Packers Beat Steelers for Third Consecutive Win
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Making history was twice as nice for Aaron Rodgers.
Aaron Rodgers threw the 419th and 420th touchdown passes of his career, the latter tying Hall of Famer Dan Marino for sixth place on the NFL’s all-time list. And by beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17 on Sunday, Rodgers has a home victory over each of the NFL’s other 31 franchises.
Green Bay (3-1) has won three in a row. Pittsburgh (1-3) has lost three in a row.
The Packers led 17-10 at halftime on a touchdown pass and a touchdown run by Rodgers. They had a strong response after the Steelers took the opening kickoff and drove to the opening score on a 45-yard touchdown pass by Ben Roethlisberger to Diontae Johnson over Jaire Alexander. It was Roethlisberger’s 400th career touchdown pass of his career and the Steelers’ first first-quarter points of the season.
Despite the milestones signifying greatness, one player is great today and the other is not. Even with a makeshift offensive line, Rodgers overwhelmed Roethlisberger in the battle of quarterbacks.
Rodgers finished 20-of-36 passing for 248 yards and two touchdowns, good for a passer rating of 95.6. Roethlisberger was 26-of-40 for 232 yards with one touchdown and one late interception, equating to a passer rating of 78.3. While Rodgers was efficient, Roethlisberger missed a couple big-play opportunities and was all too happy to throw short, regardless of the situation.
Green Bay won the toss and deferred, with coach Matt LaFleur’s decision paying dividends. Getting the ball to end the first half, the Packers drove to a short field goal by Mason Crosby. Getting the ball to start the second half, the Packers drove to another short field goal by Crosby to lead 20-10. He’s made 24 consecutive field goals, a franchise record.
The Packers got a stop on Pittsburgh’s opening possession of the second half. A shanked punt perhaps caused by safety Darnell Savage’s rush gave the Packers the ball at the Steelers’ 40. A 25-yard run by AJ Dillon set up Rodgers’ 1-yard touchdown pass – No. 420 of Rodgers’ career and a 27-10 lead.
What it means: After a season-opening embarrassment against New Orleans, it didn’t take long for the Packers to emerge as one of the NFC’s top teams. With the Arizona Cardinals (4-0) beating the Los Angeles Rams (3-1), there’s only one undefeated team left standing in the NFC. That means Green Bay is in the mix of teams at 3-1 and just a game off the pace.
In the NFC North, the Chicago Bears (2-2) beat the Detroit Lions (0-4) 24-14 and the Minnesota Vikings (1-3) lost 14-7 to the Cleveland Browns (3-1).
Key moments: In the grand scheme of things, this play will barely register a ripple. With Green Bay trailing 7-0 late in the first quarter, it faced a third-and-6. Aaron Rodgers threw the ball over the middle to veteran Randall Cobb, who bobbled the ball but hung on for the first down. That play was pivotal in the Packers’ game-tying touchdown drive and was the first of several big plays by Cobb.
Moments later, Kingsley Keke's sack-strip was recovered by Kenny Clark, setting up a 23-yard touchdown catch by Randall Cobb to make it 14-7.
Key stats: When Aaron Rodgers converted a third-and-9 with a pass to Davante Adams with less than 4 minutes remaining, the Packers improved to 9-of-14 (64.3 percent) for the day on third down. They entered the day ranked 22nd at 36.7 percent.
The Packers scored on five consecutive drives, with three touchdowns and two field goals turning the early 7-0 deficit into a 27-10 lead.
MVP: Games like this are why Aaron Rodgers wanted Randall Cobb back in a green-and-yellow uniform. On the Packers’ first touchdown drive, Cobb converted third downs with catches of 8 and 12 yards. Cobb scored the second touchdown, a 23-yarder on third-and-10. When Green Bay extended its lead to 20-10 with a field goal to start the third quarter, Cobb’s 25-yard catch on third-and-7 was the big play. And when then Packers scored a touchdown to make it 27-10 with 4:46 to go in the third quarter, Cobb shook loose for a 1-yard score on first-and-goal. That’s a key play on four of the team’s first five scores.
What’s next: The Packers will hit the road for four of their five next games. Next week, Green Bay plays at the Cincinnati Bengals (3-1), which beat Jacksonville on Thursday and will have a few extra days of rest. That’s followed by a trip to Chicago. After a home game against Washington (2-2), it’s back on the road for games against the Arizona Cardinals (4-0) and Kansas City Chiefs (2-2).
