Good evening, everyone. On Sunday afternoon, the Green Bay Packers will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lambeau Field. The crazy thing about this game is that Aaron Rodgers will be playing against the Steelers for the first time since Super Bowl XLV (he missed the 2013 and 2017 games due to injury). I am sure that he will make the most out of this opportunity in front of the Lambeau Field faithful. As always, I am here to give you my thoughts on what the Packers need to do to win on Sunday. Without further delay, let’s get right into it.
On offense, the key for the Packers is to have a balanced attack (while having room for some creativity). This would keep the Steelers defense honest throughout the game. It all starts with the performance of the offensive line. Once again, Yosh Nijman will be called upon to take Elgton Jenkins’ spot at left tackle. I am sure that the two rookies (Josh Myers and Royce Newman) will continue to improve their play. In run situations, the O-Line (plus any additional blockers) needs to create the holes for Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon to run through for plenty of yards. The running backs, in turn, need to follow those holes and either evade or truck defenders for extra yards (while not fumbling the ball in the process). If the Packers can run the ball well against the Steelers defense, then the passing lanes should be opened up for Aaron Rodgers and the receivers. Unfortunately, Marquez Valdes-Scantling will not play in this game, plus at least couple of more games, due to being placed on short term IR with a hamstring injury. Even though he’ll be missed, Rodgers still has plenty of targets to throw to, including Davante Adams, Robert Tonyan, Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, and Amari Rodgers (plus the running backs). For the offensive line, their job in passing situations is to keep Rodgers upright so he can throw accurately to his receivers. The receivers, in turn, need to catch each pass that is thrown by Rodgers. The most important thing that the Packers need to do on offense is to sustain long drives. They can accomplish this by converting third downs and committing no turnovers (this part is extremely important because of potential rain in the forecast). When they get in the red zone, they need to score touchdowns instead of settling for field goals. If they are able to do this, then more pressure will be put on Pittsburgh’s offense to respond. I have plenty of confidence that the Packers offense will continue performing well on Sunday.
On defense, the key for the Packers is to make the Steelers one-dimensional on offense. The way that they do this is by limiting the run game, which is led by rookie RB Najee Harris. The defensive front, which includes Kenny Clark and Rashan Gary, needs to get off the blocks and tackle Harris (or whoever else gets the rushing attempt) for little to no gain. There should not be a situation where the Packers defense gives up a big play because of missed or broken tackles, even on run plays. If the Packers defense is able to keep the run game in check, then the pass rush (which will miss Za’Darius Smith for at least a month or two) can get after Ben Roethlisberger and make his life miserable all game long. I have a feeling that the pass rush will be able to get a few sacks on Sunday. Even if the end result is not a sack each time, sending pressure to “Big Ben” can force him to throw errant passes that could easily be picked off by anyone on defense. The one thing that can’t happen is for Ben to have a resurgent game when he looked terrible against the Bengals last week. For the defensive backs, including Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes, they need to cover the Steelers receivers well and not allow easy catches for the likes of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Eric Ebron (plus Harris). The most important thing for the Packers defense to do is to keep the Steelers from sustaining long drives that could quiet the Lambeau Field crowd (other than some fans with “Terrible Towels”). The way that the defense can accomplish this is by limiting the third down conversions to a minimum and by taking advantage of any turnover opportunity. For example, if a defender is able to strip the ball carrier (or the QB) of the ball, then the defense needs to recover the fumble. If the Steelers are able to get into the red zone, then the defense needs to make the stop and force them to settle for just field goals. If the defense is able to do this, then the Packers should have a comfortable lead all throughout the game (as long as the offense does their part in terms of scoring points).
On Special Teams, all the Packers need to do is to keep the mistakes and penalties to a minimum. Last week, the Packers allowed a long kick return that gave the 49ers a short field to work with. Any play like that can give the opposing team unexpected momentum that they can use to their advantage. On any kickoff or punt that isn’t a touchback or fair catch, the coverage unit needs to make sure that the returner is tackled after only a short run. On the other side, the return man (either Kylin Hill or Amari Rodgers) needs to make the most out of any opportunity for a long return (while not fumbling the ball in the process). The exception is when the kickoff or punt results in a touchback or a fair catch. For Mason Crosby, he is only 2 field goals away from breaking his longest streak of consecutive FGs made (he is currently at 22, with his longest streak being 23 straight). I am sure that he will break that streak soon (*knocks on wood*). For this to be possible, Hunter Bradley needs to snap the ball well and Corey Bojorquez needs to secure the hold (in addition to punting the ball deep in Steelers territory). The line protecting the kicks and punts needs to make sure that there are no blocked kicks of any kind. I still have hope for the Packers to block a punt or field goal at some point this season. As long as the Special Teams unit doesn’t make crucial mistakes, they should be good to go on Sunday.
Overall, I have plenty of confidence that the Packers will get a win on Sunday against the Steelers in front of their home crowd. As long as they don’t take them lightly and execute on all sides of the ball, they should be able to win by double digits. Regardless of the outcome, I hope that neither team suffers more injuries on Sunday (*knocks on wood again*). I will be here on Monday or Tuesday with my post-game thoughts. In the meantime, I wish everyone of you a good night. Go Pack Go!
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