Roethlisberger and Steelers hold Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the highest regard

They have been in the NFL for 35 combined seasons, their respective terms on a team simultaneously spanning four presidential administrations. With over 300 combined wins and three Super Bowl rings, each has been the face of a football mad city for a generation.

Either way, Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger have only faced each other once in a regular season game. Sunday at Lambeau Field will be the second – and possibly the last – regular season game teams with quarterbacks for future Hall of Fame players.

“It’s… an honor to share a stadium with one of the greatest and a guy I admire – and a lot of people admire – who has just done it at such a high level for a long time,” Roethlisberger said. this week in advance. Sunday’s game at 4:25 p.m. between his Pittsburgh Steelers and Rodgers’ Green Bay Packers. “It’s pretty cool to see his mastery of the game.”

Ben on Aaron Rodgers pic.twitter.com/NsrrzR9Mev

– Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) September 29, 2021

Rodgers is one of seven men Roethlisberger trails on the NFL career touchdown list. He has 418, and Roethlisberger’s next one will be his 400th.

But Roethlisberger is one of nine quarterbacks with more career passing yards than Rodgers (Big Ben is seventh at 61,149, just over 10,000 more than Rodgers).

Rodgers, 37, just won his third NFL MVP and his second time topping the league in TD assists. Drafted in 2005 – a year after Roethlisberger – Rodgers is the only quarterback to beat him in a Super Bowl. Rodgers had 309 passing yards and three touchdowns in Green Bay’s 31-25 Super Bowl XLV win at the end of the 2010 season.

But other than a December 2009 shootout at Heinz Field (the Steelers claimed a savage 37-36 victory over a Roethlisberger touchdown pass), this Super Bowl is the only connection on the pitch between Roethlisberger and Rodgers.

This is not to say that he did not observe from afar with respect.

When asked what he admires about Rodgers, Roethlisberger replied, “Pretty much everything. The way he sees the game. If he’s there, he’ll take it. If not, he’ll take it anyway and make it work because of the strength of his arms, because of his precision.

“He just has total control of the game, and it’s appreciated as a quarterback to watch.”

Rodgers appeared to be at his peak in prime time wins over the past two weeks, completing 75% of his passes for 516 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions in the wins over Detroit and San Francisco.

This followed a tumultuous offseason in which Rodgers was quick to voice his displeasure with the Packers’ front office which has almost – and still could this offseason – led to a divorce from the only organization that ‘he knew.

A Week 1 bombardment against the New Orleans Saints in which Rodgers had a 36.8 passer rating and threw two interceptions in a 38-3 loss deepened the unease in Head Country. cheese.

Similar to how the Steelers ‘season opener at Buffalo looks eons ago after struggling in their next two outings, Rodgers, by all indications, has put the Saints’ debacle behind them.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin pointed out how outrageous it was: The Packers had three turnovers against New Orleans but haven’t had any since and have led the NFL with the fewest gifts this season last (11 in 16 games). They also finished second in lower turnover in 2019 and 2018.

Rodgers is the NFL’s all-time leader in career steal percentage (1.4%).

“That’s why Aaron has been around for so long – he doesn’t make the same mistake twice,” Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler said. “He reads tusks very well. He knows how to play them a bit in terms of the number of snaps and stuff like that. A veteran like this is very difficult to face.

The Steelers haven’t had this challenge for over a decade. Rodgers did not play in 2013 and 17 games against the Steelers due to broken collarbones. But he certainly was great to win Super Bowl XLV MVP.

Steelers defensive captain Cameron Heyward had just finished his college career and was in attendance as a fan.

Heyward said it would take a complete “team effort” to beat Rodgers.

“You know he’s a Hall of Fame quarterback, and he’s playing at a high level,” Heyward said. “It’s not only going to take the defense but it’s going to take the offense to come out and get seven points each time, the special teams putting it in a long distance and creating some splash.

“And then we have to play the games we’re supposed to make in defense: sacks, turnovers. They don’t have a lot of turnovers, but you need to make sure you take advantage of those opportunities against them.