Aaron Rodgers’ Pittsburgh Steelers career is off to a great start — perhaps better than many expected for a 42-year-old in his 21st NFL season.
Through his first four games with the Steelers, Rodgers is 3-1 with 786 passing yards, eight touchdowns, three interceptions and a 68.5% completion percentage. Many of his rate stats are his best since 2021 — the year he won his most recent MVP award and his last truly elite season.
While Rodgers has been excellent, he’s been getting a lot of help from his pass-catchers. According to the Ringer, 71% of his passing yards have come after the catch this season. Not only is that the highest of any quarterback this year by 13%, but it’s also the best Week 1-4 start by a quarterback since 2000.
Pittsburgh’s top three players in receiving yards so far have been D.K. Metcalf (261 yards, 199 after the catch), Jaylen Warren (142 yards, 154 after the catch) and Calvin Austin III (139 yards, 35 after the catch), who have accounted for over two-thirds of the team’s passing yards.
Metcalf led the NFL in YAC through Week 4 and is averaging a career-best 17.4 yards per catch, including 12.6 YAC per reception. That’s more than double his previous career best of 5.6 from 2023, although it’s worth noting that his numbers are still a bit inflated by his 80-yard touchdown grab in Week 4.
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Per PFF, Metcalf has the league’s highest passer rating when targeted (min. 20 targets) at 143.3.
Meanwhile, Warren has been one of the best pass-catching backs in the league this year, hauling in 91.7% of his targets while averaging 12.9 yards per reception and 47.3 yards per game — all career bests — before missing Week 4 with a knee injury.
Like Metcalf, his numbers are also skewed by a big play (a 65-yard catch), but they’re still impressive nevertheless.
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The Steelers’ historically elite YAC numbers will likely normalize as the season progresses, but they’re a big reason why the team is 3-1 heading into its bye week.
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Featured image via Barry Reeger/Imagn Images