Thoughts on Week 8 (2025): Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers

That game was definitely a "Tale of two halves” for the Green Bay Packers. Entering Sunday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium (which I still call Heinz Field), the Packers were looking to get their first win in Pittsburgh since December 6th, 1970. The quarterback for the Packers on that day was Bart Starr, in what was his second to last season in the NFL. For this game on Sunday night, emotions were high on both sides. Aaron Rodgers was facing off against his former team in Green Bay, whom he has nothing but love for. That was the big difference between last night’s game and when Brett Favre played against the Packers as a member of the Minnesota Vikings back in 2009. That time, Favre wanted revenge against Green Bay. Rodgers flat out said that it was not a “revenge game”, but rather a chance to see some old friends, which he did during pregame. When the game actually occurred, it was all business. In the end, the Packers were able to take care of business in the second half after an ugly first half. With this introduction out of the way, let’s go over the game that happened on Sunday night.

The Steelers won the coin toss, but they deferred to the second half, meaning that the Packers started this game on offense. The drive started at the Green Bay 20 due to a holding penalty on Chris Brooks during the opening kickoff return. Josh Jacobs ran for 4 yards on first down and Christian Watson caught a 5 yard pass on second down, setting up a third and 1 at the 29 yard line. Romeo Doubs was unable to catch the pass on third down, forcing the Packers to punt the ball away. Daniel Whelan punted the ball all the way to the Pittsburgh 15, where it was returned for only 5 yards to the 20. 3 plays into the Steelers’ first drive, Aaron Rodgers ran to his right and uncorked a deep pass to Roman Wilson, who was somehow wide open after Keisean Nixon got lost covering the pass. Wilson caught the pass down the right sideline for a gain of 45 yards, giving the Steelers first and 10 at the Green Bay 28. After that, the Packers defense forced them to settle for a field goal. It helped that there was an offensive pass interference penalty on DK Metcalf on second and 5 from the 23. After an incomplete pass on second and 15, the Steelers faced a third and 15 from the 33. Rodgers ran from Micah Parsons and ended up getting sacked for a loss of 5 yards by Rashan Gary. The field goal from 56 yards out was made by Chris Boswell, giving the Steelers a 3-0 lead with a little over 8:40 left in the first quarter. After the kickoff return by Savion Williams, the Packers began their next drive at their own 33 yard line. On second and 7 from the 36 yard line, Jordan Love found Romeo Doubs down the middle for a 24 yard pass completion that got Green Bay to the Pittsburgh 40. Josh Jacobs ran for 5 yards on first and 10, then Doubs caught a 6 yard pass to get another first down. On first and 10 from the Steelers 29, Love found Malik Heath for a 13-yard pass that gave the Packers first and 10 at the 16 yard line. Love then found Tucker Kraft on a short pass that Kraft took 16 yards to the end zone for the Packers’ first touchdown of the night. The extra point kick by Brandon McManus was good, giving the Packers a 7-3 lead with a little over 5 minutes left in the first quarter. The ensuing kickoff went into the end zone for a touchback, giving the Steelers the ball at their own 35 yard line. On second and 8, Pat Freiermuth caught a 5-yard pass from Rodgers. The problem is that there was an illegal shift penalty on Freiermuth that nullified the catch and forced Pittsburgh to face a second and 13. The second and 13 pass was nearly picked off by Edgerrin Cooper, who was close to getting the ball. Thankfully, Cooper tackled Calvin Austin for only a 5 yard gain on third and 13, forcing the Steelers to punt back to Green Bay. Keisean Nixon muffed the punt, but it was recovered by Zayne Anderson at the Green Bay 18. 