The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing to be without quarterback Aaron Rodgers for the rest of their Week 11 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
After taking a hard hit in the third quarter, Rodgers came up favoring his left hand before leaving the game. The Steelers finished the drive with Mason Rudolph at quarterback.
Rodgers fell backward on the play while throwing the ball away before getting crushed by Bengals defensive linemen Myles Murphy and Kris Jenkins Jr.
Aaron Rodgers is questionable to return to Steelers-Bengals with a left hand injury.
Mason Rudolph takes A-Rod's place at QB.
Here's the play where he may have suffered the injury:pic.twitter.com/yBcbSKM9YD
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 16, 2025
In his 21st year in the NFL, Rodgers has started each of the Steelers' first 10 games. He entered Week 11 with 1,853 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Rudolph has not seen the field much in 2025, but he is one of the most experienced backups in the league. The 30-year-old has 18 starts through his eight-year career, including 13 with the Steelers.
The injury comes at a rough time for Rodgers, who began the game seeking a rebound performance. The 41-year-old entered Week 11 off a season-worst performance against the Los Angeles Chargers, in which he ended with 161 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
A matchup with the Bengals seemed like the perfect antidote for Rodgers on paper. The two teams' initial meeting came in Week 6, when Rodgers notched a season-high 249 passing yards and four touchdowns.
Instead, Rodgers exited the game with just 116 passing yards and one touchdown through two-and-a-half quarters.
If Rodgers is unable to return, Rudolph will end the game under center with rookie Will Howard as his backup. The Steelers activated Howard off of injured reserve for the first time this season ahead of Week 11 and designated him as their emergency third-string.
