Aaron Rodgers is not off to a great start in what appears to be his final NFL season. The Pittsburgh Steelers signal-caller does have the team at 1-1 in the standings, but his production has been the problem. That is, the lack of production.
Rodgers has one touchdown pass through two games, averaging 204 yards per game. His supporters will note the offensive line struggles, the lack of a running game, and DK Metcalf dropping passes that hit his hands.
Rodgers’ detractors, meanwhile, will cite a key statistic to show his regression so far in 2026.
Aaron Rodgers Struggling in QB-Focused Stat
ESPN created the “QBR” statistic as a 0-100 scale to grade quarterback performance in a holistic way. The 0-100 scale sees a score of 50 as average, while a score of 75 is considered a Pro Bowl-level player.
There is a lot of convoluted math that goes into it as well, but the average fan can follow that 0-100 scale throughout a season.
Rodgers currently ranks 30th out of 32 qualified quarterbacks in the NFL with a QBR of 31.6 through two games. He is only ahead of Justin Herbert (29.3) and Cooper Rush (5.2). Herbert has looked lost for the Los Angeles Chargers and Rush entered camp as the third-string option in Atlanta.
Rodgers’ QBR in Sunday’s loss to the New England Patriots was 28.6, well below the league average. The number essentially sums up the state of the entire Pittsburgh offense so far in 2026.
Steelers Offense Facing Major Issues Through 2 Games
The win Rodgers and the Steelers did pick up this year came in Week 1 against Cooper Rush and the Falcons in a game where a T.J. Watt pick-six made the ultimate difference in the 20-13 final. The Carolina Panthers proceeded to defeat that same Falcons team by a final of 34-3 in Week 2.
The Steelers offense ranks 30th in yards per game with a dismal mark of 249.5. But not all of that falls on Rodgers. Jaylen Warren leads the team with 21 carries for 89 yards, followed by Rico Dowdle and his 15 carries for 37 yards.
Rodgers is averaging nearly 40 passing attempts per game and the Steelers are clearly one-dimensional on offense.
The good news for the team is that scoring is down all around the NFL, making this a problem outside of Pittsburgh as well. Rodgers has plenty of time to raise his QBR as it’s hard to imagine him going any lower than his current mark of 31.6.
Steelers fans are just hoping Rodgers doesn’t finish the season behind the likes of Malik Willis, Cam Ward, Deshaun Watson, and many others in QBR as his NFL career comes to a close.
Aaron Rodgers Ranks Almost Last in Key NFL QB Stat