At 42, Aaron Rodgers stands at a crossroads familiar to all who have pushed against the limits of time — the moment when doubt gives way, however briefly, to vindication. On a Sunday in Pittsburgh, he threw three touchdown passes against Indianapolis, surpassing Peyton Manning for third place in career touchdown scores, a milestone that places him in the rarest company the game has known. What makes the achievement resonate beyond statistics is the arc it represents: a slow, uncertain beginning giving way to three consecutive games of precision and purpose. Whether this is a late flourishing o
Rodgers silences doubters with three TDs as Steelers edge Colts, passes Manning
Three good games don't settle every question about this team.
Mark
So Rodgers was genuinely bad to start the season, or was it just noise?
Mimi
He was genuinely struggling. One touchdown pass against two turnovers in the first two games. The writer had written him off as a quarterback whose time had passed. That's not hyperbole—that's what the tape showed.
Luke
But we should be careful here. Three good games is a sample size. The writer even says that. We don't know if this is sustainable or if he's just had a hot streak.
Mark
What changed between Week 2 and Week 3?
Mimi
That's the thing—we don't really know. The narrative doesn't explain it. He just started playing better. Better decision-making, better timing with receivers, fewer turnovers.
Luke
Right. And Jaylen Warren had an enormous game. 188 yards from scrimmage. How much of this is Rodgers playing better versus the offense around him clicking?
Mark
The record stuff—passing Manning—does that matter?
Mimi
It matters historically. He's third all-time now. But for the Steelers' season, it's almost beside the point. What matters is whether he can keep this up through the division games.
Luke
And we don't know that yet. The next two opponents are 2-8 combined. That's not a real test.
Mark
Is there a real chance he sustains this?
Mimi
The writer seems to think so. Nine touchdowns in three games is real production. But he's also hedging—saying the season is long, the division is competitive, questions remain.
Luke
Which is honest. We have no idea if a 42-year-old can maintain this pace. We have three games of evidence. That's all we actually know.
Le Pouls
- Rodgers entered October under a cloud of doubt — one touchdown, two turnovers, and the quiet suspicion that his time had simply run out.
- Then, over three consecutive games, he erupted for 826 yards and nine touchdowns, forcing a rapid reassessment of what this version of Rodgers can still do.
- Against Indianapolis, a fourth-quarter third-and-6 with the game hanging at 24-22 became the defining moment — Rodgers found Freiermuth for 17 yards and a touchdown that effectively closed the door.
- Jaylen Warren's 188 yards from scrimmage gave Pittsburgh a complementary weapon that makes Rodgers harder to stop and the offense harder to predict.
- The Steelers sit at 3-2 in a wide-open AFC North, with two vulnerable opponents ahead before the division games that will reveal whether this momentum is real or merely borrowed.
At 42, Aaron Rodgers stands at a crossroads familiar to all who have pushed against the limits of time — the moment when doubt gives way, however briefly, to vindication. On a Sunday in Pittsburgh, he threw three touchdown passes against Indianapolis, surpassing Peyton Manning for third place in career touchdown scores, a milestone that places him in the rarest company the game has known. What makes the achievement resonate beyond statistics is the arc it represents: a slow, uncertain beginning giving way to three consecutive games of precision and purpose. Whether this is a late flourishing or a final bright chapter remains the question the season will answer.
Aaron Rodgers arrived in 2026 carrying the weight of skepticism. At 42, his first two games offered little reassurance — one touchdown, two turnovers, and the creeping sense that his best football was behind him. Then something shifted.
On Sunday, Rodgers threw three touchdown passes as Pittsburgh defeated Indianapolis 34-22, his third straight game with that output. Over that stretch he has compiled 826 passing yards and nine touchdowns — numbers that would flatter any quarterback, let alone one playing what many assume is his final season.
