Sunday’s visit to Pittsburgh ended in another loss for the Green Bay Packers, who fall to 3-6 on the season. Matt LaFleur’s team had several opportunities late to take the lead or at least put themselves in a better position, but the offense failed to do so.
As always, here are my instant takeaways from the Packers performance:
— That blocked extra point the Packers allowed ended up being a huge factor in this game. Prior to both Jordan Love interceptions in the fourth quarter, Green Bay was well within field range. Down four, instead of three, the Packers had to go for touchdowns.
— Not all losses are created equal—especially in an evaluation season. Yes, it’s another loss, but from a process standpoint, overall, the Packers should be encouraged by what they saw from Jordan Love. His numbers on the stat sheet won’t jump off the page, but he was able to connect on some intermediate and downfield passes. From a process standpoint, there was a lot to like and he came up with some big throws on third and fourth downs, not to mention that he and the offense responded well after being down early.
— Against one of the most productive front-sevens in football in terms of getting after the quarterback, the Green Bay Packers offensive line had another strong performance. Zach Tom held his own against TJ Watt, and for the most part, Jordan Love had the time he needed in the pocket.
— This Steelers defense is really good at keeping points off the board and the Packers experienced that, going just 1-for-4 in the red zone. Love had the opportunity to put together another game winning drive, but it again ended in an interception, on a throw that probably shouldn’t have been made. Patrick Peterson was positioned very well and all over Christian Watson.
— Drops were again an issue for the Packers receivers and running backs in the passing game. Some missed contested catch opportunities as well.
— We saw the Packers trying to push the ball downfield more in this game. For one, Love did a better job of just letting it rip—something Matt LaFleur wanted him to emphasize. And two, the strength of this Pittsburgh defense is the front-seven, so Green Bay attacked their cornerbacks and the safety position that was without Minkah Fitzpatrick. Outside of cornerback Joey Porter, this is a Steelers cornerback group that has been picked on this season. It was also what the matchup dictated with Pittsburgh crowding the line of scrimmage.
— Corey Ballentine got the start at cornerback in Jaire Alexander’s absence. You could tell there were times when the Steelers were trying to go at him, and they found some success, but Ballentine did a good job of contesting the passes that came his way.
— After a pair of strong performances against the run, the Green Bay run defense was Swiss cheese again this week, and this is a Pittsburgh defense that came into the game averaging just 3.7 yards per rush. The Steelers averaged just under 6.0 yards per carry as a team. The Packers inability to stop the run kept Pittsburgh ahead of the sticks and in control.
— Where the defense did find some success was when they were able to put the Steelers in second and third-and-long situations, it put the onus on the Pittsburgh passing game, which averaged just over 5.0 yards per attempt and was fairly unproductive. This was a big reason why the Packers defense was so good on third downs today. Pittsburgh was just 3-for-11.
— Also a contributor to the defense’s early woes were penalties in key situations. Pass interference on third down extended the Steelers opening drive. A defensive hold turned third-and-10 into a first down and illegal contact negated a sack.
— Too many missed tackles by the defense. They had been better as of late in that regard but took a step back today.
— I wrote last week why it would make sense to give Sean Rhyan an opportunity to start, but also why I didn’t think that would happen. With that said, Jon Runyan had another inconsistent day. It’s something the Packers should explore.
— As Keisean Nixon gets more kick return opportunities with the weather turning, he and the kick return unit have been much more effective. He now has two returns of 50-plus yards in the last two games.
— Outside of a 40-yard run by AJ Dillon, the run game struggled to get going. However, the Packers were effective enough to generate some positive plays – three or four yard gains is all it takes to feel the full effects of the run game – and they stuck with it throughout the game, despite there not being huge chunk plays.
— Two more explosive pass plays for tight end Luke Musgrave. Love and him struggled to connect on those passes or even have the opportunity to do so for a large portion of the season, but that is now four in the last two games.
— Pittsburgh entered the game third in turnover differential. The Packers were 1-3 in games in which they lost the turnover battle. Green Bay’s lone turnover didn’t come until late in the game, but it ended up being the deciding factor.
— The Packers are still looking for consistency from Jayden Reed, but all season he has shown that big play potential.
— The Jordan Love to Christian Watson connection just isn’t working and it’s difficult to envision this offense finding consistent success until it does.