Moments after D.J. Ivey swatted his last-second Hail Mary to the Cincinnati turf, Aaron Rodgers looked on in frustration. A moment of what-if.
But beneath the pain of defeat, the TV cameras captured Rodgers almost break a smirk, as if to say, "Did you all see that?" Rodgers' Hail Mary attempt failed, as did the Pittsburgh Steelers' hopes of a come-from-behind victory, but the four-time MVP learned a valuable lesson under the Thursday Night Football lights.
At 41 years old, he still has his fastball.
Per Next Gen Stats, Rodgers' Hail Mary traveled 69.8 yards through the air, the longest pass attempt since at least 2017.
Rodgers' Steelers may have snapped their three-game winning streak, but they will quickly brush that aside as the Green Bay Packers are on deck. And the Packers won't be getting the New York Jets version of Rodgers. For the first time, they'll be on the receiving end of the most gifted quarterback in league history.
Aaron Rodgers' performance is a warning to the Packers ahead of revenge game for the ages
Rodgers made some history in Week 7, overtaking Ben Roethlisberger for No. 5 all-time in career passing yards. But he is still very much living in the present, proving that he is still Aaron Rodgers.
Many assumed his best days were gone. Turns out, that's just what playing for the New York Jets does to you. Gang Green hasn't won a game since Aaron Glenn told him "thanks, but no thanks," while Rodgers has led the Steelers on a 4-2 roll.
He has completed 68.6 percent of his passes for 1,270 yards, 14 touchdowns, and five interceptions, good for a 105.0 passer rating.
Perhaps most importantly, he looks like Aaron Rodgers. The mobility is there, and he still throws the prettiest pass in league history. It's so effortless as he fires off-platform. Packers fans enjoyed this for almost two decades — now, they'll feel the brunt of it.
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It won't have the fuel or venom of Brett Favre's return to Green Bay in 2009. This game won't even be at Lambeau Field, with Rodgers benefiting from the comforts of his new home. And there is far less bad blood than when Favre took on his former team.
But make no mistake about it: Rodgers wants to win.
Sure, he'll play it down and say it's no more important than any other game. Don't believe it for a second. Beyond just wanting to improve to 5-2, he would love to take down the Packers, especially as it would put him in an elite club of quarterbacks who have defeated all 32 NFL teams. He said as much in August.
"It'll be fun to beat them, for sure, because I would've beaten every team, and because you're trying to win all your games," Rodgers told Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated.
The Packers' Micah Parsons-led defense will give Rodgers all he can handle, but he's still every bit the magician he once was. Rodgers is as experienced as they come, and even if Parsons and his crew crash the pocket, the four-time MVP has proven he can still extend plays and turn footballing water into wine.
Rodgers' Hail Mary missed on Thursday night, but the Packers won't see it that way. He put in a vintage display, throwing four touchdown passes, leading his team to 31 points, and still losing because he has no defense. It's like Rodgers never left Green Bay.
The future Hall of Famer gets extra time to prepare for the Packers, who must first deal with the Arizona Cardinals. But then it's game on.
A revenge game years in the making. But if the Packers thought they were going to see the broken-down Jets version of their former hero, forget it. Rodgers' performance on TNF acts as a warning, and if history tells us anything, it's that he'll be even more locked in when he comes face to face with the Ghost of Football Past in Week 8.
His two-year stay in New York may have seemed to spiral his career into a darkness retreat, but if the Packers aren't careful, he'll turn on the lights on their defense.