5 Questions for the Green Bay Packers
The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers in a pivotal Week 4 matchup.
Following back-to-back losses, the Steelers are nearing a desperation win. Meanwhile, the Packers are 2-1 coming off a last-second win over the San Francisco 49ers. Aaron Rodgers appears to be back to full form with Aaron Jones and Davante Adams not missing a beat to start the season.
On the Steelers side of the ball, they're hoping to get T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith back from groin injuries to help get this defense back on track. Everyone outside the locker room is questioning Ben Roethlisberger's ability, but Pittsburgh feels their quarterback will be fine. He has to be if this season isn't going to waste.
To better understand the Steelers' Week 4 opponent, we spoke with Packers Central Publisher Bill Huber, Fan Nation's inside knowledge in Green Bay.
1. What's the difference between Aaron Rodgers in Week 1 and since then? What did the Saints do well against him?
Huber: Rodgers said at the time it was an aberration and, it turns out, he was right. That was an odd game, with credit to New Orleans for making it an odd game. By the time the Packers got the ball for a 2-minute drill at the end of the first half, the Saints had 17 points and the Packers had run 12 plays. So, for a team that really does count on its running game to set the table for everything else, it never really ran the football to get the table set. So, what did the Saints do right? They hogged the ball on offense with an excellent running game, then attacked with its high-quality defensive front.
Over the last few years, the teams that have been able to slow down Davante Adams have had the most success. This team has enough weapons, I think, to overcome that, though Marquez Valdes-Scantling suffered a hamstring injury late on Sunday against the 49ers. He’s the team’s big-play receiver.
2. Does the Packers passing on T.J. Watt in the 2017 draft still sting some fans, or does no one really care?
Huber: I’d say it stings. I wrote a long story about it on Tuesday, breaking down not just the production of T.J. Watt vs. the man they drafted, cornerback Kevin King, but also how the Packers had to pick up the pieces by signing two expensive free agents (Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith) and drafting an outside linebacker in the first round (Rashan Gary) to provide the pass rush that Watt would have provided. Making matters worse, the Packers drafted cornerbacks in the first round in 2018 and 2021, too, because King hasn’t been healthy enough or good enough.
My favorite stats: Watt, who is paid to sack the quarterback, has 25 career passes defensed. King, who is paid to break up passes, has 28. Last season, Watt had seven breakups to King’s five. Watt – a Wisconsin native, no less – has been a complete game-wrecker. With Watt’s production and all the extra cap space the Packers would have had had they not been forced to buy a pass rush, you wonder if that move was the difference between winning and losing in last year’s NFC Championship Game. That’s how it goes, though. As I was told on Twitter a time or 50, that’s beating a dead horse.
3. What does it take to stop Davante Adams? Can it be done?
Huber: Numbers. Here’s what Adams himself said last week: “I don’t know, man. I guess the way people have been trying to do it, that’s the idea, is to put more people, or to throw coverage that way to take the quarterback’s mind off of forcing the ball over there. That’d be what I would do – put a bunch of people. That’s why we’ve got a bunch of other guys who can go out there and make plays, too.”
I hit on a bit earlier, but this is a really underrated group of skill players. Valdes-Scantling is the big-play threat. Allen Lazard is the dirty-work guy but also capable of winning deep. Randall Cobb brings veteran skills to the slot. Robert Tonyan was tied for No. 1 among tight ends in touchdown catches last season. And the running back combo of Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon is excellent.
4. Even without Za’Darius Smith, the Packers pass rush has been pretty good. How have they kept so consistent? Who's the player the Steelers should be most concerned about getting to Ben?
Huber: Pretty good might be overstating it. It’s been decent. They’re 22nd in sack percentage, though they did get after the Niners’ Jimmy Garoppolo last week. Outside linebacker Preston Smith has one sack and four others have a half-sack, including Gary. Defensive tackle Kenny Clark has zero sacks but trails only the Rams’ Aaron Donald and the Steelers’ Cameron Heyward in pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. It will be interesting see if the Packers can get after the Steelers’ young and inconsistent blockers.
5. Who wins and why?
Huber: I’ll go with Green Bay. It played a really good game against San Francisco. But, who knows, right? Garoppolo got rolling in the second half. Roethlisberger may or may not be as good as Garoppolo at this stage of his career but he’s got some good targets in the passing game. And the hungriest team tends to win. The Steelers, coming off two straight losses, need this one. Still, I’ll take Rodgers in most matchups, and I think Green Bay’s defensive front should be able to control the line of scrimmage. So, I’ll take the Packers by a touchdown.
Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.
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