The Pittsburgh Steelers will face the Green Bay Packers Sunday night with Aaron Rodgers set to face his former team. It’s a rematch of Super Bowl XLV, although both teams are vastly different compared to then. The Steelers had a more recent game against the Packers in 2023. That matchup gives Packers head coach Matt LaFleur a little bit of familiarity with the Steelers, although he acknowledged that their defense has changed since then.
“I think, just in comparison, because it’s obviously not an opponent we see every year, but you can definitely see there’s some similarities between two years ago,” LaFleur said Wednesday via the team’s Twitter. “I think they’ve upgraded some of the talent. They’ve still got the front, which is phenomenal.
“It’s one of the best in football, but they’ve upgraded in some areas, and I think they’ve gotten much more aggressive with their scheme. A lot more man coverage than we saw a few years ago. So, it’ll be interesting to see how they try to attack us. But they’re very competitive and they’ve really feasted on sacks and takeaways, and you see it in every game. There’s a lot of carnage in the backfield.”
The Steelers won that 2023 game, 23-19, and their defense had a middling day. While quarterback Jordan Love threw two interceptions, Pittsburgh also allowed almost 400 yards of total offense to Green Bay.
This Steelers defense has some similar pieces compared to that 2023 game against the Packers. Teryl Austin is still the defensive coordinator, which makes much of what that unit does the same. The Steelers also still have several core pieces like T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, and Alex Highsmith.
However, for as much as the Steelers’ defense is the same, it’s also very different. Since that game, the team has added players like Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Jalen Ramsey, and Darius Slay. Also, some young players, like Nick Herbig and Joey Porter Jr., have bigger roles on the team.
That’s part of the reason why the Steelers are more aggressive on defense now. They’ve got more talent. That’s allowed them to match up against opponents in different ways, or at least try to.
Unfortunately, that influx of new talent hasn’t equated to success for the Steelers’ defense. That aggressiveness has backfired on them. At times, that unit is very feast or famine. LaFleur is correct that it’s done well forcing turnovers and getting after the quarterback. However, when the Steelers’ defense hasn’t produced those splash plays, it’s gotten pushed around.
That was evident last week. The Steelers only had two sacks and didn’t record any turnovers against the Joe Flacco-led Cincinnati Bengals, and they allowed 33 points. That won’t cut it against the Packers. The Steelers’ defense will need to bounce back. Hopefully, it forces turnovers like it did against the Packers two years ago.
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