Steelers vs. Packers: 5 Questions with the Enemy

The Steelers are 5-2 in their last seven contests with the Green Bay Packers, and Green Bay hasn’t beaten the Steelers in Pittsburgh since 1970. Will that trend continue? We sat down with Kris Burke of Acme Packing Company to get insight on the Packers for this Sunday.

1. Jordan Love looked great in the first two weeks of the season and has struggled ever since. What’s the overall feeling on Love and is he going to be the franchise guy?

The mood on Love is a little weird. There is a large contingent of fans that are strongly behind him, putting the recent struggles on the youth surrounding him and the coaching staff not setting him up to succeed. Then on the other side there are those who point to the issues that plagued him in college (accuracy, decision making) have carried over to the pros and he is who he is.

Is he the future? Hard to tell. He shows flashes at some points but major issues in others. Given how young the offense is, it’s hard to give him a fair evaluation.

The Packers knew they’d “go through it” with the Love. The question is will they come out of it.

2. What has been the biggest issue with the Packers rush defense this season?

One reason is lack of development around Kenny Clark. Devonte Wyatt has shown flashes but he’s still inconsistent. As a first round pick in his second season, you’d want to see a lot more progress. T.J Slaton has been serviceable, though.

Another reason is bad tackling. Watch any Packers tape and you’ll likely see bad fundamentals of tackling. That’s on coaching and one reason why Joe Barry is so despised among so many fans.

3. Aaron Jones has dealt with injuries this season, but even when healthy it feels like he isn’t featured remotely as much as he should be. Why is that?

Ask Matt LaFleur. We saw last week what happens when Jones gets the ball 20ish times per game: the Packers win.

I don’t know if it’s just carryover from having a hall of fame quarterback his first four years or what but LaFleur’s lack of giving Jones the ball is truly an enigma.

4. Who is the one Packers player that could take over this game?

Jones. He’s the best player on the team. Once again though the question is will LaFleur stick with him? Ride the hot hand. Don’t vary your attack for the sake of having variety.

Honorable mention: Rashan Gary. I don’t think enough people around the league give him respect as an elite pass rusher. His return from a torn ACL this year and not missing a beat shows how special of a player he is.

5. DraftKings has the Steelers favored by three points. Do you see the Steelers covering, or do the Packers keep it within a field goal?

It depends on which version of the Packers show up.

Young teams need to stack success. Yes, they beat a bad Rams team with a backup quarterback last week, but good and growing teams are supposed to do that.

Can they build on it this week? Or does the inconsistency return? The answer likely will determine who exactly the 2023 Packers.

I think it goes a little more than a field goal so Green Bay won’t cover. Give me 28-24 Steelers.