Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Green Bay Packers (10/3/21): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)
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Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Green Bay Packers Matchup Preview (10/3/21)
The Steelers suffered a pretty shocking home loss to the Bengals. They are dealing with more injuries than possibly any team in the NFL at the moment, and a lack of preparation showed as they only scored 10 points against a beatable Cincinnati defense. It seems like forever ago that we were discussing Pittsburgh as a dark horse Super Bowl team following their impressive Week 1 win over the Bills. Meanwhile, the Packers have recovered exceptionally well from their Week 1 blowout loss to the Saints and are coming off a stirring road win over the 49ers in their home opener. Aaron Rodgers is back on track after winning the MVP last season, while Ben Roethlisberger looks the worst he has, perhaps at any point in his career. These two teams are a lesson in not over-reacting to Week 1 results and are trending in opposite directions.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Green Bay Packers Betting Odds
Public money will hammer the Packers on the road in this game, and it’s hard to argue. The Steelers are dealing with a brutal injury situation and will likely be without several key players again this week. Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers can take advantage of a secondary that is full of holes at the moment. Even though the total of 45.5 points is among the lower totals on the week, I don’t have a lot of faith in the Steelers being able to generate offense on the road in a hostile atmosphere, and the Packers will likely be content to control possession and not run the score up. Still, the total has gone over in six of Green Bay’s last seven games, so I lean slightly towards the over.
My predictions: Packers win 30-17, Packers cover, over 45.5 points
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TV Schedule
Date: Sunday, October 3rd
Time: 4:25 PM ET
Location: Lambeau Field – Green Bay, WI
TV Coverage: CBS
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Green Bay Packers Live Stream
Where can you watch Steelers vs. Packers online? You can stream this game and many other NFL games live online with Hulu. Hulu has a 7 Day free trial and is cheaper than cable options at $5.99/month. Watch Steelers vs. Packers Free Online Now.
Injuries
Pittsburgh Steelers: WR Chase Claypool (hamstring) Q, C Kendrick Green (knee) Q, OT Chukwuma Okorafor (concussion) O, OT Rashaad Coward (ankle) O, DE Tyson Alalu (ankle) IR, DE Stephon Tuitt (undisclosed) IR, OT Zach Banner (knee – ACL) IR
Green Bay Packers: OT Elgton Jenkins (ankle) D, CB Kevin King (illness) D, WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling (hamstring) O, OLB Za’Darius Smith (back) IR, OT David Bakhtiari (knee – ACL) PUP
Pittsburgh Steelers Analysis
I don’t want to flame Ben Roethlisberger too hard, but the 39-year-old quarterback is washed. It’s just as simple as that. He has a passer rating of just 79.1 so far, lower than Davis Mills, Carson Wentz, and Andy Dalton, and has thrown for as many interceptions as touchdowns (3). Particularly damning for me has been Roethlisberger’s passer rating under pressure of just 20.1 – he’s completed just 41.7% of his passes and thrown three interceptions under pressure per PFF. With one of the worst pass-blocking offensive lines in the NFL, Roethlisberger is not going to see cleaner pockets anytime soon, and his inability to make good decisions with the pass-rush bearing down on him is very concerning for this team.
Pittsburgh’s offensive line has not fared much better against the run as they rank last in adjusted line yards per Football Outsiders. Najee Harris hasn’t stood much of a chance, and he has registered just 40 carries for 123 yards so far this season. That’s a putrid YPC rate of 3.1. He made waves last week with 14 catches for 102 yards, the most catches by a running back in Steelers history, and he could be a big part of the passing game again this week with Diontae Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster injured. With those two wideouts injured, Chase Claypool capitalized with his best game of the season and caught nine balls for 96 yards. However, he will likely see a lot of lockdown cornerback Jaire Alexander in this game.
The calling card for the Steelers last season was their defense, but the defense hasn’t been as good this season as they rank just 18th in defensive DVOA per Football Outsiders. Injuries to T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith rendered the pass rush ineffective last week, particularly in combination with Tyson Alalu and Stephon Tuitt’s extended stays on Injured Reserve. The Steelers only registered three total pressures on Joe Burrow the previous week, which was shocking given the state of the Bengals’ offensive line. Pittsburgh’s back-end coverage has suffered from the lack of pass-rush, and Joe Burrow completed 77.8% of his passes against them last week.
Pittsburgh Steelers Depth Chart
QB: Ben Roethlisberger
RB1: Najee Harris
RB2: Benny Snell Jr.
WR1: Diontae Johnson
WR2: JuJu Smith-Schuster
WR3: Chase Claypool
TE1: Eric Ebron
TE2: Pat Friermuth
Green Bay Packers Analysis
Aaron Rodgers took advantage of a banged-up San Francisco secondary last week as he completed 69.7% of his passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns. After a putrid effort in Week 1 against the Saints, Rodgers has had two excellent straight games with six touchdowns and no interceptions. His outstanding play should continue against a banged-up Pittsburgh defense. Green Bay missed two offensive tackles in David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins last week, but the O-line held up well in pass protection as Rodgers got rid of the ball quickly. The Packers allowed only six pressures, an impressively low number considering they were facing the likes of Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead.
Davante Adams will remember Week 3 for the crushing helmet-to-helmet hit he took late in the game that absolutely should have been a penalty. However, he overcame a slow start to the season and finished with his best stat line with 12 catches for 132 yards and a touchdown. Rodgers didn’t need the services of any other pass-catchers as nobody else on the team had more than three catches. This week’s game will feature a heavy dose of Adams again, and Pittsburgh doesn’t have anyone to slow him down. Aaron Jones will likely have another solid game, although Pittsburgh does rank 8th in the NFL in rushing defense DVOA per Football Outsiders.
Green Bay’s defense hasn’t been anything special, and they rank just 26th in defensive DVOA per Football Outsiders. However, they have talent where it matters most against the Steelers. Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, and Kenny Clark provide more than enough pass-rush against one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. At the same time, Jaire Alexander will make Chase Claypool’s life very difficult on the perimeter, particularly if the team lacks a full complement of pass-catchers. De’Vondre Campbell has been an excellent addition as a run-stopping inside linebacker, as well, and he’ll help to shut down Najee Harris on the ground.
Green Bay Packers Depth Chart
QB: Aaron Rodgers
RB1: Aaron Jones
RB2: A.J. Dillon
WR1: Davante Adams
WR2: Marquez Valdes-Scantling
WR3: Randall Cobb
TE1: Robert Tonyan
TE2: Marcedes Lewis
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Green Bay Packers Daily Fantasy Picks
I have such little faith in the Steelers’ offense right now that I’m avoiding all of their players in DFS. I wouldn’t even play Chase Claypool if Johnson and Smith-Schuster cannot play, given the tough matchup against Jaire Alexander. Najee Harris is a fine play at his price point, especially given his role in the passing game, but the upside isn’t elite. On the Green Bay side, Davante Adams should be a terrific play in a good matchup. While the Steelers have a good rushing defense, Aaron Jones should capitalize on the positive game script with substantial running volume and perhaps another touchdown.
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