Once upon a time, Aaron Rodgers settled hysteria surrounding his team by delivering a simple message: R-E-L-A-X.
That Packers club ended up finishing 12-4, winning the NFC North and embarking on a deep playoff run in Jan. 2015 that ended in shocking heartbreak in a conference championship game loss to Seattle. Over a decade later, Rodgers' team doesn't seem to carry the same potential as it enters December, yet the Steelers quarterback isn't taking the same measures to quell the external worries.
“I don’t feel like this team has a freak out or a panic that I need to like send a message out to the zeitgeist that everybody needs to just relax a little bit,” Rodgers said Wednesday, via The Associated Press. “We’ve been playing inconsistent football, that’s for sure. Got to play better.”
Rodgers' Steelers are 6-6, have won just twice in their last seven games and appear to be trending downward at the worst possible time. The picture has grown so ugly, Steelers fans have renewed calls for coach Mike Tomlin's job and even booed during their beloved fourth-quarter playing of Styx's "Renegade" during the lopsided loss to the Bills in Week 13.
Pittsburgh has lacked fight on both sides of the ball, giving up 31 points in a road loss to the red-hot Bears in Week 12 and getting steamrolled by Bills running back James Cook (32 carries, 144 yards) in its Week 13 defeat. Offensively, the Steelers have been worse, tallying just 166 total yards against Buffalo and failing to threaten opposing defenses when Rodgers is on the field.
The comparisons between the 2014 Packers and 2025 Steelers end at their shared .500 record. Back then, Rodgers was 31 years old and squarely in his prime, authoring his second NFL MVP season while propelling the Packers to a highly successful campaign.
Now, Rodgers is 42 years old and looks like it. Even worse, his Steelers don't feature the same talent as those Packers. After a 4-1 start, many aren't even including them in their AFC playoff projections.
In order to turn things around in their final five weeks, Rodgers believes the Steelers need to lean into the challenge in front of them instead of crumbling. As he said, "we're always closer than we think and we're also not as great as we think we are."
“You kind of wait and hope for that run that you can go on to kind of get to be playing the right way come December,” the Pittsburgh QB added. “But I think from a foundational standpoint, to be playing meaningful games in December is special and we need to embrace that.”
Like many others, Rodgers is battling his own challenges. He suffered a left wrist injury that cost him a start in Week 12 and has forced him to play while wearing a brace, a nuisance that shouldn't become a hindrance.
Rodgers turned to a classic tune after Pittsburgh's most recent loss, calling for every member of the Steelers -- including himself -- to be more accountable for their actions and dedicate themselves to their craft for the remainder of the season. He also welcomed in a veteran, receiver Adam Thielen, after the Steelers claimed the former Vikings star via waivers this week.
Thielen's arrival won't serve as a magic cure for the Steelers' problems. Perhaps nothing will. But Rodgers is going to keep trying for as long as opportunities remain.
With five guaranteed such chances left, including Sunday against the rival Ravens, there's no time for relaxing.