The Steelers are looking to get to 5-2 and continue building a lead in the AFC North race as the season reaches its halfway point. They’ll host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night, a team they haven’t
lost to at home since 1970. Will they get win No. 5? Our staff weighs in with their Week 8 picks.
Ryan Parish: Last week, the Steelers lost a game that many suspected they would drop, despite seemingly matching up well on paper. This week, the doomers are out saying there is no shot the Steelers can beat Green Bay, who seems like a bad matchup on paper. Just as Tomlin has a bad record on the road for TNF, he has a good record after a TNF (14-6), and especially after a loss (8-3).
Neither Pittsburgh’s nor Green Bay’s defense is as good as they would have hoped, and both play a bend-don’t-break style. The difference is that Green Bay has struggled to create turnovers, with just three on the season. If Pittsburgh can protect the ball and sustain drives, they come out on top. Steelers 33 – Packers 30
Alex Hanczar: Pittsburgh’s annual trap game is behind us, and the black and gold look ahead to another primetime tilt this Sunday against Green Bay. The Packers come to town fresh off a narrow win on the road in Arizona. Micah Parsons, the most significant offseason transaction, had his best outing yet as the Penn State alumnus went for five tackles and three sacks. The four-time Pro-Bowler will look to carry that momentum into primetime this week as he faces a Steelers offense line that is beginning to find their way.
Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers offense scored 30+ points for the second time this season in a losing effort to Cincinnati in Week Seven. The flip side of that was Teryl Austin’s defense allowing 30+ points for the third time this season, a troubling statistic given Pittsburgh’s defense is the highest paid in the NFL.
The Steelers’ most formidable challenge will be defending the run against Green Bay’s bell cow, Josh Jacobs. This partially due to Bengals running back Chase Brown rushing for season-highs last week as well as Jacobs’ raw talent.
If Pittsburgh can keep the Packers’ offense at bay, pun intended, I believe they can get the job done.
Steelers, 28, Packers, 23.
Mike Nicastro: Death, taxes, and Mike Tomlin losing games on Thursday nights. I’m not overly as concerned about the loss as I am how they lost. If Joe Flacco ripped through the Steelers defense, what might Jordan Love do? In his career he has a passer rating of 121.1, 12 TDs and zero INTs on Sunday night football.
But the Packers have been a mess on the road. They lost to the Browns, tied the Cowboys, and squeaked one out against Jacoby Brissett’s Cardinals last Sunday. When it’s all said and done, Aaron Rodgers will make one more play than Love, and yet again, Tomlin will bounce back after a Thursday night loss. Steelers 26 Packers 24
Ryland Bickley: Should the Packers win? Probably. But Green Bay, despite being the top seed in the NFC, has had its fair share of ups and downs this season. So have the Steelers, but they’ll be coming off the mini bye week, playing at home, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Aaron Rodgers has a bit more motivation than he’s letting on.
It’s a toss up in my mind. But Green Bay has more holes than you might think and I’m expecting a bounce back of some sort from the Steeler defense. I’ll take Pittsburgh to win 30-27.
Joey Bray: Micah Parsons fully arrived last weekend in Green Bay’s road win against the Cardinals with three sacks. Parsons will undoubtedly give the offensive line their toughest test to date.
However, Arthur Smith should be jumping for joy looking at this matchup as Green Bay has given up 50 receptions to tight ends , the most in the league. Coming off a game in which three different tight ends scored for Pittsburgh, expect another barrage of tight end usage from the Steelers offense.
The defense will undoubtedly have to be better, and will face a quarterback in Jordan Love who wants to push the ball down the field much like Cincinnati did last week. Josh Jacobs has already totaled eight touchdowns this season and Pittsburgh will have their hands full with this explosive Packers offense.
Aaron Rodgers refuses to call this a revenge game, but you had better believe he will be playing with a little more of a chip on his shoulder. This game has all the making of what could be one of the most entertaining games the Steelers play all year. I have the Steelers winning in a thriller. Steelers 30 Packers 28
Jarrett Bailey: I’ve picked the Packers to win all week on podcasts and radio spots. However, the closer we get to Sunday, the more I believe the Steelers will win. Offensively, they’ve been one of the best in the NFL over the last month. They are fifth in EPA per play since Week 3, and they are putting up points in bunches. It’s the defense that worries me, though. I expect a relatively high-scoring game that goes back in forth with Aaron Rodgers doing just enough to lead Pittsburgh to a win. Steelers 27, Packers 25
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