Should Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback Aaron Rodgers be benched?

It's a question asked on this week, with the four-time NFL MVP struggling for form and also riddled with injuries.

Rodgers, who turned 42 on December 2, has at least three fractures in his left wrist but remains adamant about playing after missing a narrow 31-28 loss to the Chicago Bears before the Steelers' 7-26 defeat to the Buffalo Bills.

"It's a very genuine question to be asking but you have to think about how you bench an absolute legend?" said SportsNews' Phoebe Schecter.

"It's just impossible, really, because I think there's so much mutual respect, and Mike Tomlin [Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach] is somebody who really respects history and hard work.

"How could he ever be the guy who benches Aaron Rodgers? You just can't."

After starting the season 4-1 to open up a comfortable divisional lead, the Steelers have lost five of their last seven games.

With this potentially being Rodgers' final season in the NFL, he will not want to depart quietly but he may not have a choice.

"I don't think it will ever happen, nor should it," added SportsNews' Neil Reynolds.

"Rodgers gives you a bit more of the line of scrimmage, he can read the game, he's like a coach on the field but he is not playing well at the moment.

"I think he wanted to have like a victory lap or two. It didn't work out with the Jets. It hasn't worked out here. I think he's going to have to bite the bullet and that's that. I think it will be a one-day contract with the Packers.

"They're going to want that. They recognise their history."

Through 10 games in his first season in black and gold, he's thrown for 1,969 yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions with a 97.7 passer rating, his highest since 2021.

"His best football is behind him," said SportsNews' Jeff Reinebold.

"Then he took that nasty hit and broke his nose, and those kinds of hits take their toll, he's got a broken wrist and can't take snaps from centre, that limits him too.

"The Steelers, I'll be honest, are in trouble.

"I truly believe, and as wacky as this may sound, with Joe Burrow [quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals] getting healthy and the Bengals defence looking like it's starting to figure out the game a little bit, who's to say they won't win the game with a division with an 8-9 record."

It's been a competitive and unpredictable season so far, and we could be looking at a play-off series without Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes or Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson.

"I feel like this season has been more competitive and more unknown than ever before," said Schecter.

"Some of these teams that are in the play-off race right now, we never would have anticipated, and some of the teams that should have been clearly already established in the playoff race are ones that are almost on the cusp.

"This is what the NFL does, we have no idea what's gonna happen any given Sunday."

Reynolds added: "We have Detroit Lions sitting out of the playoff positions in the NFC.

"The top seed in the NFC is the Chicago Bears. The top three seeds in the AFC are New England Patriots, Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars.

"Buffalo occupy the last spot. So everything's been turned upside down in this season."

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