The old man and the mirror: Aaron Rodgers meets the quarterback he used to be

It all started so well. And then it fell apart.

For two quarters, it looked like Aaron Rodgers might conjure one of those nights, the sort that ends with a smirk, a wink, and a reminder that he can match any of the league’s young pups. It was the first time in his career that he played against Green Bay, where he spent nearly two decades, won four MVPs and a lone Super Bowl. But the NFL rarely cares for nostalgia.

The Packers’ 35–25 win over the Steelers became something more revealing: a portrait of where both teams – and both quarterbacks – stand.

The Steelers took a 16-7 lead into the half. The game was played at their speed. They ran the ball effectively, Rodgers spread it around efficiently and kicker Chris Boswell nailed three 50-plus efforts to take the lead.

But things flipped in the third quarter. The Packers have a young, athletic defense with All-Pro-caliber players at every level. And for two quarters, they made Rodgers look old. Up front, Micah Parsons ripped through double and triple teams. In the middle, Edgerrin Cooper and Quay Walker patrolled with speed and range, thumping everything in sight. On the back end, the Packers’ secondary – with an average age of 26 – flew to the ball, anchored by deep safety Xavier McKinney.

It was a sharp contrast to Rodgers’ Steelers, who are built in a different image: heavy, methodical, defined by structure rather than creative freedom. Their offense runs through jumbo personnel packages, leaning on the ground game and trusting Rodgers to convert on third downs. It works when everything is tidy. But when the rhythm is disrupted or they fall behind the sticks, this version of Rodgers can no longer bend a game to his will.

Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins. For a week, Tagovailoa was a punchline. After the worst performance of his career, he looked adrift, unsure of himself, his team and how long he would remain in Miami. Then Sunday happened. The Dolphins rolled into Atlanta and right over the Falcons, 34-10, behind a throwback performance from their quarterback.

Tagovailoa completed 20 of 26 passes for 206 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 138.6. He was efficient when in rhythm and showed off his playmaking chops out of structure, throwing a dart on the run to Malik Washington to give the Dolphins an early lead.

Seven days earlier, the headlines were about excuses and errant throws. Tagovailoa had tried to explain away his struggles by half-heartedly lobbing teammates under the bus, then doubled down with a scattershot display against Cleveland that ended with him on the bench. That was the version with two working eyes. This week, Tagovailoa played through an infection that left his left eye swollen. “Probably one of the worst experiences I’ve had in terms of waking up,” Tagovailoa said post-game. “I’m just glad I was able to go out there and play.”

Somehow, one-eyed Tagovailoa saw everything clearly. Back in his role as facilitator, he helped snap Miami’s three-game skid and, for now, silenced the noise about his job security.

Stat of the week

Five. That’s the number of sacks Myles Garrett put up against the Patriots. The best pass-rusher in the league put on a show in New England, despite the Browns being leveled 32-13. Garett had a hat-trick of sacks in the first half, two of them in the red zone to end drives and one forcing a fumble. He finished with seven pressures, one of them flushing Drake Maye from the pocket and forcing the quarterback into an interception.

Garrett is a one-man avalanche. But watching him annihilate the Patriots while the Browns are blown out on the scoreboard felt like the perfect microcosm for his career. Do you think he regrets rescinding his offseason trade request in exchange for a bumper payday? Garrett cited a “desire to win” when he asked out of Cleveland. Nothing has changed since then, except for his market-resetting contract. Even when he puts together a historic performance, the Browns cannot hang with upper-tier teams.

Video of the week

When your team’s owner publicly criticizes your ability to throw the forward pass, what do you do? You call for your running back to throw the ball with the game on the line, obviously. That’s what Aaron Glenn and the Jets did to complete a comeback, 39-38 win over the Bengals.

It was another historic day for Josh Allen. He became only the second quarterback in league history with 70 career rushing touchdowns, rushing for two scores as the Bills beat the Panthers 40-9. Coming off a bye, the Bills’ offense was stodgy early. But their defense forced turnovers, and the offensive line manhandled the Panthers. Bye weeks are a time for teams to self-scout. It feels notable that Buffalo opted to run their offense through their two most reliable options: running back James Cook and receiver Khalil Shakir. The pair combined for 304 yards and three touchdowns on 25 touches. It wound up a blowout. But the usage of Cook and Shakir signaled that the Bills will be active before the trade deadline, hunting for another explosive receiver.

There was more tush-push controversy in Philadelphia. On fourth-and-one, Jalen Hurts leapt forward on the push and reached the ball out to clear the line to gain. As he reached, the ball was ripped out by the Giants’ Kayvon Thibodeaux. But the officials blew the whistle for forward progress, canceling out Thibodeaux’s turnover.

It was a ridiculous call. The shove already has enough ingrained advantages without officials calling forward progress on a play designed to have a player pushed forward. It eliminates any risk for Hurts when he reaches out for the first-down marker. Add that to missing blatant false starts, and the play becomes literally indefensible. If Thibodeaux’s rip is not a fumble, then the case against the push will no longer be about the spirit of the play (a laughable claim, anyway) but rather that the officials and the rulebook are not equipped to handle it.

The Jets’ win was overshadowed by the death of their longtime center Nick Mangold, who was seeking a kidney transplant, at the age of 41. Mangold spent his entire career with the Jets and was universally popular across the NFL thanks to his humor and approachability. He was also an excellent player: a seven-time Pro Bowler, a two-time All-Pro and a strong candidate for induction in the hall of fame. He was married with four children. “One of the kindest people I’ve ever met,” wrote former Jets running back Thomas Jones on social media. “One of the greatest interior linemen to ever play the game.”

The Colts wagon rolled to 7-1 behind another huge day from Jonathan Taylor. Indy’s running back scored three touchdowns in a 38-14 win over the Titans, marking the fourth time this year he’s scored three touchdowns in a game. Eight weeks in, Taylor should sit near the top of any MVP standings.

The Cowboys were thumped 44-22 by the Broncos. For the first time this season, Dak Prescott looked frazzled, struggling to break down Denver’s blitz-and-disguise defense. With the offense struggling, Dallas had no chance. The defense spent another Sunday afternoon struggling to slow down the run, rarely worrying the quarterback, missing tackles, blowing assignments and failing to cover anyone down the field. It feels like the masterplan of fielding a mini-Bengals in the NFC is not going to work.

The Giants lost running back Cam Skattebo, who had become a cult hero in his rookie season, to a gruesome ankle injury in their defeat to the Eagles. He will almost certainly miss the rest of the season. “I saw him on the ground with his leg trapped,” said Giants offensive lineman Greg Van Roten. “When he pulled it out, you could see his foot was the wrong way. Obviously, that is not normal. I just wanted him to stay down, called the trainers out, get the cart. Put the [ankle] back basically. It’s hard to see stuff like that.”