Aaron Rodgers injury update: Steelers QB (wrist) limited during Thursday's practice
Rodgers is hoping to play in Pittsburgh's Week 12 game in Chicago
By
Bryan DeArdo
•
3 min read
Aaron Rodgers was a limited participant on Thursday as the Steelers' quarterback is hoping to play in Pittsburgh's Week 12 road game against the Bears. Rodgers' status for Sunday's game is up in the air after he suffered a fracture in his left wrist during the Steelers' Week 11 win over the Bengals.
Rodgers, who did not practice on Wednesday, was seen with a brace on his injured wrist during Thursday's practice.
Aaron Rodgers at practice today. Had a brace on his left wrist. Got to test it out for the first time this week pic.twitter.com/JsnQRT3cGC
— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) November 20, 2025
As Steelers coach Mike Tomlin outlined on Tuesday, pain tolerance, safety and performance are perhaps the three biggest hurdles Rodgers will have to clear for him to be deemed fit to play. For Rodgers, one of those obstacles stands out over the other two.
"It would be safety," said Rodgers, who has played through myriad injuries over the course of his 21-year career, including with a broken thumb in his right hand.
Rodgers will have to demonstrate that he can protect himself amid his injury. Tomlin had previously said that Friday's practice would potentially be a strong indicator of Rodgers' status for Sunday.
In terms of when a decision will be made, Rodgers said that won't be up to him.
"I'm gonna leave up up to Mr. Coach Tomlin," he said.
Rodgers said that he was in "a lot of pain" when the injury occurred. He underwent tests on Monday that confirmed that he will not need surgery after exiting Pittsburgh's win over Cincinnati at halftime.
If Rodgers can't play this Sunday, Mason Rudolph is slated to make his first start for the Steelers in nearly two years. During the second half of last Sunday's win, Rudolph went 12 of 16 for 127 yards and a touchdown as the Steelers turned a modest 10-6 halftime lead into a 34-12 win.
"He's proven over his time here that he's capable of coming in and playing winning football for us," Tomlin said of Rudolph, "and that's no small task."
Rodgers trying to play against the Bears shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has followed his career. In 2023, Rodgers unbelievably returned to practice late in the season despite tearing his left Achilles tendon in Week 1. A year earlier, Rodgers played most of the season with a broken right thumb.
While Rodgers has a long history of playing through injuries, he likely has an added motivation to play in this Sunday's game. The Bears, after all, have been a significant part of his career dating back to his years with the Packers. And while Packers-Bears is one of the NFL's great rivalries, it wasn't much of one during Rodgers' 15 years as Green Bay's QB1.
Including the playoffs, Rodgers has won 25 of his 30 starts against the Bears. In 2021, after rushing for a touchdown in Chicago, he yelled "I own you!" to Bears fans who were certainly sick watching him carve up their team year after year.
Speaking of the Bears, Rodgers wants to "let bygones be bygones."
"It's a great rivalry," Rodgers said of the Packers-Bears rivalry. "When I got to Green Bay, the Bears had the all-time series lead. When I left, the Packers did. Since [Jordan Love] has taken over, it's gotten better. Hope those fans can put that behind them; I'm sure they can, although I don't expect them to."
Rodgers has a chance to become only the second Steelers starting quarterback to win a game in Chicago. The Steelers are 1-6 in games played in Chicago since 1960. The lone victory took place in 1995, when then-Steelers quarterback Neil O'Donnell helped lead Pittsburgh to a 37-34 overtime win in the Windy City.
Pittsburgh (6-3) faces a red hot Chicago team that has won seven of its last eight games after an 0-2 start. A big reason for the Bears' recent success has been the emergence of first year head coach Ben Johnson's offense, which has been led by quarterback Caleb Williams, running backs D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai and wideout Rome Odunze.
While the pursuit of a championship is an annual quest for the Steelers, the Bears feel that that is an attainable goal for them this season. Chicago hasn't been to the Super Bowl since 2006, and their lone Super Bowl win took place 40 years ago this season.
"That's what we're striving for," Odunze said. "We're looking to go and do that this season, and we're looking to go do that the season after this. We've just got to put things together and put ourselves in a position to do so, and that starts with the daily work."
