Packers vs. Steelers: Three Reasons to Worry
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers (2-1) will host the Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2) at 3:25 p.m. Sunday at Lambeau Field. The Packers have won two in a row and the Steelers have lost two in a row. Nonetheless, this won’t be a walk in the park for Green Bay. Here are three reasons to worry that the Steelers will spring the upset.
1. Nothing Has Changed Up Front
The Packers did a superb job of controlling the line of scrimmage in last week’s victory over San Francisco and its excellent defensive front. The challenge might actually be tougher this week.
Nick Bosa is a superb edge defender but T.J. Watt is the best in the NFL. The 49ers have quality defensive tackles but none are in the same league as Cameron Heyward. Those two – with Watt mostly lining up across from right tackle Billy Turner and Heyward mostly across from left guard Jon Runyan (at least based on snap counts to start the season) – will pose an enormous challenge to Green Bay’s young and unsettled offensive line. Moreover, Pittsburgh saw how Green Bay adapted last week and can plan accordingly.
“If he’s not, he’s right there,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said when asked if Watt is the NFL’s best defensive player. “I think Heyward probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves because that guy is a game-wrecker. It’s hard to pinpoint. Watt is all over the place. This is the first time I’ve really had a chance to sit down and study him. He is so talented, and then when you mix that with the effort and the relentlessness that he displays every time he’s out on that field, it doesn’t come as a surprise how he’s able to generate these big-time plays. He’s all over the tape. You see the ball out. He does a great job when he gets to the quarterback of raking the ball out. He does a great job when he’s making tackles of trying to punch the ball out. So, he is definitely a force to be reckoned with.”
2. Communication Breakdowns
Green Bay’s defense might have turned a corner a bit against the 49ers last week. While San Francisco rallied in the second half, many of its big offensive plays were earned rather than given through mental breakdowns.
That’s a big deal. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger might not be a great player anymore – his 6.2 yards per attempt is 1.5 yards less than his career mark – but his slippage has nothing to do with his mental capabilities. He’s seen every defense imaginable. Not only won’t he be fooled by anything defensive coordinator Joe Barry throws at him, but he’ll quickly see and capitalize upon any mental blunder in the secondary. And while big-play receiver Chase Claypool is out, he’s got plenty of weapons with receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson, tight end Eric Ebron and running back Najee Harris.
“One thing I’m never going to turn my back on Ben Roethlisberger,” Barry said. “He’s been doing it for so long, there’s nothing he hasn’t seen, there’s nothing he hasn’t experienced. So, we are preparing for the best version of Ben Roethlisberger, because he’s been doing it a long time at a high level.”
3. Hungry Team Wins
There’s always an intangible factor when two quality teams square off. The Packers have won two in a row and are feeling good about themselves after going out to San Francisco and upsetting the 49ers. The Steelers, on the other hand, have a sour taste in their mouths. After an upset win at Buffalo in the opener, they dropped back-to-back home games against Las Vegas and Cincinnati.
Good teams don’t lose three in a row very often. While it’s not as if the Packers will be living high on last week’s hog, the Steelers will be a hungry and desperate team. That matters – a fact LaFleur obviously is aware of as he quickly turned his attention to the Steelers.
“It’s every week in this league. You’ve got to hit the reset button,” he said. “You know our mentality around here: it’s to go 1-0. Like we told the team, winning’s momentary, and you have to do everything that you can to go out and earn the next win, and that starts by putting in the work. It starts with our preparation, the urgency with which we go about it in our approach, getting our bodies back. These guys, it’s always tough coming off a long time, an emotional win, you’ve got to refocus, but you’ve got to do that every week – win, lose or draw.”
