It’s just another game. Well, it is to the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. At least that’s what they’ll tell you.

"We're playing the Pittsburgh Steelers, who happen to have Aaron Rodgers," Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told the media this week ahead of his team’s game in Pittsburgh on Sunday night. "It's as simple as that. … It's about the Green Bay Packers versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. That's for you guys to talk about, all those other storylines."

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said of Rodgers this week, “I imagine some external things are going to make more out of it than it is for him. He’s playing and playing to win. That’s what he does. That’s kind of my perspective on it.”

But to fans, it’s a little more. 

I remember watching Brett Favre step onto the field in purple against the Packers for the first time, and I watched with disdain. Disdain for how it ended with the ridiculous public standoff after he “un-retired.” Disdain for the fact he changed his mind after all the attention he commanded in several years of his “will he/won’t he?” game. Disdain that he was a Minnesota Viking, period.

And then he and the Vikings took down the Packers and first-year starter Aaron Rodgers, 30-23, tossing three touchdown passes in the process. For fans, it felt personal. And yet there are countless incredible Favre memories when he was wearing the Green and Gold to ease the sting.

Sunday night’s showdown against a Rodgers-led Steelers team won’t feel quite the same, but Rodgers did stir his own share of drama and frustration during his final few seasons in Green and Gold. Many fans have written him off as a diva. Others seem to wish he was still a Packer. For his part, and to his credit, Rodgers has publicly maintained his respect for the franchise that drafted him, and said he does not view Sunday’s matchup as a “revenge game.”

Whichever side of the Rodgers divide you land on, the truth is that, much like Favre before him, he was one of the greatest players to ever pull on that G-emblazoned gold helmet. But even if you still look at Rodgers with hearts in your eyes, you also are still looking for a Packers win on Sunday. 

And if Rodgers carves up his old team, it won’t surprise me. Even if he has no animosity toward the Green Bay franchise, it’s the only team he has never beaten. He’ll be driven.

The front four has to make him uncomfortable, lest he shred the defense via the skies. And getting to Rodgers isn’t going to be easy, even if Pittsburgh doesn’t put a scary offensive line on the field on Sundays. 

The unit was ranked outside the Top 20 by Pro Football Focus entering the season. Currently, right tackle Troy Fauntanu carries an overall 57.9 PFF grade, or 74th out of 116, although his pass block grade is a bit higher at 60.8 (62nd). And left tackle Broderick Jones has a 51.3 overall grade (88th) and a 47.4 pass blocking grade (87th). Not great. Center Zach Frazier, however, is good enough to keep the center of the pocket pretty clean.

Micah Parsons still has Aaron Rodgers’ No. 12 jersey in his man cave. He thought Rodgers was joking when he wanted to swap in 2022.

“He’s become one of my favorite players just because of that moment.”

Story on a new and old Packer ahead of Sunday night: https://t.co/tExgTmapSI pic.twitter.com/DvyiYO1I9J

— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) October 22, 2025

I do believe the Green Bay pass rush will pressure the old man and at least get a couple of hits on him. But he gets the ball out so quickly, and he’s still mobile enough, that it’s going to be tough to sack him, especially when employing a four-man rush. And that’s even with Micah Parsons on the field. (Hey, at least maybe they will trade jerseys again.) 

Regardless, I look for both teams to come out slinging it. I could see it being a high-scoring, whoever-has-the-ball-last situation like we saw in Dallas. Keeping the Steelers’ offense in longer down and distance situations can only help the pass rush, but if the Pittsburgh gameplan is to dink and dunk their way down the field, it could be a long afternoon for the Packers.

Whatever the outcome, it promises to be a memorable night for Packers fans around the globe, even if the coaches and players are downplaying it. And it will likely be the one and only time the Packers take on the former face of the franchise in Rodgers. That in itself makes it more than just another game.