It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for a weekly Steelers links roundup at BTSC. But first, let’s take a look around the AFC North:
- Updated return timelines for injured Ravens (Baltimore Beatdown)
- Joe Burrow could realistically return for last three games of the season, per Ian Rapoport (Cincy Jungle)
- The Browns accomplished something on Sunday that hasn’t been done in decade (Dawgs by Nature)
What’s the latest on the Steelers’ upcoming opponent?
- Packers Film Room: Love and LaFleur attack the middle of the field (Acme Packing Company)
- Week 8 Power Rankings: Packers are winning, but analysts aren’t buying it (Acme Packing Company)
Now, onto some Steelers news and discussion:
Matt LaFleur: Week 8 is about Packers-Steelers not Aaron Rodgers’ first game vs. Green Bay
(From NFL.com’s Nick Shook): “We’re playing the Pittsburgh Steelers, who happen to have Aaron Rodgers,” LaFleur told reporters on Monday. “It’s as simple as that. That is for you guys to talk about.
“Granted, we’ve got a lot of respect and love for Aaron. What he’s done here,
I mean he’s a Hall of Famer. I know our past together, we had a lot of great moments, but this game is not about that. It’s about going to Pittsburgh, Sunday Night Football, our guys will be jacked up, their guys will be jacked up. It’s about the Green Bay Packers versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s for you guys to talk about, all those other storylines.”
Similarly to the lead-up to the Jets game Week 1, both Aaron Rodgers and his former team seem to be downplaying any sort of revenge game narrative. As always, I’ll offer a reminder that those associated with the NFL are often skilled at telling the media what they should say and not necessarily what they mean. I’m not implying there’s any bad blood, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this game means a little bit more to each side.
Aaron Rodgers could become fifth NFL QB ever to beat all 32 teams as Steelers face Packers: Who else is close?
(From CBS Sports’ John Breech): If Rodgers can lead the Steelers to a win over Green Bay, he’ll join Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Brett Favre as the only quarterbacks in NFL history who have beaten all 32 teams. It’s among the most exclusive clubs that a quarterback can join, and Rodgers could have his membership by the end of Sunday night. (Joe Montana and Fran Tarkenton are also kind of in the club. Even though they haven’t beaten 32 teams, they did get at least one win against all 28 teams that were in existence during their careers.)
This one is an underrated story — any statistic that puts you in the same group as Brady, Manning, Brees, and Favre is probably somewhat meaningful. While Aaron Rodgers isn’t his old, MVP self, it’s still fun to see an all-time great under center in the black and gold.
Mike Tomlin Gives Hilarious Response About Acrisure Stadium Field Conditions
(From Steelers Now’s Chris Ward): Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin gave a humorous answer when asked about concerns moving forward after the Acrisure Stadium field flap against the Cleveland Browns in Week 6.
“I’m not a grass expert. I haven’t cut my own grass in a long, long time. I’m gonna stay in my lane. I don’t even know who cuts my grass,” Tomlin said.
This may not be the newsiest story you’ll see all week, but I had to include it. Of course Mike Tomlin would answer a field conditions question like this.
Steelers to wear 1933 Throwback Uniforms vs. Packers
(From Steelers.com’s Teresa Varley): Steelers history and tradition will be on full display this week when the Steelers host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football at Acrisure Stadium.
The Steelers will wear their 1933 Throwback Uniforms for the game, a uniform that pays tribute not just to the 1933 team and where it all began for the Steelers, but also the rich legacy of the City of Pittsburgh.
A friendly reminder that Pittsburgh will be donning a new throwback uniform on Sunday against the Packers. I’ll join the many online who are lamenting that the Steelers decided to wear this yellow-heavy look against another yellow-helmeted team, but I’ll forgo judgement until I see it on the field.
Steelers offensive line happy to be the only ones hitting Aaron Rodgers lately
(From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko): “We’ve just got to continue to keep [Rodgers] upright,” Jones said. “I feel like the o-line did their job doing that last week. We’ve got to continue to trend in the right direction — keep him upright and keep him healthy this season.”
Indeed, the only time all night Rodgers got sacked in Cincinnati was by Jones. Rodgers will address that, as well as the storyline of facing his original team when he holds his weekly news conference Wednesday.
A nice mini-feature on the Broderick Jones-Aaron Rodgers tackle play from the Bengals game. Plus, another reminder that the Steelers’ offensive line has been on an upwards trajectory over the last few weeks.
Is the Steelers’ offensive line headed in the right direction?
Pittsburgh hasn’t allowed a sack in two straight games. It has also had 100-plus team rushing yards for three straight games. That’s definitely a sign of progress.
Of course, you can add plenty of caveats. The Bengals’ pass rush on Thursday was toothless without Trey Hendrickson. Aaron Rodgers continues to have one of the fastest times to throw in the NFL. And the run game started to take off once the Steelers added a heavy dose of Darnell Washington and Spencer Anderson to the existing five starters up front.
But the Steeler O-line has certainly proved itself better than the disaster some expected it to be entering the 2025 season. While they’re still not one of the league’s top units, they’ve undoubtedly improved over recent weeks. They’ve received some help, but the results have been good. There’s not much to gripe about.
Considering the various offensive line issues the Steelers have had over the last several seasons, I’ll need more than a few good games to make a sweeping statement. But after spending lots of high draft capital to build the unit under general manager Omar Khan, it seems like there might finally be something worth getting excited about up front.
How optimistic are you regarding the Steelers’ offensive line? Join the BTSC community and let us know in the comments!
