Aaron Rodgers Sounds Off on Steelers Critics Right After Beating Jets
Posted September 8, 2025
No one would have been too surprised if Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers rubbed a little salt in the wound of his former team after beating the New York Jets on Sunday. Rodgers has that type of reputation, and he voiced his displeasure about his departure from the Jets this offseason.
But instead, Rodgers targeted critics of the Steelers offense after defeating his former team in Week 1. The quarterback opened up on those critics when CBS Sports’ Evan Washburn noted during their postgame interview that he looked comfortable in Arthur Smith’s offense.
“There’s a lot of garbage being talked about either myself or Arthur out there. How are we going to co-exist? We’ve got a great relationship,” Rodgers told Washburn on the field right after the game. “He called a really good game. I’ve got to play a little bit better in spots. But happy to be 1-0.”
Rodgers completed 22 of 30 passes for 244 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions during his Steelers debut. He also led the team into field-goal range in the final two minutes of regulation.
The Steelers held on to defeat the Jets 34-32 in Week 1.
Aaron Rodgers Impresses in First Game With Arthur Smith
The 41-year-old quarterback didn’t play at all during the preseason. That made Sunday his first game action in Smith’s offense.
Few pundits would have been shocked if the Steelers started slowly on offense. The team hasn’t been able to score a lot of points in recent Week 1 matchups. Rodgers also came into Sunday with a poor season opener record this decade.
But the veteran signal-caller delivered, becoming the first Steelers quarterback with four touchdown passes in a game since Ben Roethlisberger.
The Steelers needed every bit of Rodgers’ production too. The Pittsburgh-New York matchup surprisingly became a shootout, with the Steelers hyped defense giving up 394 total yards.
The Jets outgained the Steelers on the ground 182-53. But behind Rodgers’ efficient day and four touchdowns, Pittsburgh outscored the Jets by 11 points in the fourth quarter to win.
Rodgers completed four passes for DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin III, who were Pittsburgh’s top two receivers Sunday. Rodgers’ four touchdown passes went to four different pass-catchers — Austin, Ben Skowronek, Jaylen Warren and Jonnu Smith.
Snubbed Giants Rookie Given Michael Strahan Reminder After Week 1
He was denied his NFL debut in Week 1, but a top member of the New York Giants’ 2025 NFL draft class can take comfort from how franchise great and Hall of Famer Michael Strahan started his career.
Defensive tackle Darius Alexander was a healthy scratch against the Washington Commanders, raising questions about the stalled development of this year’s third-round pick. Yet, the critics were urged by NorthJersey.com’s Art Stapleton to remember how things began for Strahan.
Stapleton pointed out how Strahan, a second-round pick and the first player taken by the Giants in the 1993 NFL draft, “could not beat out veteran defensive ends on the Giants as a rookie and was inactive for the first five games of his NFL career. He eventually found his game.”
Worth noting, just before Darius Alexander gets ruled a bust for being a healthy scratch today:
Michael Strahan could not beat out veteran defensive ends on the Giants as a rookie and was inactive for the first five games of his NFL career.
He eventually found his game.
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) September 7, 2025
Alexander can only hope to emulate the heights Strahan eventually reached as the league’s single-season sack record holder and the franchise leader in sacks. The Super Bowl champion needed a scheme change and some better personnel around him to eventually unlock his full potential.
Quality personnel is something Alexander can count on during his debut season, provided he can convince coaches to let him onto the field.
Darius Alexander Needs Reset After Week 1 ‘Disappointment’
The best way to sum up the negative aspect of Alexander missing out in the opening week is to consider who the Giants chose ahead of him. They felt more comfortable turning to Elijah Garcia, a former practice squad player with the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos, who made three starts for the Giants last season.
As Dan Duggan of The Athletic put it, the Giants promoting Garcia “over Alexander speaks to how far they view the third-round pick is from contributing.”
The expected group, aside from Darius Alexander. Elevating Elijah Garcia from the practice squad over Alexander speaks to how far they view the third-round pick is from contributing https://t.co/JHnAInC26i
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) September 7, 2025
What’s worse is Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports admitting Alexander being a scratch wasn’t “a surprise, but it’s certainly a disappointment.”
The disappointment stems from Alexander being versatile and athletic enough to act as an amoeba along Big Blue’s hybrid fronts. He’s supposed to add more playmaking dynamism at the heart of the trenches and take some attention away from double-teams magnet, All-Pro nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II.
Alexander obviously hasn’t done enough to convince Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen and D-line coach Andre Patterson he can be a worthy complement to Lawrence. That’s less than encouraging, but there’s still room for Alexander to deliver, especially after the way the Giants struggled up front in key moments against the Commanders.
Loaded Giants Defensive Line Still Needs a Boost
Surrendering 220 yards and two touchdowns on the ground showed the Giants still have work to do along the line. So did miserable resistance on second-and-long, when a supposedly loaded front seven “on 10 different instances had the Commanders on 2nd and 10 or longer. The Commanders averaged 15 yards per play on those plays,” according to Justin Penik of Talkin’ Giants.
Ladies and Gentleman, I present to you the worst 2nd down defensive performance ever
The Giants on 10 different instances had the Commanders on 2nd and 10 or longer. The Commanders averaged 15 yards per play on those plays. pic.twitter.com/yBpgJRqxOF
— Justin Penik (@JustinPenik) September 7, 2025
Alexander can help as a 6-foot-4, 310-pounder who’s tough to move in the meat grinder along the line of scrimmage. The 25-year-old must take advantage of practicing alongside lineman as accomplished as Lawrence, Super Bowl winner Rakeem Nunez-Roches and veteran Roy Robertson-Harris, who can operate at both end and tackle.
Making the most of the experience and talent around him is how Alexander transfers his raw skills into making an impact in games that matter. It’s how Strahan eventually made the grade almost 30 years ago.
Michael Strahan Career Path Is Motivation for Giants Rookie
Strahan struggled to make a dent as a 3-4 defensive end in then-coordinator Mike Nolan’s schemes, despite his obvious physicality. Things hardly improved for No. 92 when Nolan and head coach Dan Reeves shifted to a four-man front in 1994.
It wasn’t until Jim Fassel replaced Reeves two years later and hired John Fox to take over from Nolan, that things changed for the better for Strahan. Fox gave his linemen more room to freelance and attack.
The new style, along with Robert Harris moving from end to tackle next to the perennially underrated Keith Hamilton, transformed Strahan. His sack numbers jumped from five to 14 in a single season, and the rest was history.
GettyMichael Strahan during his breakout season in 1997.
Alexander may not go from strength to strength the way Strahan did, but he’s still in a good position to succeed during his first year, once he earns his chance, because of the players around him.
