"THAT LOOK": WHAT AN NFL EXECUTIVE SAW IN AARON RODGERS THAT TERRIFIED THE LEAGUE
NFL executives warn against counting out Aaron Rodgers. See the stats behind Pittsburgh’s AFC North win and the Texans preview.
An NFL executive had a clear warning for anyone counting out Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers this postseason.
Honestly, not many people think the Steelers are going anywhere in these playoffs. Most aren’t even picking them to get past the Houston Texans at home in the wild-card round. Still, if you’re looking for a reason to believe, it’s Aaron Rodgers. He’s the wild card. And at least one NFL executive agrees, telling The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, “Rodgers in the playoffs is always scary, and it started (against Baltimore)—just the look in his eyes.”
That look? It mattered. In Week 18, after the Steelers went six straight quarters without a touchdown, Rodgers came alive. He led two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter against the Ravens—and just like that, the drought was over. For Rodgers, that was actually the longest he’s ever gone as a starter without a touchdown, but he snapped out of it in style.
In that final quarter, Rodgers went 11-for-14 for 134 yards. His 26-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Austin III sealed the win and clinched the AFC North for Pittsburgh.
So now, with that momentum, the Steelers get to host the Texans on Monday, January 12. It’s Rodgers’s first playoff game since 2021—and his first as a Steeler.
Can Rodgers pull off the upset? The Steelers have some great leaders, sure, but Rodgers is the main reason anyone thinks this team could surprise people. His leadership and playoff experience are why Pittsburgh waited until June to bring him in.
Coach Mike Tomlin summed it up after the Ravens game: “As I’ve said multiple times here in recent weeks, this was the vision in the spring when we pursued him. That’s why you do business with a 41- or 42-year-old guy. Been there, done that with a guy with a resume like his. He is not only capable, man, but he also thrives in it. I think he put that on display tonight.”
Rodgers is also playing his best football all season. Since December 7, he’s thrown five touchdowns and averaged 6.6 yards per pass. The Steelers are 5-2 in his last seven starts. He hasn’t thrown a pick since November 9.
So, if you’re looking for an X-factor, Rodgers is it. And in the playoffs, that makes the Steelers dangerous, no matter what anyone says.
YANKEES DEBUT ALERT: LEFT-HANDER RYAN WEATHERS OFFICIALLY STARTS TOMORROW NIGHT AGAINST THE NATIONALS
Bronx debut: Discover how Ryan Weathers' new "bullet slider" and 97 MPH heat will lead the Yankees against the Nationals tomorrow.
Ryan Weathers is set to make his Yankees debut on the mound tomorrow night, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. The lefty will face a familiar team in the Nationals; he saw plenty of them back when he pitched for the Marlins in the NL East. The Yankees are still getting their starting pitchers ready for the 2026 season, so this outing gives them a chance to see what Weathers can do.
They picked up Weathers from Miami this offseason. He’s only 26, but he’s already been busy trying to sharpen his game. He's been working on a new two-seam fastball and a tighter bullet slider, hoping to finally show why he was once the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Before that, though, the Yankees take on Toronto today at 1:07 PM EST. Will Warren gets the start, and both Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger are in the lineup.
Now, back to Weathers. Last year with the Marlins, he made eight starts and put up a 3.99 ERA, striking out over 22% of the batters he faced. The Yankees believe he has even more to offer. They’re betting that these new pitches, a better two-seamer and a firmer slider, will help him take that next step.
He throws hard; his fastball averaged 96.8 MPH last season, which got plenty of teams interested. The upside is real, but so is the risk. Injuries have slowed him down the last couple of years, cutting short what could have been breakout seasons.
First, Weathers has to prove he can stay healthy. Then, he needs to show that these tweaks to his pitch mix can help him avoid the hard contact that led to seven home runs allowed in just 38.1 innings last season. The Yankees are betting on his talent, though, and they see him as a possible future star in their rotation.
Tomorrow’s game is at George M. Steinbrenner Field, and it’ll be the Yankees’ first night game of the 2026 Grapefruit League, starting at 6:35 PM EST.
OLYMPIC FAMILY LEGACY: INSIDE TOM BRADY’S PLAN TO TURN VIVIAN INTO A SUPERSTAR OLYMPIAN
Sports news: Tom Brady's Olympic dream. Get the report on Vivian’s volleyball talent and Team USA’s wins in Milan.
Tom Brady, now retired and a seven-time Super Bowl champ, took his kids, Benjamin and Vivia,n to Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympics. They spent the week soaking up the city, meeting new faces, and cheering for Team USA on the ice. The real rush came on Thursday; the USA’s women’s hockey team pulled off a wild comeback against Canada, winning 2-1 in overtime. Megan Keller scored the game-winner, and Brady got to watch it all unfold right next to tennis legend Billie Jean King.
Four days later, the men’s team kept the momentum going. Jack Hughes scored another overtime winner against Canada on Sunday. You’d think that would be the biggest story from the Bradys’ trip, but no, what really got people talking was something way more personal.
Tom posted a sweet shoutout to his daughter Vivian on Instagram. Just after all the Olympic action, he shared a photo of 13-year-old Vivian, captioning it: “Future summer Olympian” with a string of volleyball emojis. Fans immediately caught on that Brady wasn’t just being a proud dad; he was dropping a real hint.
Vivian, whom he shares with Gisele Bündchen, already plays volleyball at school. She swims and plays soccer, too. What’s cool is that every sport she loves is a Summer Olympics event. Brady’s caption didn’t feel random; it felt like he meant it.
And this isn’t their first Olympic adventure together. Brady and Vivian hit up the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics and packed their days with nine different events: gymnastics, beach volleyball, swimming, and diving. Vivian even got to play some volleyball on the sand with Brazilian legend Juliana Felisberta da Silva.
After seeing all the winter action in Italy, Brady’s “summer Olympian” tag for Vivian sounds even more hopeful. He knows exactly where he sees her going.
With the Olympics set to land in Los Angeles in 2028, Vivian will be 15 when the Games kick off in July. Club volleyball is probably her next step. And Brady himself? He’s hinted he’s got his own Olympic goals for 2028, turning the dream into a full-on family mission.
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