I listened to the game from Roncesvalles, Spain, in the Pyrenees Mountains. There is a lot of history here, going back to 778 in this vicinity. Roncesvalles (known as Orreaga in Basque) has been a waypoint on the Camino Francés (French Way), the most popular route of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, for over 1,200 years—since at least the 9th century.
Its role evolved from a strategic mountain pass tracing the 778 Battle of Roncesvalles, where Charlemagne’s rearguard, led by Roland, was overwhelmed, to a stopping point for pilgrims trekking on a holy walk. The hotel I am staying at is in a building dating back to the 1600s.
Unfortunately, after watching some replays since I could not watch the game live, it seems like the 2025 Steelers are building a history of their own, and not in a good way.
Lack of Defense
The Steelers have given up over 30 points in four of their first seven games. Several teams in the Steelers’ worst decade in the 1960s matched that feat. The defense bottled up the run. But the Green Bay Packers never committed to the run. Just quick passes where receivers exploited poor tackling for plenty of yards after catches.
Still, the Steelers held a 16-7 first-half lead. But a play on third down on the Packers’ first second-half possession broke the team. Jordan Love threw a desperation pass under heavy pressure. The ball fluttered high in the air. Tyler Kraft pushed off a defender with two hands to create separation for a 59-yard reception. DeShon Elliott came down awkwardly, injuring his knee. The Steelers never recovered from this loss in the defensive backfield.
Prior to this, the defense had held on several third downs against the NFL’s most efficient team on third down. But the Packers adjusted and cruised in the second half. At one point, Love completed 20 straight passes. Kraft is a good tight end. But he is not an athletic freak. He ran a pedestrian 4.69 40 in the combine. Yet Steelers defensive backs were always a step or two behind him. The Steelers invested heavily in veteran defensive backs: Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, Juan Thornhill, Jabrill Peppers, and Chuck Clark. That group has one interception by Ramsey among them. The defense has gone three straight games without a takeaway. Right now, the experiment is failing.
Atrocious NFL Officiating
I am not blaming the atrocious NFL officiating on the Steelers’ loss. But it certainly did not help. My opinion is that officiating has gotten worse even as the NFL adds more reviews and technology. Frankly, I wouldn’t watch the NFL if Pittsburgh didn’t have a team. It’s getting as bad as the NBA, which was just hit with a series of arrests involving sports betting. Some people may recall that the NBA had a game-fixing scandal a few years back involving a referee back in 2007.
The NFL officiating sham continues. @NFLoperations but I remain a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. #HereWeGo NFL stops Steelers opening drive with an obvious offside.
— Beaver Falls Hosiery (@subBurgher) October 27, 2025
The officials in this game could have caused as much as a 14-point swing. First was the obvious offside on the Steelers’ first drive of the second half with a 16-7 lead. The lack of a flag on such an obvious offside was confounding. Aaron Rodgers was visibly shocked as he thought they had a free play. Of course, a score was not guaranteed on this drive. But the Steelers had the momentum, and the no-call stopped any chance of a score.
🚨🚨INSANE🚨🚨
THE #PACKERS WERE CLEARLY OFFSIDES… AND THE REFS SOMEHOW DID NOT THROW A PENALTY FLAG.#Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers thought he had a free play and chucked it.
Rodgers was extremely angry with refs.
THE REFS STRIKE AGAIN.
pic.twitter.com/KaZF8sZqJs
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) October 27, 2025
Then, after the Steelers punted, Love threw the high, wobbly pass when Kraft pushed off to create separation. Instead of a third and long, Kraft had a 59-yard reception, and the Packers pulled within two points, 16-14, to start the second half. This was great to keep viewers interested. A 23-7 Steelers lead may have led to people switching the channel.
As the game progressed, Nick Herbig and DK Metcalf drew personal fouls, and the team lost composure on both sides of the ball.
This was not helped by the many visiting Packers fans who were loud and proud. Few teams have enough fans to take over Acrisure Stadium. I saw Buffalo and San Francisco do it in a home opener a few years back. I see some fans who attended bleating about season ticket holders selling to Packers fans. News Flash: When a season ticket holder resells their tickets on Ticketmaster or StubHub, they have no control over who buys the ticket. If you want more Steelers fans, buy the tickets and share them with your friends. But winning football is the one sure way to get more Steelers fans at home games.
Dive Deeper with Steelers Depot
For deeper game analysis, check these Steelers Depot staples:
Steelers Five Keys to Victory by Tom Mead
Steelers versus Packers Prediction by Alex Kozora
Recap Steelers versus Packers by Jake Brockhoff
Steelers versus Packers Winners and Losers by Alex Kozora
Positional Grades Steelers versus Packers by Josh Carney
Tom’s Ten Takes on Steelers versus Packers by Tom Mead
Listen: Kozora Recap and Analysis to Steelers versus Packers by Alex Kozora
Stats of the Weird Steelers versus Packers by Alex Kozora
Conclusion
The Steelers are in trouble. Aaron Rodgers and the offense are not enough to overcome a porous defense. The Steelers invested in veteran defensive backs, but the experiment is failing.
The Steelers blew another opportunity to take control of the AFC North. The Bengals lost to the Jets. Next up is the red-hot Indianapolis Colts. The Steelers’ heavy package may be impacted by Isaac Seumalo’s pectoral injury if Spencer Anderson must replace him at guard. Could we see Andrus Peat get his first snaps in a Steelers uniform?
The Steelers lost starting safety DeShon Elliott and run-stuffing defensive lineman Daniel Ekuale. A Steelers defense that is arguably worse than the Bengals’ and Ravens’ much-maligned defenses is even weaker coming out of this game—strap on your seatbelts. Here we go.
It’s going to take a lot of faith. Because right now there is not a lot of evidence the team is on an upward path.
Fan’s Song Pick
The Steelers gave us some hope. Then the team just fell apart. Here is Limbo Rock – how low can they go?
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