The Green Bay Packers (4-1-1) will travel to Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh to face 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.
DK Metcalf can become one of the most dangerous players in the NFL with the ball in his hands. At 6-foot-4, 229 pounds with a 4.33 40-yard dash time, Metcalf is probably the best blend of size and speed in football. His incredible strength combined with his speed and height make him a dangerous deep threat and a yardage-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 although 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 more than 20 yards downfield. It is therefore a game-changing weapon, whatever the distance.
Metcalf leads the Steelers in receiving, catching 22 of 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 disappointing by his standards in a disappointing divisional loss to the Bengals last week. He finished the game with just three catches for 50 yards. Instead, it was tight end Pat Freiermuth who stole the show with 111 yards and two touchdowns.
Metcalf will look to rebound against the Packers’ 15h-rated pass defense, but that could be tough against the defense that leads the NFL in yards per catch with 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 games with multiple touchdowns over the past 20 years, Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson with eight.
While Jacobs ranks 32nd out of 43 running backs with 40+ carries with 3.73 yards per carry, he has a nose for the end zone.
“He’s one of the hardest runners I’ve ever seen, especially when he’s in the red zone,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said. “His mindset and his relentless effort to get in is special.”
It will be a difficult match for him. The Steelers give up a good number of yards on the ground, but they get stops when it counts. They’ve only allowed four rushing touchdowns all season, and their last one came in Week 2.
Jacobs will look to continue his streak while breaking the Steelers’ streak.
The game’s story 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 vs. the Packers a good story, but he had a good season throwing the ball in Year 21. He threw for 1,270 yards and 14 touchdowns with a 68.6 percent completion rate and five interceptions. He is ninth with a passer rating of 105.0.
Rodgers has been very successful at avoiding sacks this season, taking just 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 strong points.
Instead of trying to avoid sacks and play with his legs, Rodgers gets the ball out very quickly. He has an average target depth of just 6.6 yards and he has the second-fastest average time to throw at 2.58 seconds.
While most people focus on the emotions of watching Rodgers play against his former team, the Packers will focus on stopping a quarterback who proves he can still play at an elite level.
Packers defensive end Micah Parsons knows Rodgers will be a challenge.4
“We just have to match the coverage with the rush. Mix up the looks,” Parsons said. “It’s tough when you talk about the guys that get the ball out quick, (Joe) Flacco, Aaron, they have so much experience they’ve seen every look, every disguise. So we just have to make it a challenge and confuse him and chase him, you know what I mean? It’s going to be a tough game, but I’m always excited for those when you play GOATs like that.”
Tucker Kraft quickly became a favorite target of Jordan Love, leading the Packers in receptions for the season.
Kraft hit 23 of 32 targets for 326 yards and four touchdowns. Like DK Metcalf, Kraft is the Packers’ YAC king. While he is only 63rd in receptions, he is 12th in the NFL in YAC with 208 yards. He leads YAC tight ends in receptions 9.2 to 1.4 more than any other tight end.
Kraft leads the Packers in yards per game (54.3), which could continue against the Steelers defense. They are allowing an average of 67.2 yards per game to tight ends, which is 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 with a calf injury. Kraft could play a big role, just like he did last week in Arizona.
TJ Watt has been one of the most dominant forces in the NFL throughout his career.
Since the start 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 the past two seasons.
Watt had a slow start to the season by DPOY standards with just four sacks. He led the NFL in forced fumbles last season and has one this year. He also added an interception and four passes defended.
Watt will primarily face the Packers’ best lineman, right tackle Zach Tom. Although the Packers feel good about the game, it only takes a play or two to turn things around.
“I think any defense when they have a superstar like that on the D-line, you have to focus on where he is at all times and what he’s doing,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “It starts with him.”
