It was a victory of the Steelers after all—one that actually deserves a celebration. And looks like they have the perfect chance for it, going into Bye Week. Speaking of which, quarterback Aaron Rodgers already has big plans in Dublin. 

“I’m gonna get myself healthy,” said the quarterback. “I’m gonna do some bodywork, coming to relax a little bit. It’s one of those weird early byes we’ve had a couple over the years that I’ve been part of.” 

Comparatively, this season hasn’t been that hard on him, considering Pittsburgh occupies the AFC North title at 3-1. However, it has certainly taken a toll on the body of the 41-year-old quarterback. Week 1, which was the first and only loss (so far), was particularly tough for Rodgers due to some tightness in his back. 

In Week 3, when he posted the lowest yards of the season (139) and 42.9 QBR, his hand accidentally hit his helmet on a pass follow-through. He was later flexing his hands on the sideline. Though these weren’t as big an injury to put him on IR (thankfully), these indeed impacted his performance somehow. 

Just two years ago, he sustained a season-ending ACL injury in 2023, and he’s still working on fully recovering from it. This is exactly why the bye week offers him a much-needed chance to rest and recharge. 

Another aspect he highlighted was the significance of this Bye Week for his team. “I think it’s coming at a good time for us to get guys like Jayden [Warren] back. Guys like Joey [Porter Jr.] back. And we got a divisional game coming out of it, so we’re gonna enjoy this time. It’s a long flight, feels like a whole better after a win.” Something very similar, head coach Mike Tomlin also highlighted. 

Mike Tomlin looks ahead to a restful Steelers bye week

Earning a 24-21 victory on international soil has him walking on Cloud Nine, but it kept him humble. “We’re leaking in some areas, so it’s probably at an appropriate time,” he admitted. Of course, it’s a good feeling overall to enter Bye Week with the standing the Steelers have. “Good to get a win. Good to go into the bye in the position we’re in,” added Tomlin. 

If Week 4 hadn’t concluded with a victory, things might have been opposite. But since the reality is sweet, Tomlin has promised his players a sweet bye week. “There probably won’t be a lot of work in the week that lies ahead. We’ll get us a good bonus Monday and a good week’s work coming out of it, but they’re deserving of that,” the head coach told the reporters. 

Besides the rest, the Steelers desperately need this time to get their players down—just like how Rodgers emphasized. Jaylen Warren was added to IR just ahead of Week 4 as the Steelers weren’t confident about him playing with his knee injury. In addition to him, DL Isaiahh Loudermilk and OL Max Scharping are both listed on IR. 

Young CB Joey Porter Jr. hasn’t been on the field since Week 1 and missed yet another game this time. Teryl Austin’s secondary could also really use some rest right now. On top of that, during this Week 4 game in Dublin, three other cornerbacks also got hurt, according to Coach Tomlin. 

“Brandin Echols had cramps. [Darius] Slay got cleated. You know, we were leaking a little bit in the secondary coming into the game without Joey Porter, but such is life,” added Tomlin. Though he believes all the bye weeks come at the right time, this one would particularly help in fixing all the potholes inside Pittsburgh. This would give the team a fresh boost, helping them come back stronger and build on their recent success.