Green Bay Packers v. Steelers: Instant Takeaways from Convincing Win

Outside of trailing after Pittsburgh’s first possession, the Green Bay Packers were in control of this game–as they should have been. With the win, the Packers move to 3-1 on the season.

Just as I do after every game, here are my instant takeaways from the Green Bay Packers performance.

– It was nice seeing more of AJ Dillon this week. As good as Aaron Jones is, and you certainly want to get him his share of touches, Dillon came into this game with just 19 total touches through three games.

– Overall, the distribution was more equal. After leaning heavily on Jones and Davante Adams last week, Dillon, Randall Cobb, Allen Lazard, and Robert Tonyan all had more opportunities.

– Cobb came into the game with only five receptions, and he matched that today, once again being a big threat on third downs. If you were wondering who was going to step up in Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s absence, it looks like we have our answer.

– Overall, this was another very good performance from a young offensive line, and they did so against a stout Pittsburgh pass rush. Also, credit to Yosh Nijman for his performance in only his second career start.

– We barely heard TJ Watt’s name called today. However, we heard and saw Melvin Ingram a fair amount.

– With Krys Barnes sidelined, we saw Burks take quite a few more snaps next to Campbell than Summers.

– Against a Pittsburgh offense that has averaged only 3.2 yards per rush this season, they were able to find a little more success today against Green Bay with 3.9 yards per rush. I’m also going to guess that the Packers pressure numbers aren’t going to be gaudy, but a lot of that is Roethlisberger getting the ball out of his hands quickly. With that said, in obvious passing situations, this Steelers OL stood no chance.

– Speaking of Big Ben, he completed a rare touchdown pass on Jaire Alexander but missed a pair of deep passes to JuJu Smith-Schuster that could have gone for scores.

– And while we are discussing JuJu, I was concerned about him matching up with Chandon Sullivan from the slot in this game.

– Let’s hope that Jaire Alexander’s injury is not long-term. Obviously, we all know how good of a player he is and how important he is, but this is also a very thin cornerback room.

– Najee Harris had 19 targets in Week 3, and with Chase Claypool sidelined, I thought he would play a much larger role in the passing game than what he did.

– It’s been a rough start to the year for Kingsley Keke, but he had a nice pass rush rep and forced the fumble on Roethlisberger. Hopefully, he can build off of that because someone needs to consistently step up next to Kenny Clark.

– Fortunately, Preston Smith was able to come back after missing some snaps, but it was a quick reminder that this Green Bay Packers edge rusher unit could use some veteran depth.

– Something to watch on Packer field goal attempts is the opponent loading up the right side. The 49ers did it last week on the game-winner and nearly blocked the kick. Today Pittsburgh did the same and made a block that was called back due to a penalty. Maurice Drayton needs to find a remedy for this because right now, Robert Tonyan is tasked with blocking two players.

– Corey Bojorquez. I say this weekly, but the Green Bay Packers have a punter.

– Green Bay was incredibly efficient on third downs. They also controlled the clock.

– Rodgers and Adams were a bit quieter than what they have been the last two weeks, but still very effective. Rodgers was 20/36 for 248 yards and two touchdowns. Adams had six receptions for 64 yards.

– There were a few times that the offense got away from the run, but for the most part, they stuck with it, wearing down this Steelers defense over the course of the game and helping to open up the passing game as well.

– Not just today but throughout the season we’ve seen a lot less dime under Joe Barry than what we did under Mike Pettine. And I, for one, am quite happy about that.

– The Green Bay Packers won the toss and deferred, and because of that, they were able to control the clock going into and coming out of halftime while making a pair of field goals. However, I think they should be aggressive and play to the strength of their team, which is the offense. Take the ball and go score.

– This Steelers defense has been one of the better units in the red zone this season and they held the Packers to just two touchdowns on their four appearances.

– I’ll have to take a closer look upon the rewatch, but I don’t recall seeing as much of TJ Slaton as I thought we would with Tyler Lancaster out.

– Especially early on, Roethlisberger was avoiding Alexander and going at Eric Stokes, who again held up well — although he did miss tackle or two — and came away with an interception late.

– De’Vondre Campbell is still all over the place, and Kenny Clark continues to just bully blockers. These have been two constants on the defensive side of the ball this season.