The New England Patriots’ defense gets another crack at Aaron Rodgers on Sunday.
And defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr sounds convinced the 42-year-old quarterback has lost very little of what made him dangerous.
“He still has a rocket arm and accuracy,” Kuhr said Thursday, via MassLive’s Mark Daniels.
That assessment comes after Rodgers opened his 22nd NFL season by completing 24 of 40 passes for 221 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 20-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Rodgers was sacked twice, but Pittsburgh did enough to leave Week 1 at 1-0.
Kuhr’s concern goes well beyond arm strength. He described Rodgers as “basically an offensive coordinator out there,” according to WPRI’s Aniekan Okon, pointing to the veteran quarterback’s ability to manage the game and diagnose a defense before the snap.
So, Kuhr wants pressure, but he also knows chasing Rodgers recklessly can play directly into the quarterback’s hands.
Kuhr Explains Why Sacks Aren’t the Only Answer
Kuhr made it clear that New England’s pass rush cannot be judged solely by whether Rodgers ends up on the ground.
“He’s really good at protecting himself. It’s going to be important. Sometimes the answer isn’t always a sack, it’s getting into throwing lanes,” Kuhr said, according to New England Football Journal’s Kevin J. Stone.
That’s definitely relevant against a quarterback who has spent more than two decades punishing overaggressive defenses. Rodgers can change protections, get the ball out quickly and use subtle movement in the pocket to buy enough time for a receiver to uncover.
NFL.com’s Week 1 analysis showed how heavily Pittsburgh leaned on that short-game efficiency against Atlanta. Rodgers completed 20 of 24 attempts on throws under 10 air yards, while 11 of those attempts came in under 2.5 seconds.
For New England, shrinking those passing windows could matter as much as producing a sack total. The Patriots generated two sacks in their 13-10 season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks, and the defense held Seattle to 285 total yards.
Rodgers presents a different kind of test because he can neutralize pressure before it fully arrives. That makes discipline around the pocket and getting hands into passing lanes especially valuable Sunday.
Patriots Get Second Chance After Rodgers Prevailed Last Year
The matchup also has some recent history.
The Steelers beat the Patriots 21-14 at Gillette Stadium last September, a game remembered largely for New England’s five turnovers.
Rodgers still made enough plays when Pittsburgh needed them, including a 21-yard third-down completion to Jonnu Smith and a touchdown pass to DK Metcalf on a 90-yard drive.
New England finished that game without recording a sack of Rodgers. A third-down sack by Milton Williams was wiped out by a holding penalty, allowing the Steelers’ drive to continue.
This time, Kuhr enters the matchup as New England’s full-time defensive coordinator after serving as the primary defensive play caller for much of 2025. The Patriots promoted him to the coordinator role in March.
His message before the rematch is simply that Rodgers remains capable of making defenses pay if they treat him like a quarterback whose best football is firmly behind him.
The Patriots don’t necessarily need to bury Rodgers under a pile of sacks to disrupt Pittsburgh. But they need to make him hesitate, cloud the throwing lanes and prevent him from operating the game on his terms.
Against a quarterback Kuhr believes still has a “rocket arm,” that may be the difference between controlling the afternoon and watching Rodgers dictate it.
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