3 plays into the drive, Tucker Kraft had a big catch and run that got the Packers into Steelers territory. After that play, the drive stalled due to poor execution on three straight plays. The 57 yard field goal attempt by McManus was accurate enough, but it did not have enough power. Due to the missed field goal, the score remained 7-3 in Green Bay’s favor. The Steelers then took advantage of this situation by moving the ball down the field and getting into scoring range. Thankfully, the Packers defense forced Pittsburgh to settle for another field goal. The 50-yard kick by Boswell was good, cutting the lead to 7-6 with over 12 minutes to go in the second quarter. After Bo Melton’s kickoff return, which wasn’t that great, the Packers started their next drive at their own 26. Jordan Love missed a deep pass to Romeo Doubs on first and 10, which is always not good. A one yard run by Josh Jacobs followed that incomplete pass. On third and 9 from the 27, Love was pressured by the defense and threw incomplete to Tucker Kraft. There was also a hands to the face penalty on Zach Tom that was called while there was no roughing the passer penalty called on the defense. After that nonsense, the Packers had to punt back to the Steelers. After the punt return, the Steelers started their next drive at their own 36 yard line. From there, they went on a 12 play drive that lasted a little over 5 minutes. On third and 9 from midfield, it looked like the Packers got a stop after an incomplete pass to DK Metcalf (covered by Evan Williams). However, they called a defensive holding penalty on Keisean Nixon, which kept the drive alive. A few plays later, the Packers defense was able to keep the Steelers from converting a third and 14. Even though that play went for 10 yards, the Steelers took the safe route and brought out Boswell for his third field goal of the night. The kick ended up being from 48 yards out due to a false start penalty on the first attempt. The kick was still good, giving Pittsburgh a 9-7 lead with just under 6 minutes left in the first half. The kickoff return by Savion Williams gave the Packers the ball at their own 34 yard line. John Fitzpatrick caught a pass that went for 4 yards on first and 10, and Josh Jacobs ran for 3 yards on second and 6. Those two plays set up a favorable third and 3 from the 41 yard line. Jordan Love found Tucker Kraft for what would have been a first down had Kraft not dropped the catch. Due to the dropped pass, the Packers had to punt back to Pittsburgh. The punt was fair caught at the Pittsburgh 16 yard line. From there, the Steelers had no issue getting into Packers territory (even with the refs missing some false starts). Late in the drive, the Steelers faced a third and 9 from the Green Bay 36 yard line. Rodgers was pressured and had to throw the pass up to Calvin Austin. The pass was incomplete, but Nixon was somehow called for pass interference even though the receiver ran into him. 3 plays after that weird penalty, Rodgers found Metcalf for a 2 yard touchdown pass that, with the extra point, extended the Steelers’ lead to 16-7 with 34 seconds left in the half. The Packers were able to get into scoring range, but Brandon McManus missed the 44 yard field goal to the left as time expired.

