Last year, Aaron Rodgers traveled to New England and, after completing 16-of-23 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns, led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a convincing 21-14 win over the Patriots. This year, however, the 42-year-old quarterback failed to repeat that performance, as New England hosted Pittsburgh in Week 2 and dismantled Rodgers’ unit 20-3. Right after that, former NBA star Jalen Rose called out Rodgers, labeling him “overrated.”
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“Us actual NFL BETTORS know Aaron Rodgers has been overrated for years,” Rose wrote on X.
In the Week 2 matchup, Rodgers completed 23-of-39 for 187 yards, no touchdowns, and 1 interception. The Patriots’ defense dominated the Steelers throughout the game, as they sacked Rodgers four times. At the same time, the quarterback fumbled twice, with his second fumble resulting in a 19-yard return by Eli Ponder.
The first fumble happened in the second quarter, with Pittsburgh threatening near the Patriots’ red zone. Rodgers dropped back on third-and-7. The Patriots brought pressure, and Christian Elliss came from Rodgers’ blind side, while Robert Spillane hit him from the front.
Subsequently, the contact prompted Rodgers to lose the ball, as it went bouncing around while both sides tried to recover it. Patriots defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones initially attempted to scoop it up, but eventually, Steelers offensive tackle Troy Fautanu recovered the fumble.
The second fumble, however, turned costly for Pittsburgh.
With 13:46 remaining in the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh had the ball at its own 30-yard line. Rodgers dropped back on 2nd-and-21 after a holding penalty had put the Steelers behind the chains. Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore broke through the Pittsburgh protection and sacked Rodgers for an 11-yard loss. During the sack, Barmore knocked the football loose.
This time, New England recovered it.
Ponder picked up the loose ball and returned it 19 yards for a touchdown, giving the Patriots a 20-3 lead. Ultimately, the fumble was the decisive play of the game.
Rose’s comments, however, carried significant weight, considering this isn’t the first time he has grabbed the spotlight because of Aaron Rodgers. For broader context, Rose’s daughter, Mariah Rose, ignited speculation earlier this year that Rodgers is married to a fake woman.
“No one’s ever seen or heard from this woman,” said Mariah. “Daily Mail did a deep dive into Brittani with an ‘I’, his (Rodgers’) supposed wife, and apparently, no one in his personal life has seen or heard from her…So, of course, I have to do a deep dive into the WAGs from the Pittsburgh Steelers and see what the hell they got going on and find Brittani in their post.
“I go and watch all these videos of their Christmas party, their little parties that they be doing. She is nowhere to be found. I’m looking in the comments, and people are like, ‘Where’s Brittani? Where’s Aaron Rodgers’ wife? Who is she? There’s no pictures of this Brittani on Google, and Aaron Rodgers has been in a ton of really strange and public relationships, so he’s not like the most private guy with his dating life. Maybe that scared him into secrecy, or he’s dating an AI chatbot.”
Before the start of the 2025 season, Aaron Rodgers admitted that he’s married to a woman named Brittani. After announcing his return to play in the 2026 season with the Steelers, the quarterback credited his wife with giving him the green light to return for the 2026 NFL season. But at the same time, Brittani remains a topic of conversation, considering Rodgers has maintained a private relationship with her.