After a brutal 37-28 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London, the Cleveland Browns (1-4) return stateside desperate for redemption. Their next stop? A divisional clash in Pittsburgh against the AFC North–leading Steelers (3-1), a rested, recalibrated squad coming off their bye week.

Head coach Mike Tomlin made it clear during the week that Aaron Rodgers will start and play his full role against the Browns. No pitch count. No rotation plan. Meanwhile, the Browns, however, bring their own chaos to the table. Their defense ranks second-best in total defense this season, per FOX Sports, and is coordinated by veteran Jim Schwartz, whose two decades of NFL experience have transformed Cleveland into one of the league’s stingiest units.

Former NFL lineman Jeff Saturday even went as far as calling it the best defense in football this week on SportsCenter.

“Can Aaron Rodgers push this Browns defense?” Saturday asked. “They don’t run the ball exceptionally well. They’re gonna have to get DK Metcalf going… can Rodgers be protected by the offensive line and make it a chase game for the Browns? That’s what you gotta do.”

He might be right. The Browns’ defense has allowed just 185 passing yards per game—fourth-best in the league. Holding quarterbacks to 16.4 fantasy points per game, the seventh-fewest overall. They’ve given up 1.8 passing touchdowns on average, but most offenses simply can’t sustain drives long enough to exploit them.

That side of the ball features Myles Garrett, who captured Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 and has made life miserable for Pittsburgh in past matchups—including a three-sack game in last year’s Browns win.

But Garrett’s no longer a one-man army. The Browns added rookie defensive lineman Mason Graham with the fifth-overall pick. While their secondary, Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome II, and Grant Delpit, continues to suffocate opposing passers.

That defensive dominance could make Sunday a grind for Rodgers. So far, Rodgers has held up impressively for his age, managing protection behind a reshuffled line. Spreading the ball between DK Metcalf and a trio of tight ends. With T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward anchoring a fierce defense, Pittsburgh’s formula has been simple: contain and control tempo.

Aaron Rodgers faces a massive AFC North test

The 41-year-old quarterback is set for his fifth start of the season, aiming to build on what’s been a steady but unspectacular stretch for the Steelers’ offense.

Fantasy analysts are calling Week 6 a “sit” for Rodgers—and with good reason. Between Pittsburgh’s run-first philosophy and the Browns’ elite pressure rate, it’s hard to envision a fireworks show through the air. Still, there’s history on the line. Rodgers enters Sunday just 351 passing yards shy of Ben Roethlisberger’s No. 5 all-time mark of 64,088 yards. A milestone that could fall as early as this matchup.

Whether or not the Browns slow him down on Sunday, Rodgers’ place in NFL history is already sealed. What remains to be seen is if he can carve another memorable chapter—or if the Browns’ defense will make him wait another week to do it.