Rodgers reunion: Packers vs. Steelers preview

This Sunday, the Green Bay Packers will travel to Acrisure Stadium to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in a rematch of Super Bowl XLV.

The story of the night is certain to be centered around Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who spent his first 18 NFL seasons with the Packers. Rodgers won four MVP awards and a Super Bowl during his time in Green Bay, throwing a franchise record 495 touchdown passes along the way.

In his first matchup against his former club, Rodgers will have an opportunity to become just the fifth quarterback in league history to beat all 32 NFL teams, joining a club that only Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees are a part of.

Rodgers’ Steelers enter the contest with a 4-2 record, coming off a crushing defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals their last time out.

The California alum has found somewhat of a career resurgence in Pittsburgh. After a subpar tenure with the New York Jets, Rodgers has found better form in the Steel City. He's thrown for 1,270 yards and 14 touchdowns through his first six games as a Steeler.

His form is good, in fact, that it might be the best by a Steeler signal-caller since Ben Roethlisberger retired in 2021. When Rodgers reaches his 17th score through the air, he will have thrown for the most passing touchdowns by any Steeler quarterback since Big Ben hung up his cleats.

After a slow start, the Steelers’ rushing attack has picked up over the past few weeks. Jaylen Warren has rushed for 311 yards so far, though he hasn’t been able to find the end zone. His partner, Kenneth Gainwell, has only run for 190 yards, but has managed to score three times.

Surprisingly, the Steelers’ defense has been their downfall to begin the year. Teryl Austin’s unit has allowed the fifth-most yards per game in the league this season, although they’ve helped the team to a plus-5 turnover differential that ranks sixth-best.

The Packers sit at 4-1-1 on the year, last beating the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

Green Bay made the move of the offseason in August, when they traded for Cowboys star Micah Parsons. The Penn State product has been solid for the Pack, as he’s currently tied with teammate Rashan Gary and Washington Commanders pass-rusher Dorance Armstrong for sixth-most sacks leaguewide.

Quarterback Jordan Love will be reunited with Rodgers, whom he backed up during Rodgers’ final three seasons in Green Bay. Love’s experience as a Packer mirrors that of Rodgers, who spent his first three seasons as a professional backing up Favre.

Love has thrown for more yards than his former mentor this year, sitting at 1,438 on the season. He’s also added ten passing touchdowns and two interceptions to date.

Running back Josh Jacobs has rushed for an average of 414 yards through six games, but his eight rushing touchdowns rank second-most in the league.

Tucker Kraft, a tight end, has been Love’s most productive target so far, accumulating a team-leading 326 yards and four touchdowns. Receiver Romeo Doubs isn’t far behind Kraft, racking up 306 yards and an equal four touchdowns on the young season.

The most notable matchup between the two teams came in 2011, when Rodgers led the Packers to a 31-25 win over the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. Since that matchup, the Steelers have held a 3-1 series lead, with their most recent win over the Packers coming in their last meeting in 2023.

The Packers currently stand as a 3.5-point favorite over the Steelers, with ESPN’s Matchup Predictor giving Green Bay a 54.4% chance to win the evenly-matched meeting.

While the experts think Green Bay will pull this one off, Rodgers has already been on fire to start the season. In a primetime thriller, Rodgers will throw multiple passing touchdowns on his former team en route to a 27-24 Steelers victory.

Elliott Inscho is a first-year student studying digital and print journalism. To contact him, email eli5026@psu.edu