The Packers defense was able to keep the Steelers from doing anything on their first second half drive. Keisean Nixon was on the coverage on the third down incomplete pass intended for Roman Wilson, which forced the Steelers to punt to Green Bay. Romeo Doubs caught the punt at the Green Bay 20 and returned it only 3 yards. The Packers had to start the drive at their own 10 due to a holding penalty against Javon Bullard. 3 plays into the drive, the Packers faced a crucial third and 5 from their own 15 yard line. Jordan Love had to throw a pass up to someone on the play due to pressure by the Steelers defense. Thankfully, Tucker Kraft caught the pass and took it all the way to the Pittsburgh 26 yard line on a crazy catch and run. Later in the drive, the Packers had to face a fourth and 1 from the Pittsburgh 17 yard line. On that fourth down, Love found Kraft for a 7 yard pass that gave the Packers a first and goal at the 10 yard line. 2 plays later, Love threw a short pass to Savion Williams, who was able to run it in for an 8 yard touchdown. The extra point kick by Brandon McManus was good, cutting the lead to 16-14 with less than 9 minutes left in the third quarter. The Steelers started their next drive at their own 23 yard line after a not so good kick return that was nearly disastrous when the kick was muffed by the returner. On second and 6 from the 27, Aaron Rodgers found DK Metcalf for a 24 yard pass play that gave the Steelers a first and 10 at the Green Bay 49. On the next play, Jaylen Warren caught a pass that went for 11 yards and another first down. On first and 10 from the Green Bay 38, it looked like Karl Brooks sacked Rodgers and the ensuing fumble was recovered by Green Bay. However, the officials then ruled it as an incomplete pass after the replay saw Rodgers spiking the ball to the ground with no receiver in the vicinity. So, not only was it not a sack, but it was also not an intentional grounding penalty for some ridiculous reason. 2 dud plays later, Chris Boswell was brought out for his fourth field goal of the night, which he made from 56 yards out, increasing the lead to 19-14 with a little over 5 and a half minutes left in the third quarter. The kick return by Savion Williams only got to the Green Bay 22 yard line. From there, the Packers started their next drive. Love found Emanuel Wilson for a 14 yard pass completion and a first down at the 36 yard line. 2 plays later, Malik Heath caught a 7 yard pass that converted a second and 6 from the Green Bay 40. Later in the drive, the Packers faced a third and 7 from the Pittsburgh 40 yard line. Love ran to his right and uncorked a deep pass across his body to Christian Watson, who made the catch and gave the Packers a first and goal at the 7 yard line. 2 plays later, Josh Jacobs took the handoff and got to the right edge of the end zone for a 3 yard touchdown. Rather than kick the extra point, the Packers went for 2. Love found Romeo Doubs for the two point conversion pass, giving the Packers a 22-19 lead just seconds into the fourth quarter. The Packers defense did a great job on the next drive by forcing the Steelers to punt. Rodgers was sacked for a loss of 10 yards by Micah Parsons on first and 10. After an incomplete pass on second and 20, Rodgers completed a pass to tight end Jonnu Smith for 7 yards. Romeo Doubs returned the ensuing punt to the Green Bay 40. However, the Packers started their next drive in Steelers territory after a huge fight broke out and the Steelers were given a personal foul penalty. From the Pittsburgh 45 yard line, the Packers were able to take advantage of the situation by putting more points on the board. On first and 10, Emanuel Wilson ran for a 15-yard gain. 3 plays later (and after an injury scare for Zach Tom that didn’t last too long), Love found Kraft on an inside slant that Kraft took 24 yards to the end zone for his second touchdown of the night. The extra point was good, extending the Packers’ lead to 29-19 with just under 11 minutes left in the game. Once again, the Packers defense was able to force the Steelers to go three and out. What definitely helped that was when DK Metcalf poked Quay Walker in the eye and got a personal foul for his trouble. After that penalty, the Steelers had to deal with a third and 17 from the 18 yard line. Rashan Gary sacked Aaron Rodgers for a second time, forcing the Steelers to punt back to Green Bay. Romeo Doubs took the punt to the Green Bay 44 yard line. From there, the Packers were able to get into scoring range. Love started the drive by finding Christian Watson for a 28 yard pass play that gave the Packers first and 10 at the Pittsburgh 28. 3 plays later, Love found Doubs for a 14-yard pass completion that converted a third and 9 from the 27. 3 plays later, including two incomplete passes, the Packers had to settle for a field goal. The kick by McManus was good from 28 yards out, increasing the lead to 32-19 with under 5 and a half minutes left in the game. The Packers quickly got the ball back after Edgerrin Cooper forced a fumble 2 plays into the Steelers’ next drive. The fumble was recovered by Javon Bullard at the Pittsburgh 26, giving the Packers another chance at scoring points. After another successful field goal by McManus, the lead was increased to 35-19 with under 4 minutes remaining. The Steelers then went right down the field and scored a touchdown on a 21 yard pass from Aaron Rodgers to Roman Wilson. They tried for 2, and it did not work as Ty’Ron Hopper broke up the two point conversion pass intended for Jonnu Smith. Pittsburgh’s onside kick attempt was recovered by Romeo Doubs and the Packers were able to run out the rest of the clock and seal the 35-25 win to the delight of the Packers fans chanting “Go Pack Go” in Pittsburgh. With the win, the Packers are now 5-1-1 on the season.

