“We haven’t taken it easy on ourselves, really all season, I guess,” Rodgers said with a smile. “But I’m proud of our guys. I’m proud of the way we responded a lot of times after they got the lead. It just takes a little bit of faith at this point in the season.”
With defensive guns that allowed Lamar Jackson to haul in touchdowns of 50 and 64 yards in the fourth quarter, the Steelers could have shrunk and wandered into the offseason with back-to-back losses. But each time Rodgers answered and broke the bell.
“You see the ball in the hands [No.] 8 right there,” Steelers linebacker TJ Watt said. “It’s like, [Rodgers] is here for a reason. That’s why he’s here. This is the best dude in the NFL right now. And to be able to see him perform on such a big stage was amazing to see.”
Rodgers will play in his 12th Finals as a starter, tied with Brett Favre and Ben Roethlisberger for third most in NFL history, behind only Tom Brady (20) and Peyton Manning (15). It marks Rodgers’ 9th league title, tied for fourth behind Brady (19), Manning (12) and Otto Graham (10).
The Steelers signed Rodgers to win games like Sunday night, but making the postseason isn’t the end goal. For the first time since 2020, Pittsburgh is the AFC North champion, but with six straight playoff losses, a bigger hurdle lies ahead.
“We’re the AFC North champions,” Tomlin said. “And it sounds good, and it feels good. But we don’t come here for that. We come here for what’s ahead, so excited about it.”