Packers @ Steelers

[Vin+ 3,121]

http://hosted.stats.com/fb/preview.asp?g=20171126023&home=23&vis=9

 

(TSX / STATS) -- The Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in a classic Super Bowl to conclude the 2010 season.

 

Maybe Sunday night's game at Pittsburgh would have set the stage for a Super Bowl clash this year. Instead, the surging Steelers are two-touchdown favorites against the slumping Packers for this not-fit-for-primetime matchup between traditional powers.

 

Green Bay won four of its first five games before Aaron Rodgers' suffered a broken right collarbone in the first quarter of the Week 6 game at Minnesota. The Packers lost that game and are 1-3 in Brett Hundley's four starts. They lost 23-0 at home to Baltimore last week, which snapped the Packers' 175-game shutout-free streak, which was the fifth-longest in the league.

 

The Steelers, meanwhile, are winners of five in a row, including a 40-17 shellacking of Tennessee last Thursday night.

 

Offensively, Le'Veon Bell leads the NFL in rushing yards and Antonio Brown leads the NFL in receptions. Defensively, the Steelers rank second in the NFL in scoring while surrendering an average of 16.5 points.

 

This appears to be "Mission Impossible" for Green Bay. In the five games with Hundley, the Packers are averaging 13.4 points. During Pittsburgh's winning streak, it hasn't allowed more than 17 points. The Steelers rank second in the league with 34 sacks.

 

"When you go through the statistics, when you put the opponent up as we did on Tuesday with our offense, there's a lot of production," Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy said of Pittsburgh's defense. "There's a lot of production throughout their defense and especially their defensive front. That's a real tribute to not only what they're doing and how they're doing it but really to their personnel. This is an excellent, excellent opportunity for our offense."

 

And a huge challenge for Hundley, who ranks No. 34 in passer rating and owns two touchdowns vs. seven interceptions. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, however, is taking nothing for granted.

 

"I've been impressed that their offense hasn't been reduced in any way," he said. "They can change the pace on you, they spread you out, they personnel you. It speaks to their level of confidence in his preparedness. The play is the play, you know. Sometimes you play well, sometimes you don't but, when I watch the video, I'm just impressed with their level of confidence in him by what they ask him to do and the manner in which they function, which appears to be very normal."

 

The Packers are in ninth place in the NFC playoff race but can take solace in what they did last year, when they were 4-6 and losers of four in a row before running off eight consecutive wins to get to the NFC Championship Game.

 

That team, of course, had Rodgers at the controls. He'll be sidelined for at least the next three games. Still, at least there's some positive history.

 

"This is one game and we're focused on getting this game and getting a sixth game," McCarthy said. "Adversity experiences are all definitely things you can pay forward because you have to know what it feels like, you know what it looks like, you know what it smells like.

 

"At the end of the day, this is its own unique situation. I love the way our guys are working. I can't say enough about their work ethic, their prep. But we know it takes a lot more than that to win games."

 

That's a formula the Steelers have found since getting crushed at home by Jacksonville 30-9 in Week 5. They played their best game of the season in routing the Titans. Tennessee limited Bell to 46 yards on 12 carries -- the fourth consecutive game in which Bell has failed to average 4.0 yards per carry -- but quarterback Ben Roethlisberger made it pay by throwing for 299 yards and four touchdowns.

 

Green Bay's run defense has been superb the past three games. If those trends continue, it will be up to Roethlisberger to move the offense again.

 

"We have to be able to ring up the scoreboard and get yards in chunks by any and every means," Tomlin said. "Sometimes we're going to step into the stadium and people are going to be committed to minimizing our passing game. And we've got to take that running game when it's given to us, and vice versa."

 

Coming off their mini-bye, Pittsburgh listed only five players on its injury report. Cornerback Joe Haden (fibula) and receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday.

 

Green Bay's injury report was filled with 12 players, with outside linebacker Clay Matthews (groin), defensive tackle Kenny Clark (ankle) and running backs Aaron Jones (knee) and Ty Montgomery (ribs) not participating to start the week.

 

 

Edited November 26, 2017 by Vin

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

I don't even want to watch this

[BC 331]

Was so looking forward to Ben vs Rodgers. Too bad. Steelers roll.

 

34

12

[Packers Dynasty 2010 116]

Well, a hell of a lot closer than anyone was thinking and the Packers had a legit shot at winning.

 

McCarthy made some really stupid decisions at times and probably cost the game. Not even trying to move the ball downfield at the end of the 1st half with 3 TOs and plenty of time was beyond stupid. The first call was good and after Williams got the 1st, should have tried moving it. Nope. Then what the fuck was he thinking with the 57yd FG, huge momentum turner right there. Then after the Steelers tie the game, we try a TE screen to Rodgers? Really? I like Rodgers but the dude is slow and that screen would have gone nowhere even if he caught it. After the Bell fumble, 3 straight pass plays?

 

Overall, I'm happy with how Hundley and the offense played. Although it's frustrating how he just freezes when pressured at times. Didn't see him run backwards at all though so that's an improvement. Probably should have got the helmet to helmet call, it was clear as day and he was still in the pocket. But oh well, probably would have just forced OT cause McCarthy has no balls.

