PACKERVILLE, U.S.A.: Packers at Steelers Preveiw

The Packers vs. Steelers Week 10 Preview is HERE.

Steelers look to keep pace in tightly contested AFC North as Green Bay visits

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

GREEN BAY (3-5) at PITTSBURGH (5-3)

DATE / TIME / TV: Sunday, 12:00 p.m. CST. CBS

SERIES RECORD: Packers lead 20-16.

LAST MEETING: Packers beat Steelers 27-17 on Oct. 3, 2021, in Green Bay.

LAST WEEK: Packers beat Rams 20-3; Steelers beat Tennessee 20-16.

PACKERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (24), RUSH (22), PASS (22), SCORING (20).

PACKERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (11), RUSH (23), PASS (9), SCORING (10).

STEELERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (29), RUSH (28), PASS (25), SCORING (29)

STEELERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (31), RUSH (25), PASS (29), SCORING (13)

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Packers minus-2; Steelers plus-8.

The Kenny Pickett the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted - the swaggy, sublimely confident and ultra-competitive quarterback who practically willed the University of Pittsburgh to an ACC title two years ago — is not always the Kenny Pickett that takes the field. Not yet anyway. More than a full season into Pickett's career as an NFL starter, he remains very much a work in progress. At least during the game's first three quarters, when consistency, accuracy and rhythm seem elusive.

Things change over the final 15 minutes. The happy feet he sometimes displays in the pocket calm. The touch that can temporarily abandon him returns. And his quarterback rating — and the results — skyrocket. “He’s awesome in the fourth quarter,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “Man, he rises up in those moments.”

The key for Pittsburgh (5-3) if it wants to stay in the middle of the hotly contested AFC North race is finding a way to have whatever magic Pickett summons in the final frame expand to the first three quarters. He'll get another chance Sunday when Green Bay (3-5) visits Acrisure Stadium. “It’s consistency,” Pickett said. “We’ve shown that we can do it, but we don’t do it consistently through those quarters where the lead could’ve been much greater heading into that fourth, where we didn’t have to win it in the fourth.”

Not that it has mattered. Four of Pittsburgh's five victories this season have come in games it has trailed heading into the fourth. Yet the Steelers keep finding a way to survive when things get tight thanks to one of the most opportunistic defenses in the league and a quarterback who only truly looks like a franchise cornerstone when he absolutely has to. It beats the alternative. “As long as you find ways to win, that’s all that matters,” Pickett said.

The same goes for Green Bay first-year starter Jordan Love, who rebounded from five largely listless performances by throwing for 228 yards with a touchdown and no picks against the Rams last Sunday. Like Pickett, Love oversees an offense that has trouble getting going. Unlike Pickett, however, Love has often been a factor in his team's struggles. The win over Los Angeles was Love's first game without an interception since Week 2. And now he faces a defense that is third in the NFL in takeaways (16). “They do a good job of creating some chaos and getting those turnovers and that’s the key for us is to not let that happen in this game,” Love said.

PICKENS' PLIGHT

Steelers wide receiver George Pickens downplayed the idea that he was frustratedafter beating Tennessee, even though cameras caught him seemingly sulking after teammate Diontae Johnson's go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. Maybe, but there's little doubt Pickens wants to be more involved after being limited to three catches for 21 yards over the last two games after averaging 4.5 receptions for 82.5 yards over Pittsburgh's first six contests. “He’s an unbelievable player,” Pickett said. “Moving him around, having him do some different things, not being a sitting target where they can count on him being in one place is a start.”

RELYING ON ROOKIES

With the NFL’s youngest roster, the Packers have been relying quite a bit on their rookie class. Those rookies will try to build on the momentum they established against the Rams. Tight end Luke Musgrave scored his first career touchdown and Anthony Johnson Jr. got his first interception in that game. Carrington Valentine had three passes defensed, and defensive lineman Karl Brooks had two more. Anders Carlson went 2 of 3 on field-goal attempts. Lukas Van Ness had a tackle for loss. Dontayvion Wicks lost a fumble, but also had four catches for 49 yards. Emanuel Wilson had a 31-yard run. Jayden Reed had just three catches for 19 yards in that game, but he has a team-high 333 yards receiving this season.

HANDLING THE RUN

Run defense has been one of Green Bay’s biggest weaknesses throughout Matt LaFleur’s five-year coaching tenure, but the Packers have stepped up in that regard the last couple of weeks. The Packers gave up just 62 yards on 31 carries in a 24-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 29. They followed that up by allowing 68 yards on 26 carries in their victory over the Rams.

CANADA ON THE MOVE

Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Matt Canada will be on the sideline for a second straight game. The club moved Canada from the coach's box in an effort to provide Canada with a different perspective and allow for more collaboration. The early results were promising. The Steelers ran for a season-high 166 yards and scored an opening-drive touchdown for the first time this season. “The reviews were positive,” Tomlin said. “And so, we’ll continue to work in that area. And we’ll probably continue to turn other things over in an effort to continue to improve.”

PACKERS PLAYER TO WATCH

RB Aaron Jones. Now that Jones is finally getting a little healthier after missing three games with a hamstring injury, it’s apparent how much of a difference he makes to Green Bay’s offense. Jones ran for 73 yards to lead a 183-yard rushing attack in the Packers victory over the Rams, which snapped a four-game skid. The Packers had a season high in total yards (391) and time of possession (35:16) in that game.

