Photo by Evan Siegle - packers.com
Packers vs. Steelers
Aaron Rodgers has had a solid bounce back season in his first year with the Steelers, but he was no match for the man who replaced him in Green Bay. Jordan Love was brilliant, completing 29 of 37 passes for 360 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Packers to a comfortable 35-25 victory over Pittsburgh.
At one point, Love completed 20 consecutive passes, many of which came with a high degree of difficulty as he navigated collapsing pockets and delivered perfect strikes in the face of Pittsburgh’s blitz. Love and his receivers were so good in fact, that the only receiver on the team who did not catch one hundred percent of his targets was Romeo Doubs.
The Packers have had a solid, efficient offense this year, but this was the most explosive they have looked to date, and for that you can credit the return of receiver Christian Watson. Watson suffered a serious knee injury last season, but he looked as healthy as ever Sunday night, easily working through the deep secondary for explosive play after explosive play. Watson is a true catalyst of the offense as no other receiver presents a similar deep threat, and even when he’s not catching the ball, he’s opening things up underneath.
Kraft’s Career Day
The biggest beneficiary of that extra space was tight end Tucker Kraft, who had a career day with seven catches for 143 yards and two touchdowns. Kraft has been an elite tight end from the moment he first stepped on the field for Green Bay, but without a field stretcher, he’s often asked to do the dirty work on short screens. The Watson/Kraft duo is almost impossible to defend from a personnel perspective as the duo will almost certainly be faster than their defenders, and both are among the best blockers on the team in the run game.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
The Packers did have some issues on the defensive side of the ball as Rodgers was able to reliably hit receivers DK Metcalf and Roman Wilson, but Rashan Gary and Micah Parsons combined for three sacks, and the duo provided constant pressure in the face of the veteran. Linebackers Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper were excellent in coverage on Pittsburgh’s many tight ends, and even better in run support, where the duo largely kept running back Jaylen Warren in check. Cooper was a true force, and his forced fumble on third down back Kenneth Gainwell in the fourth quarter (with an assist from Javon Bullard, who made one of the most athletic fumble recoveries you will ever see) ended the competitive portion of the game.
More than anything, this was an incredibly fun game, with splash play after splash play on both sides of the ball. The Packers did get off to a bit of a slow start, falling behind by ten early, and failing to close the gap on a Brandon McManus miss, but Matt LaFleur’s halftime adjustments were a thing of beauty. Green Bay scored on every single second half drive, including three consecutive touchdowns to seize the lead, and never give it back.
Green Bay heads back home next week to face the Carolina Panthers, fresh off a 40-9 loss to the Bills, with starting quarterback Bryce Young out due to an ankle injury. His status is up in the air for next week, and if he cannot go, the Packers will get to see veteran Andy Dalton in his stead. Dalton was horrific against a bad Bills’ defense, throwing for just 175 yards, an interception, and two fumbles. Carolina is one of the better running teams in football, and rookie receiver Tet McMillan has been outstanding, but the rest of the passing game is a work in progress.
Defensively, they are very similar to Pittsburgh, and if you are hoping for a repeat performance next week, you might just get it.