 

Was interesting to see House being benched after giving up the TD to Brown as we rolled with Hawkins, an UDFA, out there. Not sure if I agree with allowing an injured King cover Brown at such crucial times. I know Green Bay doesn't have DBs follow guys but at a crucial time like that, you have to put your best guys on him.

 

Packers still have a shot if they can win out, have 2 very winnable games up next then a critical game in Carolina.

 

On a sidenote, Ted needs to pay Davante. I don't want him testing the FA waters at all. Even if it means having $30+ mill tied up in receivers next season, he has became our #1 guy and its crucial to keep him around.

Edited November 27, 2017 by Packers Dynasty 2010

[BC 331]

JAMAAL WILLIAMS

[SteVo+ 3,702]

So, even though they lost, this has to be some kind of momentum builder for the Packers, no? The way they fought toe-to-toe with one of the league's better teams, in Pittsburgh...could this get something going?

 

I know it's a long shot, but Green Bay's next two games are against the Bucs and Browns. Consecutive wins would put them at 7-6, and if Rodgers comes back, maybe they have something. I mention Rodgers because their final three games are @Carolina, Minnesota, @Detroit, and I don't see many W's there with Hundley.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Yeah, Hundley played a lot better, which is nice. But ya he still has those moments of just being a deer in the headlights. I dont know if he can mentally handle the kid of being an NFL starter. But if defenses dont throw much at him or he gets more time to sit there and dissect everything, he has the arm talent...

 

The problem is no matter how bad a defense, as a QB youre not going to stay clean and get these crisp easy reads every single snap. And if he doesnt have that, its the first step for disaster.

 

No matter how well he plays, it only takes a handful of bad decisions, which he will make that will cost us.

 

With that said, our secondary and pass rush need so much help.

[Sarge+ 3,436]

Hundley still looked pretty meh overall when we weren't leaving guys open by 2-3 yards. lol

[Packers Dynasty 2010 116]

Hundley had some nice throws, the TD throw to Adams was placed perfectly and the drive to tie the game towards the end was done really well. He read the rpo to Nelson well on the 3rd down and then placed the ball in the right spot for Adams on that 4th down.

 

As for the defense, the secondary could be better but it doesn't help that there is no passrush at all. Our only sack was a coverage sack from Ben holding onto the ball for 5 seconds or so. Need a new passrusher and for Perry to not be playing one handed. Or perhaps a different DC that can figure a way to blitz without making it seem so obvious that a high school QB can read it.

Edited November 27, 2017 by Packers Dynasty 2010

[BwareDWare94 723]

Rofl the tired refrain of "McCarthy lost us the game!" is exactly that. Tired. The Packers aren't very good and lost to a much better team that played down to them.

[Packers Dynasty 2010 116]

Rofl the tired refrain of "McCarthy lost us the game!" is exactly that. Tired. The Packers aren't very good and lost to a much better team that played down to them.

 

Okay, so the multiple stupid decisions he made have nothing to do with the Packers losing? The Packers have talent and you saw players out there making plays. Did the Steelers play down to us? Sure, but players still need to make plays. Isn't like Ben just threw it right in Randall's or Martinez's arms. Randall made a nice break on the ball to pick it off while Brooks tipped the ball perfectly for Martinez to pick it off. Adams was out there beating guys in coverage. The Packers could have won the game if it wasn't for some stupid decisions. All 3 timeouts and about a minute and half before half and you're complacent with just going to half? Stupid fucking idea. As F4E says, McCarthy plays to not lose instead of playing to win. But then he goes and makes a stupid "ballsy" decision of kicking a 57yd FG when we were up by 7. Could have pinned them deep, instead they get the ball at midfield. McCarthy lost us the game, it's not a tired excuse or anything, it's a fact.

Edited November 27, 2017 by Packers Dynasty 2010

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

I think it's easy for Bware to say things like that when the Packers have an IR list twice as large as his teams.

I don't use injuries as an excuse, and I won't start now.. But just laying out facts, the Packers have used like 8 different starting Oline combinations in 11 games, we have Brett Hundley who had a 2:7 TD:INT ratio until yesterday, we've benched multiple starting corners throughout the season while Kevin King is playing hurt and rightfully so when it comes to pass rush, we have little to no talent.... Kevin King is hurt, House is benched, Randall left with a hamstring.. You know who that leaves at CB? UDFA Rookie Josh Hawkins.

We are playing a 3rd string RB (who wasn't half bad yesterday, btw)... I mean, the Packers are literally just a team of misfits trying to put something together halfway resembling a real squad. There just isn't any consistency -- and Mike McCarthy certainly doesn't help most of the time.

 

We need to be more creative on defense and we need players who can make a tackle, I see more missed tackles every week than I care to admit. And a little creativity on defense would be nice...

 

I wish the Packers could luck into a Case Keenum situation.. I wish the Packers could be one of the teams with the smallest IR and injury reports in the league for the year... I wish the Packers had a competent defensive coordinator.

They don't.. We have to work with it and everyone, including coaches, need to step up their game.

[Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014]

I was surprised we didn't lose this game. Exact type of games this frontrunner, chest-pounding, diva, Tomlin team shows up and just expects to have handed to them.