STEELERS PLAYER TO WATCH

WR George Pickens. The talented but mercurial Pickens raised some eyebrows — outside the locker room anyway — with actions on and off the field after the win over Tennessee. The Steelers say they need to get Pickens the ball more after he had just three receptions over the past two games after the 22-year-old struggled to hide his frustration against the Titans. Expect QB Kenny Pickett to look Pickens’ way early in hopes of creating some good vibes and giving Pickens’ confidence a boost.

KEY MATCHUP

Green Bay’s offensive line against Steelers edge rushers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. The best pass rush tandem in the league could feast against a Packers front that allowed four sacks to Aaron Donald and company last week. Pittsburgh’s straightest path to victory all season has been to let Watt and Highsmith cook. If Green Bay can’t protect QB Jordan Love, it could be a long afternoon for the first-year starter.

KEY INJURIES

Packers CB Eric Stokes (hamstring) and S Darnell Savage (calf) are on injured reserve and must miss at least two more games. Packers CB Jaire Alexander (shoulder), LT Yosh Nijman (back), RG Jon Runyan (neck) and LB Quay Walker (groin) didn’t practice Wednesday. Walker’s injury kept him from playing against the Rams… The Steelers are hoping All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (hamstring) will be good to go after he sat out last week’s win over Tennessee. DT Montravius Adams (ankle) did not practice early in the week. DT Cam Heyward (groin) and LB Elandon Roberts (knee) were limited but are expected to play.

SERIES NOTES

These two teams have split their past four meetings, the most recent one being a Packers 27-17 victory at Lambeau Field in 2021. That’s the lone previous head coaching matchup between Green Bay’s Matt LaFleur and Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin… The Steelers have won their past five home matchups with Green Bay. The Packers haven’t beaten the Steelers in Pittsburgh since a 20-12 triumph in 1970. They haven’t faced each other in Pittsburgh since 2017, when the Steelers won 31-28… The Packers earned their most recent Super Bowl title by beating the Steelers 31-25 in Arlington, Texas, on Feb. 6, 2011. Including that Super Bowl matchup, six of the past eight Steelers-Packers meetings have been decided by seven points or fewer.

STATS AND STUFF

Green Bay ended a four-game losing streak with last week’s win over the injury-depleted Rams. Pittsburgh has won three of four to stay in the mix in the highly competitive AFC North… The Packers had failed to score a first-half touchdown in five straight games before breaking through in the second quarter of the Rams game… The Packers have allowed 159 points so far, the lowest total they’ve given up through the first eight games of a season since 2010… Green Bay has given up a total of 130 yards rushing on 57 carries over its past two games, just 2.3 yards per attempt… Packers QB Jordan Love completed a career-high 76.9% of his passes against the Rams… The Packers are averaging an NFL-low 4.5 points in the first half of games and a league-high 15.5 points in the second half of games… Packers TE Luke Musgrave scored his first career touchdown and Packers S Anthony Johnson Jr. had his first career interception in the Rams game. CB Carrington Valentine had three passes defensed and DL Karl Brooks had two in that same game. All four players are rookies… Jones scored his 63rd career touchdown (45 rushing, 18 receiving) against the Rams to overtake Donald Driver and Paul Hornung for seventh place in Packers history… Packers WR Christian Watson has just one touchdown this season. He had nine (seven receiving, two rushing) as a rookie last year… The Steelers are the only team in NFL history to be outgained in each of their first eight games and post a winning record in the process… Pittsburgh’s running game took a significant step forward against the Titans, getting a season-high 166 yards as Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren were effective behind a line that featured rookie first-round pick Broderick Jones making his first start at right tackle… This is the final game of a three-game homestand for the Steelers, who will play five of their last eight on the road starting with trips to Cleveland and Cincinnati the next two weeks… Pittsburgh, like Green Bay, has struggled in the first quarter all season. Last week’s opening-drive touchdown was its first in a game Pickett started since last October… While Pickett has had issues over the first three quarters, he is one of the best quarterbacks in the league in the fourth with a quarterback rating of 108.0… Pittsburgh’s formula is to keep things tight and win it late. It’s working. The Steelers have won eight straight one-score games going back to last season and have come from behind in the fourth quarter in four of their five wins this season… Pittsburgh has thrived with extended rest. The Steelers are 17-8 the week after playing on Thursday night since 1970, the best winning percentage in the NFL… Including Super Bowl XLV, the Packers have scored 27 or more points in five straight games against the Steelers. That is tied for Green Bay's longest active such streak against any opponent with its current run against the Eagles (regular season and playoffs)… Green Bay had three different running backs (Aaron Jones, Emanuel Wilson, AJ Dillon) with at least 40 rushing yards in its 20-3 win over the Rams. Prior to Sunday, the Packers hadn't had three RBs do that in the same game since 1994 (Week 15 vs. Bears)… Luke Musgrave has made at least one catch in eight consecutive games for the Packers. That ties him with Bubba Franks for most consecutive games with a catch by a Packers tight end to start an NFL career… All five of the Steelers' wins this season have come by seven or fewer points. Since the beginning of the 2019 season, Pittsburgh has won 31 games by no more than seven points, which is the most in the NFL (second most is Kansas City, 28)… Kenny Pickett has 13 career touchdown passes on 619 career attempts. His touchdown percentage of 2.1% is the second lowest of any quarterback in NFL history with at least 600 attempts, besting only Gary Huff (2.0%), who played from 1973 to 1978… The Packers have scored 66 points in the third quarter of games this season, while allowing 32. The only NFL team with more third-quarter points this season is Miami (76).