The Green Bay Packers (4-1-1) will travel to Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh to take on the AFC North-leading Steelers (4-2) on Sunday night. Here are five key players, starting with one of the strongest and fastest receivers in football.
D.K. Metcalf can turn into one of the most dangerous players in the NFL with the ball in his hands. At 6-foot-4 and 229 pounds with a 4.33 40-yard dash time, Metcalf is possibly the best mix of size and speed in football. His incredible strength mixed with his speed and height make him a dangerous deep threat and a yards-after-catch machine.
Metcalf is one of the best players in the NFL once he gets the ball in his hands. According to Pro Football Focus, he is sixth in the NFL with 240 yards after the catch even though he is tied for 70th with 22 receptions. He is No. 1 among receivers with 10.9 YAC per catch.
Last year with Seattle, he led the NFL with 16 receptions on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield. So, he is a game-changing weapon, whatever the distance.
Metcalf leads the Steelers in receiving, bringing in 22 of his 36 targets for 406 yards and four touchdowns. Among players with more than 16 receptions, he is No. 1 with 18.5 yards per reception.
Metcalf was underwhelming by his standards in a disappointing division loss to the Bengals last week. He ended the game with just three catches for 50 yards. Instead, it was tight end Pat Freiermuth stealing the show with 111 yards and two touchdowns.
Metcalf will look to rebound against the 15h-ranked Packers passing defense, but it could be hard against the defense that leads the NFL in yards per catch at just 8.6.
Josh Jacobs has been one of the best scorers in the NFL this season, especially in the red zone. Jacobs is second in the league in rushing touchdowns with eight, just behind Jonathan Taylor’s 10.
Jacobs has found the end zone twice in each of his last three games. Only one player has a longer streak of multi-touchdown games over the past 20 years, Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson with eight.
While Jacobs ranks 32nd out of 43 running backs with 40-plus carries with 3.73 yards per carry, he has a nose for the end zone.
“He’s one of the most relentless runners I’ve ever seen, especially when he’s down in the red zone,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said. “His mindset and his relentless effort to get in is special.”
It will be a tough matchup for him. The Steelers give up a good number of yards on the ground, but they get stops when it matters. They have only allowed four rushing touchdowns all season, and their last was in Week 2.
Jacobs will look to continue his streak while breaking the Steelers’.
The story of the game revolves around 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers, who spent the first 18 years of his career with the Packers before being traded to the Jets in 2023.
Not only is Rodgers against the Packers a good story, he has been having a good season throwing the ball in Year 21. He has thrown for 1,270 yards and 14 touchdowns with a 68.6 percent completion rate and five interceptions. He is ninth with a 105.0 passer rating.
Rodgers has been great at avoiding sacks this season, only taking nine in six games. With most quarterbacks, that would be a testament to their elusiveness and ability to outrun defenders, but for Rodgers, he knows those aren’t his strengths.
Instead of trying to avoid sacks and make plays with his legs, Rodgers gets the ball out very fast. He has an average depth of target of just 6.6 yards, and he has the second-fastest average time to throw at 2.58 seconds.
While most people are focused on the emotions of seeing Rodgers play his former team, the Packers will be focused on stopping a quarterback that is proving that he can still play at an elite level.
Packers defensive end Micah Parsons knows Rodgers will be a challenge.4
“We just got to match coverage with rush. Mix up the looks,” Parsons said. “It’s hard when you talk about the guys who’s getting the ball out quick, (Joe) Flacco, Aaron, they got so much experience they done seen every look, every disguise. So, we just got to make it a challenge and confuse (him) and just get after him, you know what I mean? It’s going to be a tough matchup, but I always get excited for those when you playing GOATs like that.”
Tucker Kraft has quickly become a favorite target for Jordan Love, leading the Packers in receiving for the season.
Kraft has brought in 23 of 32 targets for 326 yards and four touchdowns. Like D.K. Metcalf, Kraft is the Packers’ YAC king. While only 63rd in receptions, he is 12th in the NFL in YAC with 208 yard. He leads tight ends in YAC per reception with 9.2 – 1.4 more than any other tight end.
Kraft leads the Packers in yards per game (54.3), something that could continue against the Steelers defense. They allow an average of 67.2 yards per game to tight ends, something the Packers could look to exploit.
While Christian Watson will return this week, the Packers’ receiving corps is otherwise depleted, with Matthew Golden questionable due to a hip injury and Dontayvion Wicks out due to a calf injury. Kraft could have a big role, just like he did down the stretch last week at Arizona.
T.J. Watt has been one of the most dominant forces in the NFL for his entire career.
Since the beginning of the 2021 season, he has the second-most sacks in the NFL with 62.5, including 22.5 in 2021 and 19 in 2023. He won Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 and has been in the top five in voting over the past two seasons.
Watt has had a slow start to the season by DPOY standards with only four sacks. He led the NFL in forced fumbles last season and has one this year. He also added an interception and four passes defensed.
Watt will primarily go against the Packers’ best lineman, right tackle Zach Tom. While the Packers feel good about the matchup, it only takes a play or two to change the game.
“I think any defense when they’ve got a superstar edge rusher like that on the D-line, you’ve got to have a focus on where he is at all times and what he’s doing,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “It starts with him.”