Aaron Rodgers — Week 3: Three Touchdowns, Two Deep Hits
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 28
Rodgers completed 19 of 34 for 292 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, and his first two completions of the season that traveled 20 or more yards in the air were both touchdowns, to Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek in the first quarter. Both of his sacks came on third down inside the Cincinnati 10 and ended in field goals, the second the winner, in a 30–27 win over the Bengals.
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Nothing to nothing, 13 17 left in the first quarter, third and five at the Cincinnati 38, out of a Pittsburgh timeout. Aaron Rodgers threw deep left to Roman Wilson, 29 yards in the air, and Wilson scored. +4.5 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and 11.0 points of win probability, the chance of winning the game after the play against before it. In the first two games Rodgers had thrown 12 passes that traveled 20 or more yards in the air and completed none of them. That was the first. The second came with 57 seconds left in the quarter: first and 10 at the Cincinnati 23, deep right to Ben Skowronek, touchdown, 14 to seven.
The line: 19 completions on 34 attempts, one of them a spike to stop the clock; 292 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, two sacks for 19 yards, 36 pass plays, and +8.5 expected points on them. Before halftime it was 12 of 21 for a hundred 90; after it, seven of 13 for a hundred two. Eight throws traveled 20 or more yards in the air and two were caught, both touchdowns. The third touchdown was six yards to DK Metcalf on third and two with two 48 left in the third, for a 24 to 20 lead. The interception was second and 10 at the Cincinnati 48 with a minute 46 left in the half, Pittsburgh up seven, short middle for Wilson, picked off at the 36; Cincinnati tied the game before halftime. The biggest gain was a throw at the line of scrimmage: first and 10 at the Pittsburgh 21 with six 16 left, tied at 27, short right to Darnell Washington, who took it 47 yards to the Cincinnati 32, 12.4 points of win probability, the most on any Steelers pass or run. Both sacks came on third and five inside the Cincinnati 10 in the fourth quarter, and both drives ended in Chris Boswell field goals: the first tied it at 27, the second, with two 18 left, was the winner. On third down he had nine pass plays, seven throws, five completions and four conversions.
Washington's 67 yards on four targets led the Steelers, ahead of Wilson's 60.
Back in June the preview's case for Rodgers was availability — a full, healthy season at 42, in what he has called his final year — and it said to watch the deep connection with Metcalf in September. Week 1 was 24 of 40 for 221 and a touchdown in a win, with none of nine deep throws caught. Week 2 was a hundred 87 yards, no touchdowns, four sacks, and Mason Rudolph taking the last series. Sunday he threw more touchdowns than in the first two games combined, for the most yards of the three, and his pass plays came out positive after −12.1 and −21.4. Three games: 66 of a hundred 13, 700 yards, four touchdowns, two interceptions, eight sacks. The deep ball arrived, and it did not go to Metcalf. Pittsburgh is at the Browns on Thursday the first.
_Data via nflverse._
When Aaron Rodgers's week moves the numbers, you'll know — every episode, in one weekly email.
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