Aaron Rodgers is Off to the Worst Start of His Career. But His Finger-Pointing Blame Game is in Peak Form.

Kathryn Riley. Getty Images.

So far, early in the season, Aaron Rodgers is finding out that pushing retirement off another year in order to quarterback again at the age of 42 is not all raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Two games in, he finds himself under center for the second worst scoring offense in the NFL (among teams that have played two game), ahead of only Atlanta. And worse still, he's off to the worst start of his long and storied career:

The Athletic - For the 18th time in his career, Aaron Rodgers has started the first two games of an NFL season.

Here’s where Rodgers’ two-game production with the 2026 Steelers ranks among those 18 two-game samples following a 20-3 defeat at New England:

• 18th in EPA per pass play (-0.46)
• 18th in QB EPA (-39.3; -5.6 is next-worst on that list)
• 18th in passer rating (72.1)
• 18th in touchdown passes (1)
• 18th in yards per attempt (5.2)

Even the Deshaun Watson-led Cleveland Browns rank higher than the Steelers in EPA per play (26th to 31st) through Week 2. 

And so far at least, even his legendary deep passing superpower has abandoned him:

And yet, for all his struggles as he tries to defy the ravages of age that affect all men (except Tom Brady), he's in mid-season form when it comes to one of the strongest aspects of his game. Which is blaming everyone and everything around him for his failures. 

“The best teams are player-led teams. We have to keep taking the ownership. In a game like today, where there wasn't a lot of flow to it, we need to be better — and it starts with me — at, like, making sure Mike [McCarthy] knows what's working, what's not working,  our coaches know. So we can call stuff that we feel like has a better chance."

I mean, this was in no uncertain terms a masterclass in deflecting blame. Lack of personal accountability raised to an art form. One that should be studied by scientists so that future generations can avoid taking responsibility for their actions. 

One thing Rodgers has consistently done throughout his career is make sure that he has complete command and control over the offense he runs. And has visibly and demonstrably called out his coaches in front of the world, too many times to count:

Including Mike McCarthy. Let's not forget the story Marcedes Lewis told about Rodgers using his Veto powers over McCarthy's play calls:

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Never mind his plays. When was the last time ARod didn't get to hand pick his coaches? Appeasing him is the sole reason the Steelers hired McCarthy out of unemployment. And why the Jets named Nathaniel Hackett the OC when they signed Rodgers in 2023. And why they fired Robert Saleh midway through 2024. He's been calling the shots wherever he's been since at least after his one Super Bowl year in 2010. 

But since then, he's also been that guy who insists on being absolved of all the blame when plans go tits up. The very plans he signed up for but failed to execute. Then the coach becomes his Fall Guy. If he really was the GOAT, he wouldn't need a scapegoat. 

Not one has ever done it better. McCarthy and his staff knew what they were signing up for as well. For all we know, Rodgers contributed to getting Mike Tomlin canned after 19 years on the job. And he's not about to bow out gracefully, taking accountability and owning his mistakes. "It starts with" him. And stays there for exactly the 0.5 seconds it takes to pass the buck. And use his coaches as a meat shield to protect his own precious legacy. 

The only questions now are whether he or McCarthy will finish out the season, and which one will be gone first. 

(Wordplay. That's the Old Balls difference. Remember this when Skip Bayless steals it in a day or two.)