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brooke prior
pittsburgh– aaron rodgers He smiled as he scanned the box score and shouted out the names of his teammates who helped. pittsburgh steelers Green miami dolphins 28-15 On “Monday Night Football”.
kenneth gainwell, Connor Hayward, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, asante samuel jr adam thielen,
As for quarterbacks, they all had something in common.
“If you look at our roster, there are some castoffs that make it really special,” Rodgers said with a smile. He also said that he does not consider himself a castoff. “Kenny Gainwell signed a next-to-nothing contract. Connor Hayward, sort of an afterthought, had a touchdown run. Marquez has been on a few teams. Adam Thielen was fired. Samuel was on the road for a long time. So that says a lot about the character of the guys we brought in.”
Rodgers, who posted his highest completion percentage since 2014, connected with eight different receivers as the Steelers scored touchdowns on four consecutive drives for the first time since Week 2 of the 2018 season. He completed 23 of 27 passes (85.2%) for 224 yards.
Hayward and Valdes-Scantling both scored touchdowns in the win. Hayward’s score gave the Steelers their first points of the game on a strong push on third-and-1 just before halftime. Then, the Steelers took a 14–3 lead on their first possession of the third quarter with a 19-yard touchdown strike from Rodgers to Valdes-Scantling.
After connecting with Valdes-Scantling for a score for the first time since playing for the pair green Bay Packers In 2021, Rodgers met the wide receiver, who was signed to the 53-man roster earlier in the day, with a smile.
“Good to have you back,” Rodgers told him.
“That’s just who he is, spreading the ball around,” Valdes-Scantling said. “He’s not afraid to throw it out to anybody. If you can open up, he’ll find you.”
Rodgers got Gainwell the most time on Monday nights. Gainwell, who signed a one-year deal worth $1.79 million in free agency, caught all seven targets for 46 yards, and he added 80 yards on 13 carries.
“He’s very smart and I still can’t believe what we caught him for,” Rodgers said. “I told him a long time ago that my goal is to get him paid, because I’ve been a fan of his since he was in Philly and think something good happens every time he goes to a game. … He’s as fluid as any other player on the team catching the football. For a guy who’s at least getting close to being a vet, he’s been a tremendous asset to our team this year.”
And even if left tackle dylan cook While not appearing in the box score, the fourth-string offensive lineman – who had recently been promoted to the active roster and made his first career start – earned praise from coach Mike Tomlin.
Tomlin said, “I definitely thought he was over the line, but it was also our job to help him systematically.” “Both things happened. He’s another example of a guy who keeps the standards up. We’ve absorbed some weariness to say the least in that situation. He was part of the effort to win tonight. He deserves congratulations for that.”
On the other side of the ball, the Steelers got a boost from Samuel, who made his first start as a Steeler at cornerback. james pierre Was out due to calf injury. Samuel wasted little time in making an impact when stopping the Dolphins quarterback tua tagovailoa In the first quarter.
“If you look at our roster there are some changes, which makes it really special. Kenny Gainwell signed a next contract. Connor Heyward, kind of an afterthought, had a touchdown run. Marquez has been on a few teams. Adam Thielen was fired. Samuel was on the road for a long time. It says a lot about the character of the guys we brought in.”
Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers
Samuel joined the team on the practice squad in November, just seven months after undergoing spinal fusion surgery.
“It’s a testament to people buying in,” the defensive tackle said. cam hayward Said. “Coaches always talk about jumping on a moving train. These guys are professionals. I see, as soon as Thielen gets here, he’s opening his playbook and still studying. They really spend a lot of time learning the offense, learning the defense. Asante is working really hard to get reps, and he’s played great with them.”
With the win, the Steelers solidify their spot at the top of the AFC North Baltimore Ravens and earned their first set of consecutive wins from late September to early October.
“It’s big, especially right now,” linebacker patrick queen Said. “There’s just a part of the season when you build momentum. … I think we’ve gone through everything we’ve gone through to prepare us to go into what we’ve got. It’s going to be three extremely tough games, but we have the guys to do it.”
