers who won four NFL Most Valuable Player Awards during his 17 years in Green Bay instead of an old Aaron Rodgers. The current Rodgers isn’t bad, having completed 65.6% of his passes for 3,028 yards and 23 touchdowns this season, but he is only averaging 6.7 yards per completion. That’s Tyler Huntley-like. The Ravens’ backup started for quarterback Lamar Jackson last week against Green Bay and completed 16 of 20 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown, but he had a full complement of receivers. Rodgers has no Metcalf and no Washington, and Austin might not play. Rodgers better be at his gunslinging best, the way he was in Green Bay when he passed for more than 4,000 yards five times. “I don’t know that I’ve taken time to ponder that. I’m just committed to making sure that it’s not,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said earlier this week of Rodgers possibly playing the last game of his career. “He’s certainly been an awesome contributor to our efforts, not only from a talent perspective and an experience perspective, but just his professionalism. “His relationship with the game, his love for his teammates, and his willingness to help them grow and get better and gain better understanding each and every day has been cool to be a part of.” In the past four games, Rodgers seemed to have rejuvenated the Steelers, who are 3-1 during the stretch. There was the semblance of the long ball in the offense again, especially when Pittsburgh beat the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium, 27-22, on Dec. 7. But last week, Pittsburgh’s offense looked pathetic. They had no downfield threats without Metcalf and Austin, and the Steelers had only 131 rushing yards in a 13-6 loss to the Browns that prevented Pittsburgh from clinching the AFC North title. Rodgers averaged just 4.3 yards per attempt in the defeat, his worst mark of the season. Ravens coach John Harbaugh has spent most of the week talking up the Steelers’ offense, but Pittsburgh has virtually no passing game. Worse yet, this isn’t the younger Rodgers, who could move and throw on the run with passes across his body. Rodgers used to be a gunslinger, but now he is more of a statue without any weapons. The 6-foot-4, 229-pound Metcalf has 59 catches for 850 yards and six touchdowns this season, and he lit up the Ravens’ secondary for seven receptions and 148 yards earlier this season. New England’s Stefon Diggs had nine catches for 138 yards in the Patriots’ win over the Ravens, 28-24, on Dec. 21. The Ravens have difficulties matching up with No. 1 receivers on the outside and across the middle. Packers backup Malik Willis even completed 18 of 21 passes for 288 yards last week. But Pittsburgh has no one now, and Rodgers has to come up big. Really big. Like an MVP-type performance. “You look at who’s in, and who’s out, for sure. Obviously, Metcalf, look at the trouble he gave us in the first game, so you factor it,” Harbaugh said. “You factor Washington, whether he can play or not, for sure, Austin, whether he can play or not, for sure. Those are big playmakers for those guys, but then you look at the other guys they have.” But they can’t challenge the Ravens downfield, which has been a weakness for Baltimore all season. The Ravens are ranked No. 25 in overall defense, allowing 352.3 yards per game, and are tied at No. 29, allowing 245.3 passing yards. That’s embarrassing. Pittsburgh is ranked No. 26 in overall offense and No. 26 in rushing, averaging 103 yards per game on the ground. The Steelers have a solid running game with backs Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell, but let’s not get crazy here. Warren has 892 rushing yards, and Gainwell has produced 527. But please, avoid the hype. “Gainwell is incredible,” Harbaugh said. “Their running backs are just, I think, top of the line running backs. Both those two guys are great. Jaylen is amazing, downhill, and they get him the ball in so many different ways. They do a great job of getting him the ball. They’ll run a progression-pass concept over here. Then, they’ll have like a — we call it an escort-type of a flare pass — and really, it’s a run play if they dump it out there, and Aaron does an incredible job of sorting all that stuff out [and] screens; they do a great job, and then you have the tight ends.” It all comes down to Rodgers, and if the Ravens can move him or make him feel uncomfortable in the pocket. The Ravens only have 28 sacks this season. Rodgers is great at running the play clock down to the last second and isn’t afraid to throw over the middle the way predecessor Russell Wilson was. He has to surface and take over the game, much like he did in Baltimore several weeks ago. He ran everything and controlled the tempo of the game. It was like prime Rodgers. Can he do it again? Probably not, unless he has one more miracle left in that body. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers runs into the end zone untouched for a touchdown against the Ravens on Dec. 7. Rodgers led Pittsburgh to a 27-22 win in Baltimore. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) View the full article Quote
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