Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady is impressed with what he’s seen from Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers this season. Despite being 42, Rodgers has shown flashes of elite play.

“He doesn’t quite have that same elusiveness, and he’s really transitioned to becoming more of a pocket passer. He’s always been an incredible passer of the football, but now that he’s playing from the pocket, he’s totally in control,” Brady said.

“I think he’s got six interceptions this year; five of them have been off the hands of a receiver or a Hail Mary. So he’s making incredible decisions.”

The Steelers sit atop the AFC North at 6-2 heading into Week 9. A crucial AFC North showdown against the Cincinnati Bengals awaits the Steelers after the bye week, but Brady likes the Steelers to run away with the division because of Rodgers’ presence.

“That’s why that team’s first place in their division and I don’t see anyone stopping him in that division, either,” Brady said.

Through eight games this season, Rodgers has completed 175 of 288 passes (60.8%) for 1,871 yards with 13 touchdowns, six interceptions, and a passer rating of 86.2.

The Steelers offense is humming right now thanks to Jaylen Warren and the run game. The passing attack still needs to be ironed out, however. Rodgers and DK Metcalf have not been on the same page all season. Red zone woes have also been an issue.

The Steelers rank near the bottom of the NFL at roughly 47% to 50% in touchdown efficiency, primarily because they abandon their dominant run game to force low-percentage passes.

Offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio noted that the playbook features run-pass options (RPOs) and line checks where Rodgers evaluates loaded boxes or pressure looks.

“I think it all goes into it,” Angelichio said. “There’s run-pass options, there’s checks, you know, is it a loaded box? Is it a pressure look? So you’re kind of hunting all of those things, and we just got to look at that.”

If the Steelers can get their passing game and red zone issues figured out, this could be a dark horse team in the AFC playoffs.