Green Bay returns to prime time with a Sunday night game at Pittsburgh to take on Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers.
Packers’ offense vs. Steelers’ defense
Green Bay’s offense was up and down in Sunday’s win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Matt LaFleur called the team’s performance on that side of the ball choppy.
That’s an accurate assessment. The team scored six points in the first two quarters thanks to two field goals from Lucas Havrisik.
The second half was different.
Green Bay scored three touchdowns. Two tied the game after they were trailing. The last one, a 1-yard plunge by Josh Jacobs, gave them the lead that they would not relinquish.
Jordan Love did not turn the ball over and threw a touchdown pass to Tucker Kraft in Sunday’s game.
It was not his best performance. He missed Romeo Doubs for a sure touchdown on the team’s first possession of the game.
He threw into double coverage to Romeo Doubs as well in the first half.
Overall, however, Love led a gritty win against a defense that was playing well.
Matthew Golden and Tucker Kraft were the powers of the passing game on Sunday, with Kraft making the biggest play of the game from the passing offense.
On a fourth-and-two, Love threw a corner route to Kraft that was a big first down with the team trailing 23-20.
Two plays later, Jacobs was in the end zone, for a game-winning score.
The biggest shift on offense coming out of the bye week has been at right guard.
Two weeks ago against Cincinnati, the Packers rotated between Sean Rhyan and Jordan Morgan with Morgan starting.
Morgan did not rotate Sunday.
He looks to be firmly entrenched at right guard.
Sunday’s game also marked the second time the Packers’ starting offensive line started and finished a game.
They’ll need to buckle up their chin straps for the front they’re about to face.
The Steelers boast the NFL’s highest paid defense this season, with TJ Watt getting a fat contract extension in the offseason, and the trade addition of Jalen Ramsey.
That has not helped their cause, especially last week Thursday, against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Steelers were rolled over by Cincinnati’s offense, which was still breaking in new quarterback Joe Flacco.
Flacco and the Bengals piled up 33 points and were able to win a shootout over Pittsburgh’s defense.
There are still some big names on that side of the ball.
Watt, the former Wisconsin product, is beginning to enter the later stages of his career.
He has four sacks on the year and leads the team with one interception. He’s as disruptive as they come, but he’s not a one-man band.
Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig and Keaanu Benton are all highly-touted or players the Steelers have spent significant capital on.
Herbig leads the tame with 4.5 sacks on the year.
Derick Harmon was the team’s first-round pick, and he supplies the starting defensive tackle unit, and a strong run defense with the ageless Cameron Heyward also making up the spine of Pittsburgh’s defense.
Despite some of those names, the Steelers’ defense ranks 25th in yards per game in the early going but has made up for that by ranking 11th in scoring defense at 21.4 points-per-game allowed.
Ultimately, if Green Bay is able to block Pittsburgh’s front, there are holes to be found in their secondary.
Packers’ defense vs. Steelers’ offense
The old man can still do it.
Aaron Rodgers may not be the player he once was, but he is enjoying a bit of a renaissance in his first season in Pittsburgh.
The two parties came into the year assuming that Rodgers would be a Steeler for one year before riding off into the sunset.
If he continues to play this well, however, that’s something that could be revisited.
Last week Thursday, Rodgers turned back the clock, throwing four touchdown passes against Cincinnati’s defense, matching Flacco blow-for-blow in what turned into a shootout.
Rodgers’ offense has scored more than 30 points twice this season, and he exited play Thursday night leading the league in touchdown passes.
This is not a decrepit old man the Packers will be facing off against Sunday.
His brain is still sharp, and he’s able to get the ball out quick.
When he does, he gets the ball to DK Metcalf.
Metcalf was a prime trade target this offseason and has proven why in his first season as a Steeler.
He is far and away the team’s leading receiver, with 406 yards on the year. He can beat you deep and is also capable of making plays after the ball is in his hands.
Rodgers has found an affinity for his tight ends with Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington and Jonnu Smith all finding ways to contribute.
That is a possible spot Rodgers will look to exploit on Green Bay’s defense in an attempt to avoid their pass rush.
That pass rush was led on Sunday by Green Bay’s version of Superman.
Micah Parsons had his first career three-sack game Sunday, all of which took points off the board for the Cardinals.
Parsons is up to six sacks on the season, taking the team lead over Rashan Gary, who notched a sack in Sunday’s win over the Cardinals as well.
His strip-sack changed the trajectory of Sunday’s game, as the Cardinals were in Packers’ territory with a 13-6 lead before Gary knocked the ball out of Jacoby Brissett’s hands.
It was not all sunshine and rainbows for Green Bay’s defense.
Both cornerbacks, Keisean Nixon and Nate Hobbs struggled. Both were battling injuries or an illness, but they gave up a passer rating over more than 100 against Arizona.
They’ll need to get that cleaned up for Sunday’s date with Rodgers.
Special Teams
Green Bay’s special teams has been in flux with Brandon McManus missing the last two games due to a leg injury.
In his absence, Havrisik made all of his kicks against the Cincinnati Bengals before an encore against Arizona.
For an encore, he set a franchise record, banging in a 61-yard field goal as time expired at the end of the first half.
He made all of his kicks again on Sunday, leading to a question as to whether Havrisik could be traded when Brandon McManus is available.
For now, however, the Packers cannot be anything but thrilled with the production they’ve gotten from their backup kicker.
The return game remains a bit of a question mark with no clear answer at punt returner.
Pittsburgh’s special teams is led by kicker Chris Boswell.
Most of their return duties are handled by former Philadelphia Eagle Kenneth Gainwell.
Gainwell has 241 return yards on the year.
Their return game is average, at best, which should help the Packers’ special teams which has been up and down for most of the year
