Next week’s primetime showdown between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers has plenty of intrigue — it’s Aaron Rodgers’ first game against his longtime team. But Vegas isn’t expecting it to go his way, opening with the Steelers as 3.5-point home underdogs, according to VSiN.
Perhaps the Steelers would have been favored had they taken care of business against the hapless Cincinnati Bengals, but a 33-31 loss Thursday night raises a lot of questions about the team moving forward. Just as the Steelers were starting to move public opinion in their favor, their $163.1 million defense forgot how to stop the run and allowed over 300 passing yards and three touchdowns to 40-year-old Joe Flacco 10 days after joining the Bengals.
That is the same Flacco-led Bengals team that the Packers beat 27-18 just four days prior.
Rodgers addressed the emotions of the team after the loss and his upcoming game against Green Bay.
“Got a couple home games coming up back-to-back, another Sunday night opportunity against my former team. So I’m not gonna ride the rollercoaster, and I know Mike [Tomlin] isn’t,” Rodgers said via the Steelers’ YouTube.
The Steelers are sitting at 4-2 while the Packers are 3-1-1. Green Bay opened the season looking like the strongest team in the NFL, but a loss to the Cleveland Browns and a tie with the Dallas Cowboys have exposed some of its weaknesses as well.
Flacco managed to beat the Packers with the Browns before being traded to Cincinnati. Flacco and Rodgers aren’t a 1-to-1 comparison, but they both get rid of the ball quickly and neutralize the pass rush with their quick decisions and release. That will be necessary against Micah Parsons and the Packers’ pass rush.
The Week 8 line is subject to change because the Packers still have to play their Week 7 game against the Arizona Cardinals. Assuming they win, they could end up gaining a few more points on the spread.
The Packers currently boast a top-10 offense in both yards and points. They also have a top-five defense in yards allowed. The Steelers will have their hands full if they wish to hand Aaron Rodgers a win that I’m sure he wants very badly.
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