The Green Bay Packers had a showdown on Sunday Night Football against a familiar face in an unfamiliar jersey. For the first time since he left following the 2022 season, they played Aaron Rodgers in what was easily one of the most anticipated matchups of 2025.
It was hard not to think of Brett Favre playing for the Vikings in 2009. Still, there was something unique in just how strange and tense the Rodgers situation ended, and how the game would proceed on Sunday night.
Rodgers showed off some of his patented magic early, breaking out of the pocket on third down to hit a man deep downfield. Despite the long connection, the defensive line and Micah Parsons were able to get home on third down and make the Steelers offense settle for three.
The offense struck back quickly with Tucker Kraft, who had a monster night, finding paydirt to make it a 7-3 game. After a Brandon McManus 57-yard attempt came up short, the Steelers were able to add three more to make it a one-point game.
The Steelers hit another field goal to make it 9-7. After yet another offensive three-and-out, Rodgers would do what Rodgers did so many times in green and gold. He masterfully worked a four-minute drive, milking the clock before finding D.K. Metcalf in the end zone to make it 16-7.
Jordan Love responded by showcasing some of his own magic, building a 30-second drive that ended in another missed field goal to make it 16-7 at the half.
Much like last week, the Packers started to wake up in the second half, forcing a three-and-out from the Steelers and then scoring a touchdown through Savion Williams to make it a two-point game.
Rodgers would have something to say about that, leading the Steelers to yet another field goal, making it a 19-14 game.
Love and Co. would respond again with a highly efficient drive, capped by a Josh Jacobs touchdown run and two-point conversion to make it 22-19. The pass rush got to Rodgers, giving the offense the ball back. Kraft would record another touchdown reception to make it a 29-19 game.
The Packers offense would tack on three more for good measure, sealing the victory.
Here are five numbers to break down the game.
3
Green Bay’s offense struggled to get going in the first half, recording three three-and-outs. Given the matchup, most people would have expected this game to be a slog, and it was for Green Bay’s offense.
While the Packers had the impressive touchdown drive in the first quarter, most of their offensive drives stalled out and came to a grinding halt against Pittsburgh’s vaunted defense. The offense struggled to find balance early in the game again and looked a little too dependent on the passing attack. Jacobs had just five carries for 12 yards in the first half.
Love looked good on the two drives when the offense moved the ball, showcasing Kraft’s ability in space. Still, the lack of balance and struggle on the ground really hampered Green Bay’s ability to move the football consistently.
0/3
McManus has struggled from 40- to 49-yard range with kicks, going zero for three on those. Knowing the Steelers’ brand of football and their penchant for grinding out games, the Packers would need to take every chance they could get.
However, McManus didn’t comply, missing his first kick and having a 57-yard field goal fall about two yards short. McManus also messed up his redemption chance, sailing a 44-yard kick wide left. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh kicker Chris Boswell was three for three in the first half. The Packers would have been tied at halftime if McManus made his kicks.
Last week, replacement kicker Lucas Havrisik hit a franchise-record 61-yard field goal. If McManus continues to play poorly following his injury, Packers fans will continue to rue the kicker change.
2
It looks like the Packers have made an official change at cornerback, because Nate Hobbs only got two snaps in the first half today. Before the Parsons trade, Hobbs was the big addition to this defense that desperately needed cornerback help after they moved on from Jaire Alexander.
Hobbs has not lived up to his free-agent contract, struggling to cover his man over the past three weeks. That has led the Packers and Jeff Haffley to bring in Carrington Valentine to start.
Valentine played much better than Hobbs had in the past two weeks, recovering beautifully on a play where Metcalf seemed to have inside leverage. Valentine got his hand to the ball at just the right time to force an incompletion.
Given Green Bay’s significant investment in Hobbs, it will be interesting to see how they proceed with him moving forward.
131
Kraft was electric after the catch, recording 131 yards after the catch on National Tight Ends Day, the most in a game by any tight end in over seven seasons. In a game where the offense looked unable to get anything going early, Kraft was the exception, securing the ball and turning it upfield.
Kraft jump-started both of Green Bay’s first two touchdown drives. The first was a 33-yard reception, with 32 of the yards coming after the catch. Kraft capped that drive off with his first touchdown grab.
He showed how valuable he is later in the game, plucking a floating pass out of thin air and turning it upfield for a near 60-yard gain. Kraft would put the dagger in this game, scoring his second touchdown of the night to make it a two-score contest in the fourth quarter.
While the Packers may not have a clear-cut wide receiver one, they certainly have a No. 1 option in Kraft, a tight end who can do incredible things after the catch.
20
Love turned it on in this game, hitting a career-high 20 completions in a row, tying a franchise record. Brett Favre threw 20 completions in a row in 2007.
Before the fourth quarter, his last incompletion came in the second quarter when it was a 7-9 game. Love threw his next incompletion deep in the fourth quarter of a 29-19 game.
While Love has had the talent to make difficult throws, one thing that has consistently held him back is his ability to string together completions. Love looked hyper-efficient in the middle part of this game, hitting all his open targets while still managing to not compromise on his depth of target.
It really started on a play where Love was drilled from behind and managed to float up a ball that somehow ended up in the hands of tight end Kraft, who managed to use his aforementioned YAC skills to turn an intermediate gain into a long one.
Love was money all through the second half, hitting an incredible deep throw on the run, finding a newly returned Christian Watson 33 yards down the field. He managed to be both efficient and without compromising the style that makes him so fun to watch.
Love finished the game with over 350 yards passing and three passing touchdowns while keeping the ball out of harm’s way.