Aaron Rodgers, you ol' Irishman, you: To what are you looking forward most in Dublin this weekend?
"Guinness," he said. "Guinness on tap is my favorite beer in the world. I'm gonna really drink beer."
Rodgers chuckled and got serious in answering the remaining post-practice questions Wednesday.
"This game means a lot to all of us, to the league, to the Rooney family, so we want to represent the team and the Rooney legacy well," Rodgers said. "But it's great for the game, to grow the game in so many countries, so being a part of the first game in Ireland is pretty cool. I have Irish heritage, so I'm very excited to get out there. And as far as the travel goes, it is what it is. You've got to suck it up on Friday and stay awake all day. You do that, you should be feeling pretty good Saturday."
The Steelers practiced at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side on Wednesday, and will do so again Thursday before catching a plane for Dublin on Thursday night. Rodgers will lead the Steelers against the Minnesota Vikings, his division rival for 18 years while with the Green Bay Packers.
As a starter, Rodgers was 17-11-1 against the Vikings during that time. He played against them only once while with the New York Jets, a loss last year in London. It was the only time Rodgers faced defensive coordinator Brian Flores, whose Vikings defenses lead the NFL with a 45.4 blitz percentage since he was hired in 2023.
"They're going to bring pressure at some point, and you have to have some ideas to combat that. So you've got to expect it," Rodgers said. "They do a good job disguising. Everything looks the same, so you don't want them to get going and sack you a bunch and play behind the sticks."
Rodgers took 7 sacks in his first two games this season, but wasn't sacked last week in the 21-14 win at New England. It was a combination of better protection and Rodgers getting rid of the ball more quickly. According to NextGen Stats, Rodgers has an impressive 120.2 passer rating on passes under 10 air yards. He leads the NFL with passing percentage behind the line of scrimmage (31.4 percent). He has thrown passes of 20-plus air yards only 7 percent of the time.
"It's a work in progress, for sure," Rodgers said of the Steelers offense. "We're getting used to (offensive coordinator) Arthur (Smith) and how he sees the game, and playing with me, and we're figuring it out. It hasn't been the prettiest at times, but the good thing is our defense played the way they want to play last week, and we made just enough plays to win. So, at this point it's about winning. The chemistry is there, the continuity, the belief in each other is there. It's just going out and executing, feeling better about ourselves on offense."
The Steelers scored touchdowns the first two times they possessed the ball in New England, and added a third touchdown on a 17-yard back-shoulder fade to Calvin Austin on a third down late in the fourth quarter for the game-winner. Immediately after the game, Rodgers said "I didn't throw the best ball, but Cal's so damn fast, he made a great play."
Rodgers has since softened his self-criticism.
"Sometimes you go back and watch it and you feel better about it," he said Wednesday. "I'm still not crazy about it, but it was better than it felt on the field."
The pass appeared – to the untrained eye – to be a perfect back-shoulder fade to Austin.
"Yeah," Rodgers said, "but (Austin) was like two-and-a-half yards in front of him, so ..."
The touchdown was the seventh successful red zone conversion for Rodgers and the Steelers in eight attempts this season. The 87.5 percent rate ranks second in the NFL behind the Philadelphia Eagles (100 percent).
"We should have been all-for-all," Rodgers said of the conversion rate. "I think Art's done a good job dialing some stuff up, and then we've made some plays, contested catches, tight-window throws. We had a nice scheme last week. We got down there close after the (pass interference) on Darnell (Washington), getting Kenny (Gainwell) on the edge. So it's scheme that has got some guys open. Look at the Jets game. I didn't do a whole lot on the Jonnu (Smith) touchdown, or the Jaylen (Warren) touchdown. Just trying to not mess it up. Hard to mess up a little pop pass. But it's combination of scheme and then execution, and we've done a good job of both."
Ever the perfectionist, Rodgers was asked what he can do better Sunday in Ireland.
"I could play better, for sure," he said. "Sometimes you just have to take what the defense gives you and be comfortable with that. Some of our best plays are just getting the ball in our playmakers' hands and letting them go. So I just need to be disciplined, like I usually am, and get the ball to the guys."
