The Pittsburgh Steelers visit Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers on Thursday, August 16, 2018 in Week 2 of the 2018 NFL Preseason.
The Steelers finished the 2017-18 regular season tied for the best record in the league and as the top team in AFC North. However, their championship aspirations came to a screeching end after losing to the upstart Jacksonville Jaguars 42-45 in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
On the other hand, the Green Bay Packers missed the playoffs for the first time in this decade and had their first losing season since 2008. The Packers’ 7-9 record was only good for third spot in the NFC North.
Once known for their tough and solid defense, the Pittsburgh Steelers gave up 45 points in a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars during last season’s divisional playoffs. The loss prompted a change in the defensive line coach and the defensive backs coach as well. The Steelers also released defensive backs William Gay, Robert Golden and Mike Mitchell while hiring coaches Karl Dunbar and Tom Bradley.
The makeover did not end there. Pittsburgh also signed Indianapolis Colts linebacker Jon Bostic to a two-year $4M contract and Green Bay Packers safety Morgan Burnett to a three-year $14.5M contract which included a signing bonus of $4.25M. Bostic posted 97 total tackles for the Colts last season while Burnett had 68 total tackles in just 12 games for the Packers.
Ben Roethlisberger is still the Steelers #1 play caller but the battle to become his back-up has become a highly contested one between Mason Rudolph and Joshua Dobbs. Both quarterbacks played well during the Steelers’ win over the defending champion Eagles in Week 1 with Rudolph going 7-12 for 101 yards and Dobbs connecting on 9-13 passes for 91 yards including 1 touchdown and 1 interception as Pittsburgh won 31-14. The victory sets the tone for the new season and with that the Steelers are brimming with confidence heading to this contest.
Wide receiver Eli Rogers is still on the injured list and should miss this one. On the other hand, Antonio Brown has just resumed practicing this week following a quad injury and is also likely to miss this contest.
After losing Aaron Rodgers to injury last season, the Packers couldn’t get their season right, resulting in their first losing season since 2008 when they finished 6-10. The debacle led to changes not just in the management side but in their roster as well.
The Packers released wide receiver Jordy Nelson who had spent his entire 10 year NFL career with the Packers. Green Bay then brought tight end Jimmy Graham from the Seattle Seahawks. The 5-time Pro-Bowler signed a three year pact worth $30M. They also inked defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson to a one year deal and brought back cornerback Tramon Williams.
Like the Steelers, The Packers are also 1-0 in this preseason following a 31-17 win over the Titans in Week 1. During that game the Packers’ reserve quarterbacks did a splendid job of running the offense. Brett Hundley and Tim Boyle combined for a total of 238 passing yards with three touchdowns and one interception. DeShone Kizer also impressed for Green Bay as he converted 9 out of 18 passes for 134 yards although he had no touchdowns.
As for Rodgers, the Packers’ #1 quarterback is on track to be ready for Thursday’s game as he had began taking reps during the Packers’ practice on Monday. Rodgers hasn’t played in a preseason opener since 2015 but he usually makes his first appearance in Week 2 of the preseason, hence he is possible for this contest. But even if he is available, Rodgers isn’t expected to see much action because of his condition.
The Steelers have won five of the last seven, including four out of the last five, head to head meetings between these teams with Pittsburgh winning one out of the previous two at Lambeau Field. The Steelers have also just lost once in their last 5 preseason games.
The depth on the Steelers side is one of the best in the league. That depth was evident during the Steelers’ win over the defending Super Bowl champions Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1.Quarterback Rudolph Mason has an impressive NFL debut while Landry Jones went 4-4 with his passes.
On the other hand, the Packers’ defense is still on the mend with several injuries including linebacker Nick Perry and safety Kentrell Brice. Offensively, the Packers rely too much on Aaron Rodgers, who in most probability, won’t see much action in this preseason contest. As such, we’re going with the deeper team here. We’re picking the Pittsburgh Steelers to beat the Green Bay Packers on 8/16/18.
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