(Here are the highlights of the game, provided by the NFL’s YouTube page. Click on “Watch on YouTube” if you’re curious. Also, the Steelers’ throwback uniforms looked bad on the field and on TV.)

On offense, this game was definitely a “Tale of Two Halves” for Green Bay. The first half had only one drive that resulted in points while the rest were either three and outs or (in two cases) ones that resulted in a missed field goal. During that ugly first half, there were plenty of mistakes, including dropped passes and plays that went nowhere. After a big catch and run by Tucker Kraft, a drive stalled out and resulted in no points due to the kick being short of the goalpost. I’m glad that the Packers offense was able to get back on track in the second half against a Steelers defense that has struggled to stop some teams from scoring on them, including Cincinnati the week prior with Joe Flacco at QB. The run blocking was not the best, and I think that is due to some of the run plays being called from shotgun instead of under center. There were still good runs by both Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson during Sunday night’s game. Josh Jacobs was once again able to find the end zone on a touchdown run in the fourth quarter. That TD run was set up by a big third down catch by Christian Watson, who made his return to the field on Sunday night nearly a year removed from his knee injury in January of 2025. Watson’s return definitely helped the offense on Sunday night and I am glad that he is back in the fold. On National Tight Ends Day, Tucker Kraft had the best day of any tight end as he went for 7 catches for 143 yards (131 yards after catch) and a pair of touchdowns. What helped him and Watson have great days on offense was Jordan Love, who completed 29 of 37 passes for 360 yards and 3 touchdowns (2 to Kraft, one to Savion Williams). Love was able to become the first Packers QB since Brett Favre in 2007 to complete 20 straight passes at one point. It’s crazy to think that this happened against Green Bay’s former QB in Aaron Rodgers. The offensive line did a great job on Sunday night as they did not allow Love to get sacked once all night. Love was blitzed a few times, but he was able to get rid of the ball before getting hit each time. That huge catch and run by Tucker Kraft that set up a TD in the second half was one of those plays where Love threw to escape pressure. Overall, I was proud of the way the Packers overcame that bad first half on offense and performed in the second half. I hope that the consistent play occurs for a full game from here on out. (Matthew Golden will get his first TD eventually this year)

On defense, the Packers played solid against their former quarterback. There were times that they gave up some big plays to Rodgers, especially that deep pass to Roman Wilson on Pittsburgh’s first drive. There were also times that the Packers defense was unlucky with penalties that kept Steelers’ drives alive, with two untimely penalties against Keisean Nixon. Nixon was also a victim of getting beat by DK Metcalf on the TD that occurred before halftime. That TD to Metcalf was the only TD the Packers gave up in the first half. The three other scoring drives for Pittsburgh in the first half only resulted in a field goal thanks to the Packers defense (kudos to Chris Boswell for making each kick on Sunday night). There should have been more than one turnover by the Packers defense. Edgerrin Cooper nearly had his hands on a ball in the first half, and Karl Brooks got robbed of a strip sack due to Rodgers somehow being able to spike the ball and not get called for intentional grounding (I don’t like Ed Hochuli’s son Shawn at all). Even with those missed opportunities, the Packers defense made great plays all night. Rodgers was sacked 3 times on Sunday night, with Rashan Gary getting him down twice and Micah Parsons getting to him once. Carrington Valentine had a great pass break up at one point. He needs more time on the field over Nate Hobbs. Ty’Ron Hopper had a great pass breakup during the two point conversion attempt late in the fourth quarter. Cooper was responsible for the forced fumble that was recovered by Javon Bullard. Quay Walker kept his cool when DK Metcalf tried to mess with him and got a 15 yard penalty in the process. I’m glad that Devonte Wyatt was able to make it back on Sunday night. Hopefully Lukas Van Ness can follow suit very soon. The Packers need everyone on Jeff Hafley’s unit to be available for this upcoming stretch of games.

On Special Teams, the Packers made a few mistakes on Sunday night. There were a couple of penalties during kickoff and punt returns that made the Packers start drives inside their own 20 yard line. Brandon McManus was chosen as the kicker for Green Bay instead of Lucas Havrisik (who was listed as inactive). At first, McManus was not doing well as he missed his first two field goal attempts. The 44 yard field goal miss right before halftime was awful to see. Thankfully, the way the Packers performed on offense and defense in the second half made sure that those early misses did not play a factor in the outcome of the game (and McManus did not miss a kick in the second half). Another thing that I am glad the Packers executed on Special Teams was not allowing any kicks to be blocked. The return coverage unit played well on Sunday as they kept any return from getting past the 40 yard line. Daniel Whelan had a good night punting the ball, averaging 50.7 yards per punt. No turnovers happened on Special Teams, though there was a close call after Keisean Nixon muffed a punt early in the game. Rich Bisaccia is still able to keep his job for now. Hopefully his unit is ready for anything regardless of who starts at kicker next week.

Overall, it was great to see the Packers overcome an ugly first half and take care of business in the second half. I love that the Packers have that goal of taking it one game at a time, even with some key matchups on the horizon against Philadelphia and Detroit among others. Next week for the Packers is a home game at Lambeau Field against the Carolina Panthers. Not only will the Packers be wearing their new 1923 throwback uniforms in that game, but Jordan Love will turn 27 next Sunday. Hopefully he gets to celebrate his birthday by getting another win. Regardless of the outcome, I’ll be back for the recap of the game. For now, I am celebrating yet another Victory Monday. Have a great week, everyone. Go Pack Go!