It was a night of reunions as the Green Bay Packers traveled to Pittsburgh to take on their former franchise QB, Aaron Rodgers, and the Steelers. It had all the makings of a highly anticipated game: both
teams are at the top of their respective divisions, both starting QBs are having good seasons, and we got to see a HOF QB battle against his successor for what may very likely be the only time ever. After a slow first half for the Packers, the second half was all Green Bay, and the Packers came out victorious with a score of 35-25. Check out the winners and losers from an exciting Sunday Night Football matchup.
Winner: Tucker Kraft
The King of the YAC struck again, and on National Tight End Day, he had a career night.. Tucker Kraft, the man that you are! Kraft was Jordan Love’s most targeted player last night, seeing 9 throws come his way. He caught 7 of them for a career-best 143 yards and 2 TDs for a 20.4 average. I don’t know the exact number, but I do know that most of his yards came after the catch, because that’s just what he does.
Kraft looked exceptional last night, not only as a pass catcher, but as a blocker as well. Simply put: he does what the Packers need him to do, basically every time. When they need a first down, he’ll get them a first down plus 15 more yards. When they need a touchdown, he’ll give you one of the most exciting scores you’ll see all day. Kraft will be due for a payday soon, and I think the Packers need to consider giving him whatever he wants, because this is a guy you don’t let go of.
Winner: Christian Watson
WELCOME BACK, BUDDY. 294 days after tearing his ACL in the team’s final regular season game against the Chicago Bears, Christian Watson saw his first 2025 game action, and he looked GREAT. As the team still works (are they working towards this?) to get rookie Matthew Golden completely integrated into the offensive game plan, they’ve been missing Watson’s presence as a deep threat and blocker. Last night, the offense was on another level once Watson made his mark. The WR caught all 4 of his targets for 85 yards and a 21.3 avg (best in last night’s game), including a huge 33-yard pickup on 3rd down. The team is better with him on the field, and he proved it last night.
Loser: Whoever cleared Brandon McManus
After two weeks of Lucas Havrisik being on absolute fire, including setting a new franchise FG record with a 61-yard kick, regular starter Brandon McManus was cleared to play. He responded by missing two field goals, which looked like they would be game changers until the Packers got going in the second half.
McManus has been their rock at the position since they struggled to replace Mason Crosby, so I understand why the Packers would want to go back to him, especially after locking him up with a contract extension. However, I just don’t think he was ready, as evidenced by the point swing after the missed field goals. Yes, Lucas Havrisik has a small sample size as a Packer, but it’s an absolutely perfect sample size. He should’ve been last night’s kicker, plain and simple.
Loser: Keisean Nixon
It hurts so bad to write this while being Keisean’s number one supporter, but he had a rough game last night, not only as a DB but as a special teamer. Nixon had some pretty costly penalties, including a defensive hold that gave the Steelers a first down on a FG drive, and pass interference on what would end up being a Steelers scoring drive. He was also burned pretty badly while covering various receivers, allowing explosive plays a little too often for my liking. On special teams, he also muffed a punt which was luckily recovered by the non-existent Zayne Anderson. Overall, it felt like an uncharacteristically low-energy game from Nixon. Hopefully, next week wewill see a bounce back against the Panthers.
Winner: Savion Williams
First career TD alert!! Matt LaFleur seems determined to make Savion Williams the team’s gadget guy, and I get it. He’s massive, even without the helmet, and he might just be the best returner on the roster at the moment. He had two offensive touches last night, a 1-yard rush as well as an 8-yard TD reception, his first-ever NFL score. He had four kick returns last night, and looked to be getting better at it as the game went on. I’ve gotta say, I didn’t have “Savion scores a TD before Matthew Golden” on my 2025 bingo card, but that’s life!
Winner: Edgerrin Cooper
In the words of the great Tyler Brooke, dat boi fast. Edgerrin Cooper was all over the field last night, and was an absolute difference maker. He was within a hair of a rare Aaron Rodgers interception, and Rodgers’ face afterwards can only be described as “seeing ghosts”. His speed last night was superhuman as he made tackles right at the point of catch or at the line of scrimmage, and he had one of the most clutch plays of the game with a forced fumble on the Steelers’ fifth drive of the second half. Cooper has never heard of a sophomore slump. Just an absolute beast.
Loser: The offense on third downs
The first half of the game was a rough one for the offense, especially on third down. The team failed to convert almost every single third down in the first half, due almost entirely to dropped passes. Jordan Love, who we’ll get to in just a moment, had an absolutely awesome game, which would’ve looked even better had his pass catchers hung onto the ball. When the offense is rolling, they’re difficult to stop. They just need to ROLL.
Winner: Jordan Love
The Packers QB had a career game last night, and there’s something poetic about it coming against a team helmed by his predecessor. Love had 20 straight completions at one point last night, a number not seen since Brett Favre was the team’s QB in 2007. He was on absolute fire all game, but especially in the second half. He’s looked incredibly confident this season, and last night seemed to step it up a notch with how smart he was with the football. His 33-yard pass to Christian Watson was disgusting, in the best possible way.
It’s been an interesting season so far around the league, but I think with last night’s performance, Love may have entered the MVP conversation. He finished the night 29/37 (78% completion!) for 360 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs, and no sacks taken, for a 134.2 rating. With the offense unable to get the run game going last night, the team needed a strong Love performance, and he gave them a masterclass. If the torch wasn’t passed already, consider it officially passed now.
The Packers remain in first place in the NFC with a 5-1-1 record, and look to go 6-1-1 next week as they take on the Carolina Panthers at home. It remains to be seen who the Panthers’ starting QB will be, between Bryce Young and Andy Dalton. The two teams last met on Christmas Eve during the 2023 season, when the Packers nearly dropped the ball to a Panthers team that had just 2 wins at the time. Will we get another classic nail-biter, or have the Packers finally figured it out?
