Photo: steelers.com
Steel City Underground presents it’s ‘Upon Review’ series of Pittsburgh Steelers positional group grades for the 2025 NFL season with statistical analysis and performance reviews.
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback play in 2025 provided stability amid roster turnover, propelling the team to a 10-7 record and an AFC North division title before a lopsided wild-card exit. Veteran Aaron Rodgers anchored the position in his 21st NFL season, delivering consistent if not spectacular results, while backup Mason Rudolph offered limited but competent relief. Rookie Will Howard, a sixth-round draft pick from Ohio State, spent the year on injured reserve and did not see action, leaving the analysis focused on the active passers.
We look at the season the quarterbacks group had and offer our grades along with key statistics and analysis.
Rodgers, acquired as a free agent from the New York Jets in June 2025, started all 16 regular season games and helped the Steelers clinch the division. He completed 327 of 498 passes for a 65.7% completion rate, amassing 3,322 yards with 24 touchdowns to 7 interceptions. His passer rating of 94.8 ranked 12th among qualified quarterbacks league-wide, reflecting efficiency but lacking the explosive plays that defined his prime with the Green Bay Packers.
Rodgers averaged 6.7 yards per attempt, his lowest since 2018, and took 29 sacks for 180 yards lost, partly due to an offensive line that allowed pressure on 35.2% of dropbacks – the ninth-highest rate in the NFL per Pro Football Reference.
The veteran’s performance showed flashes of vintage form, including a four-touchdown outing in a Week 7 win over the Baltimore Ravens and an 80-yard bomb to wide receiver D.K. Metcalf in a comeback victory against the Cincinnati Bengals. However, Rodgers posted a 78.3 rating in December contests as the Steelers went 2-2 down the stretch. His touchdown-to-interception ratio of 3.4:1 was solid, but the offense ranked 15th in scoring at 23.4 points per game.
Rodgers’ arm strength held up better than expected for his age, but his mobility waned, with only 42 rushing yards on 15 attempts, including two fumbles.
Grade: B
His low turnover rate and leadership were pivotal in securing the AFC North division and entrance into the NFL playoffs, but Rodgers’ diminished deep-ball accuracy, lack of stand-out quality in multiple receivers surrounding him, and the team’s middling offensive rankings prevented a higher mark. He defied age-related decline better than most, yet the Steelers’ aerial attack lacked the dynamics to fully contend for a Super Bowl.
Rudolph, in his eighth season and second stint with Pittsburgh after a brief tenure with the Tennessee Titans, appeared in five games, mostly in mop-up duty or as injury relief. He went 38-for-52 (73.1%) for 310 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, yielding an 84.6 passer rating. His most notable contribution came in a Week 13 blowout of the Cleveland Browns, where he threw for 128 yards and a score in the second half.
Rudolph’s efficiency in limited snaps – averaging 6.0 yards per attempt – provided a reliable floor, but his interception rate (3.8%) highlighted lingering decision-making issues from earlier in his career and not always being on the same page with his passing targets; Rodgers similarly struggled, at times, with those communication breakdowns. Rudolph took just two sacks for 12 yards lost, benefiting from simplified play-calling in Arthur Smith’s offense.
Grade: C+
Commendable for his spot duty but untested in high-stakes scenarios, Rudolph’s stats showed he was a serviceable backup without regular starter upside. His rapport with Rodgers appeared positive, though, which played into the team not falling apart on offense when Rudolph entered in place of Rodgers.
Howard, sidelined by a preseason shoulder injury before being tagged as the emergency quarterback, gets an incomplete. His college pedigree (3,074 yards, 26 touchdowns at Ohio State in 2024) hints at future potential, but no NFL snaps mean no evaluation – and no grade.
Thompson surprised Steelers fans during his preseason starts, but his dress rehearsal was shortlived. After spending time with the Miami Dolphins in 2022 and 2024, Thompson was an emergency backup only. Having zero regular season snaps eliminated an evaluation and grade.
The quarterback group’s collective grade is: B-
Stability from Rodgers elevated a transitional roster, and Rudolph’s familiarity with Pittsburgh’s system alleviated outright panic, but the lack of depth and explosive plays among skill players capped their ceiling.
Overall, the Steelers’ passing game totaled 3,632 yards (17th in the NFL), 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions on 550 attempts, for a collective 93.8 rating. The unit converted 40.1% of third downs through the air, ranking 14th, and supported a receiving corps led by Metcalf’s 1,112 yards. Yet the quarterbacks’ output couldn’t fully compensate for defensive lapses that allowed 22.8 points per game (18th) or a run game that failed to produce a 1,000-yard rusher for the first time since 2020.
Pittsburgh’s 10 wins marked an improvement from 9-8 in 2024, but the playoff loss exposed vulnerabilities: Rodgers managed just 146 yards and an interception in the 30-6 defeat to Houston, posting a 50.8 rating.
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