Aaron Rodgers, Steelers beat Dolphins with help of 'castoffs' - ESPN

PITTSBURGH — Aaron Rodgers grinned as he scanned the box score and shouted out the names of his teammates who helped the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Miami Dolphins 28-15 on «Monday Night Football.»

Kenneth Gainwell. Connor Heyward. Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Asante Samuel Jr. Adam Thielen.

To the quarterback, they all had something in common.

«There's some castoffs if you look at our roster, which makes it really special,» Rodgers said with a grin, adding that he doesn't consider himself a castoff. «Kenny Gainwell signed a next-to-nothing contract. Connor Heyward, an afterthought, had a touchdown run. Marquez has been on a couple teams. Adam Thielen got cut. Samuel was on the street for a long time. So says a lot about the character of the guys we brought in.»

Rodgers, who posted his highest completion percentage since 2014, connected with eight different receivers as the Steelers scored touchdowns on four consecutive drives for the first time since Week 2 of the 2018 season. He completed 23 of 27 passes (85.2%) for 224 yards.

Both Heyward and Valdes-Scantling scored touchdowns in the win. Heyward's score gave the Steelers their first points of the game with a tush push on third-and-1 just before halftime. Then, the Steelers double-dipped with a 19-yard touchdown strike from Rodgers to Valdes-Scantling on their first possession of the third quarter for a 14-3 lead.

After connecting with Valdes-Scantling for a score for the first time since the pair played for the Green Bay Packers in 2021, Rodgers met the wide receiver, who was signed to the 53-man roster earlier in the day, with a smile.

«Happy to have you back,» Rodgers said to him.

«It's just who he is, spreading the ball around,» Valdes-Scantling said. «He's not