The game unfolded as a study in timing and trust. After a stalled opening drive, Rodgers found running back Jaylen Warren on a short completion that Warren turned into an 80-yard touchdown. Rodgers then completed his first 11 passes without a miss. Warren finished with 188 yards from scrimmage and added a 50-yard rushing score, but the quarterback was delivering with precision when it counted most. The decisive blow came in the fourth quarter — Pittsburgh clinging to a two-point lead, Rodgers finding tight end Pat Freiermuth on third-and-6 for a 17-yard touchdown that effectively ended the contest.
Beyond the win, Rodgers crossed two historical thresholds. The touchdown pass to Warren moved him past Peyton Manning into third place for career touchdown passes, with only Tom Brady and Drew Brees ahead. He also claimed his 166th regular-season victory as a starter, passing Ben Roethlisberger for fifth all-time — a quietly fitting milestone in a Steelers uniform.
The schedule ahead offers Tampa Bay and New Orleans, a combined 2-8, before critical AFC North matchups against Cleveland and Cincinnati. The division sits collectively at 3-5, leaving everything unsettled. Three strong games do not resolve every question about this team or this quarterback — but they suggest that Rodgers still has something left to contribute, and that the season's final answer is far from written.
Aaron Rodgers walked into the 2026 season carrying the weight of skepticism. At 42, he looked like a quarterback whose best years had already passed—a man playing on borrowed time. Through the first two weeks, the evidence seemed to support that view. His numbers were thin, his decision-making questioned. Then something shifted.
On Sunday, Rodgers threw three touchdown passes as the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Indianapolis Colts 34-22, improving to 3-2. It was his third consecutive game with three touchdown passes. Over that three-game stretch, he had accumulated 826 passing yards and nine touchdowns—production that would be respectable for any quarterback, let alone one in what many assume will be his final season. The contrast with his opening month was stark: in the first two games combined, he had thrown just one touchdown pass against two turnovers. Now he was operating with precision and purpose.
The game itself revealed how Rodgers was beginning to mesh with Pittsburgh's offense. His opening drive stalled, the Steelers punting after losing 15 yards. But on the next possession, Rodgers found running back Jaylen Warren on a short completion just as defensive tackle Grover Stewart was closing in. Warren took the ball and turned it into an 80-yard touchdown. Rodgers then completed his first 11 passes without an incompletion, not missing until midway through the second quarter. Warren finished the afternoon with 188 yards from scrimmage and added a 50-yard rushing touchdown, but the quarterback was delivering the ball with timing and touch when it mattered.
The decisive moment came in the fourth quarter with Pittsburgh clinging to a 24-22 lead. Facing third-and-6, Rodgers found tight end Pat Freiermuth for a 17-yard touchdown—Freiermuth's second score of the day. The play essentially ended the game, giving the Steelers enough separation to hold on.
Beyond the immediate victory, Rodgers reached two milestones that placed him among the NFL's all-time greats. The touchdown pass to Warren moved him past Peyton Manning into third place for career touchdown passes, including postseason play. Only Tom Brady and Drew Brees remain ahead of him. The win also gave Rodgers his 166th regular-season victory as a starting quarterback, passing Ben Roethlisberger for fifth all-time—a particularly fitting achievement while wearing a Steelers uniform.
What matters most to Pittsburgh, though, is whether Rodgers can sustain this level of play. The Steelers need an offense capable of capitalizing on defensive stops, finishing drives in the end zone, and delivering when games tighten. Against Indianapolis, Rodgers and Warren provided all of that. The schedule ahead offers a chance to build on this momentum. Tampa Bay and New Orleans, combined 2-8, come next before a pair of critical AFC North matchups against Cleveland and Cincinnati. The entire AFC North sits at 3-5 collectively, making the division wide open.
Three strong games do not answer every question about this team or this quarterback. But they suggest that Rodgers, despite his age and the doubts that followed him into October, still has something left to prove—and perhaps more importantly, something left to contribute. The season is far from settled, and neither is the question of whether he can maintain this trajectory through the stretch run.
Citations marquantes
An old quarterback whose career probably should have ended three years ago— The writer's Week 2 assessment of Rodgers, which he acknowledged needed updating
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