The Green Bay Packers have won two in a row. As the joke from Major League II goes, one more and that will be called a winning streak.
In order to get on a winning streak, they’ll have to go on the road and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night, a feat they have not accomplished since a 20-12 victory in 1970. Oh, and of course, there’s the quarterback storyline, with Aaron Rodgers under center for the Steelers.
The Steelers are coming off a disappointing loss in which their defense was lit up by Joe Flacco and the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night. The Packers on Sunday gutted out a victory over the Arizona Cardinals for their first road win of the season.
Sunday night’s game is a big one, as it’s the first time the Packers have faced a team with a winning record since Week 2. It’s a good measuring stick for where they are as a team.
Here are the matchups for Sunday’s showdown.
Sunday’s report card was an interesting one for Green Bay’s pass defense.
On one hand, it sacked Jacoby Brissett six times, including a sack-strip by Rashan Gary, and Micah Parsons nearly beat the Cardinals by himself. On the other hand, Nate Hobbs gave up a couple big catches, there were blown coverages on both touchdowns to Trey McBride and the Packers gave up conversions on third-and-23 and third-and-14.
They’re facing Aaron Rodgers this week, who is coming off one of his best games of the season. His four touchdown passes tied a season high, and he spread the ball around to eight receivers, including a touchdown pass to all three of his tight ends.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) throws a pass against Cincinnati on Thursday. / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith and Darnell Washington can attack opposing defenses in different ways, and that’s something that has been a problem for Green Bay against tight ends throughout the season.
Rodgers’ biggest threat as a receiver is DK Metcalf. Metcalf was thought to be a trade target for Green Bay this offseason but ultimately was shipped to Pittsburgh for a second-round pick and a massive contract extension that followed.
Metcalf is Pittsburgh’s leading receiver with 22 catches for 406 yards and four touchdowns. He leads the NFL with 18.5 yards per reception. He’s a matchup nightmare who can make plays down the field, and he’s earned Rodgers’ trust in the quick game.
That’s something that will be a big factor this week as Rodgers does not have the mobility he once did when he was a league MVP.
Rodgers’ average time-to-throw is 2.45 seconds, which is the second-fastest in the league this season, according to Pro Football Focus. He’ll likely be looking to get the ball out quickly to avoid the rush of Parsons and Gary. On the occasions he does hold onto the ball, the rush has to strike.
This secondary, which Brian Gutekunst boldly professed confidence in all offseason, has struggled. When the Packers didn’t sack Brissett, he diced them up. At one point, he completed 14 consecutive passes.
Rodgers is better than Brissett.
The Steelers’ offensive line has struggled in protection at times, which could be the thing that swings the game in one direction. Because of that, it is possible for the Packers’ rush to have a big game. They’ll need to, but the uncertainty surrounding that makes this matchup dead even.
Advantage: Push
Steelers Rush Offense vs Packers Run Defense
Green Bay’s run defense didn’t have its best day against the Cardinals, especially in the first half, but made the biggest play of the game in the fourth quarter. Facing a fourth-and-1 around midfield, the Packers’ front stonewalled Arizona’s offensive line and stuffed Jacob Brissett on a quarterback sneak.
Apart from that, Bam Knight had a modest 57 yards on 14 carries and Brissett added 26 yards on six scrambles.
Green Bay’s defense will slow you down in the run game. It ranks second in rushing yards allowed per game and fourth in yards allowed per carry. It could be getting a boost this week with the potential return of defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, who missed the last two games with a knee injury.
It will face a Pittsburgh attack coming off one of its best games on the ground this season. Jaylen Warren ran the ball for 127 yards on 16 carries. He had a good game the last time these two teams met in 2023, running for 101 yards on 15 carries.
Pittsburgh’s run game ranks toward the bottom of the league with 94.5 rushing yards per game and 3.94 yards per carry. It will be interesting to see how much, if at all, Rodgers and the Steelers try to commit to their ground game.
Advantage: Packers
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) throws against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023. / Philip G. Pavely-Imagn Images
Green Bay’s offense was stuck in the mud until the second half against Arizona but got rolling through the air and on the ground.
Tucker Kraft was a key player in money time, scoring a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter to tie the game, and later converting a big fourth-and-2 that led to the game-winning touchdown.
Green Bay’s passing offense has been efficient but has not put up gaudy numbers. Jordan Love has just 10 touchdown passes in six games but, perhaps more importantly, has kept the ball out of harm’s way with only three turnovers.
Protection was better on Sunday, with Love only getting sacked once. This week, they will face a defense that is highly decorated and highly paid.
Outside linebacker Nick Herbig leads the team with 4.5 sacks. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey was a trade acquisition in the offseason and leads the team with five passes defensed.
Their defensive line has superb veteran Cameron Hayward and the young duo of Keannu Benton and Derrick Harmon. Their linebacking corps features Payton Wilson and Patrick Queen patrolling the middle of the field.
Oh, and they have this other guy named T.J. Watt. The Packers famously passed on Watt in his draft class in favor of cornerback Kevin King.
King had a few nice moments, but Watt is ticketed for the Hall of Fame. A three-time NFL sacks champion and 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Watt has four sacks and one interception this season. The Packers’ first order of business has to be slowing him down.
Despite the big names and big salaries, Pittsburgh has struggled on that side of the ball this season. It gave up 33 points to Joe Flacco to the Bengals on Thursday and 32 points to the Jets in Week 1. It is 28th in total defense and 31st against the pass, ahead of only the Dallas Cowboys, who the Packers tore through at the end of September.
If Green Bay can block Pittsburgh’s front, there are holes in the secondary to exploit.
Advantage: Packers
Steelers Rush Defense vs Green Bay’s Rush Offense
While Green Bay has the second-ranked rush defense in the NFL, the Steelers are 17th with 115.8 rushing yards allowed per game. They just gave up 108 yards on 11 carries to the Bengals’ Chase Brown, who had ranked toward the bottom of the league in yards per carry.
Green Bay’s run game is centered on Josh Jacobs, who battled a calf injury for two more touchdowns against the Cardinals. When the money was on the table, Jacobs had the ball in his hands and, to his credit, won the game.
On the whole, however, the Packers are not happy with their performance on the ground. They rank 15th with 117.5 rushing yards per game and 21st with 3.98 yards per carry. Perhaps some continuity on the offensive line will help. Their starting five, which had Jordan Morgan at right guard, played the entire game on Sunday. It should be in line to start this week, as well.
By the ranking, however, it’s almost dead even in terms of yards gained versus yards given up.
Advantage: Push
The old saying is that if you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have any. There is not a saying about two kickers, but it appears the Packers might have two. Brandon McManus has missed the last two games with a calf injury. In his absence, his replacement, Lucas Havrisik, has made all of his kicks, including a 61-yard field goal as time expired in the first half at Arizona.
The Steelers have an excellent kicker, too. Chris Boswell is 10-of-12 this season, including a 60-yarder to beat the Jets.
On kickoff returns, running back Kenneth Gainwell has gotten the most opportunities and is averaging 26.8 yards per runback. Receiver Ke’Shawn Williams is averaging 28.2 yards per kickoff return and 11.4 yards per punt return.
Green Bay gave up a big kickoff return against Arizona, with a missed tackle and a facemask penalty allowing the Cardinals to start a drive at Green Bay’s 45.
The largest disparity is at punter. Green Bay’s Daniel Whelan is eighth with a net average of 43.2 and Pittsburgh’s Corliss Waitman is 20th with a net of 40.6.
That advantage gives Green Bay a slight advantage in this matchup.
Advantage: Packers
