AARON RODGERS
Quarterback
Mark Twain most often is credited with saying, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." And even though Twain died 73 years before Aaron Rodgers was born, there is some correlation between his quote and the way the Steelers quarterback played on Sunday night vs. the Ravens.
Rodgers' statistics were grim through much of a first half when the Steelers trailed by as much as 10 points, but in crunch time he was clutch. When the game was on the line, when the division title was hanging in the balance, when the Steelers were staring down the barrel of missing the playoffs, Rodgers played like the first-ballot Hall of Famer he most certainly will be.
By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Steelers had rallied from that 10-point deficit to a 13-10 lead, but from that point the game turned into a back-and-forth, who's-going-to-blink-first test of nerves. And Rodgers never blinked.
On the Steelers final two possessions of the game – in a span of about 8 minutes of game time – Rodgers drove the Steelers 65 yards in 8 plays for a touchdown, and then 65 yards in 6 plays for a touchdown with a perfect pass to a wide open Calvin Austin for the 26-yard touchdown that ended up being the difference in a 26-24 victory that sent the Steelers into the AFC Wild Card Round and the Ravens back to Baltimore to begin their offseason.
Rodgers is the Steelers Digest Player of the Week.
Also considered were Alex Highsmith, who had 2 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 batted pass that was intercepted by T.J. Watt; Jaylen Warren, who carried 14 times for 66 yards (4.7 average) and caught 5 passes for 33 more to finish with 19 touches for 99 yards from scrimmage; Watt, who had 2 tackles, 1 hit on the quarterback, and that interception that led to a field goal; Cam Heyward, who had 7 tackles and 1 hit on the quarterback; and Keeanu Benton, who had 7 tackles.
