The story following Aaron Rodgers’ first start against the Green Bay Packers ended up being about the former understudy, not the aging icon. Jordan Love — who at one point completed 20 consecutive passes Sunday night, the longest such streak for a Packers quarterback in 18 years — led a second-half surge to outshine his one-time mentor in Green Bay’s convincing 35-25 victory against Rodgers’ Pittsburgh Steelers.

Advertisement

A Packers team that looked dominant early in the season, then seemed to level off for a few weeks (somehow stumbling to a loss against the Cleveland Browns), had every answer down the stretch. Love was excellent. Tight end Tucker Kraft was unstoppable. Micah Parsons had his fourth sack in two games. Green Bay is now 5-1-1 and atop the NFC. Pittsburgh, now 4-3, has dropped two straight.

Elsewhere in the AFC, it feels like 2014 again: The New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos — all division winners that year — are among the hottest teams in football. Big wins on Sunday over the Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans and Dallas Cowboys, respectively, spoke to all three teams’ legitimacy as contenders in 2025.

In Atlanta, the Miami Dolphins scored the upset of the day by routing the Falcons 34-10. This looked like the Dolphins — and the Tua Tagovailoa — of 2023 and 2024, back when Mike McDaniel’s offense was outrunning and outscoring teams. A week after getting benched in an ugly loss, Tagovailoa responded with his best outing of the year, throwing for four touchdowns in a game that was never close.

As for Atlanta, a disappointing midseason slide continues: Sure, the Falcons were without starter Michael Penix Jr., who sat wi