How the Packers defense plans to counter the Steelers offense in Week 4

When the Pittsburgh Steelers play a team like the Green Bay Packers, an NFC powerhouse, there is not a lot of uncertainty surrounding the matchup.

Sure, fans know the big name players from their division foe, but a lot can change from one year to the next.

With that said, I reached out to Acme Packing Company’s contributor Joe Meerdink and asked him a series of questions about the upcoming game. He was more than generous to provide answers to these questions, and in this article I asked him what the Packers’ defense plan to counter the Steelers defense in Week 4 will be.

How will the Packers defense try to slow down Ben Roethlisberger and company?

Check out his answer below, and be sure to follow Acme Packing Company for the latest news and notes from the other side of the fence leading up to the game at 4:25 p.m. ET.

When the Steelers have the ball, how will the Packers try to slow them down?

Honestly, it’s not clear yet. New defensive coordinator Joe Barry’s tenure has been a bit of a mixed bag through three weeks, and despite coming from the Vic Fangio/Brandon Staley schematic tree (at least nominally), it’s not clear what his identity is as a coordinator yet. In theory, at least, he’ll bring a lot of five-man fronts, sprinkling in blitzes and stunts to try to free up his edge rushers and Kenny Clark. But we haven’t seen enough from him yet to really know his preferences in terms of attacking opponents.

This game certainly has the look of strength vs. strength, the Packers’ offense vs. the Steelers’ defense, and weakness vs. weakness. In this regard, neither the Green Bay defense, or the Pittsburgh offense, has lit the world on fire. If the other side of this coin cancels itself out, the team who can win this battle will likely leave Lambeau Field victorious.

Can the Steelers’ offensive line finally put together what would look like a complete game? Will Ben Roethlisberger start to play up to the caliber he set for himself over his 18 year career? These are the questions which will need to be answered before the Steelers can consider their current two-game losing streak nothing but a fluke, and prepare for bigger and better things down the road.

How do you see this game shaking out? Let us know in the comment section below, and be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the black and gold as they prepare for the upcoming Week 4 game.