Time To Find Out What These Packers Are Made Of
Sunday's Primetime test in Pittsburgh begins a challenging 11-game stretch, and with it, a chance for these Packers to silence the doubters.
By Mark Ballard
It’s a weird time to be a Packers fan. The team sits atop the entire NFC. Through 6 football games, the Packers have lost only one – a game they dominated through three-and-a-half quarters. The Packers have a lineup loaded with exciting young talent, including an ascending quarterback and, very probably, the best defensive player on planet Earth.
Despite the impressive resume, much of the football media world and, if we’re being honest, a not-insignificant portion of the Packers world, continues to question this team. On ESPN’s Get Up, Rex Ryan said that he doesn’t trust Jordan Love. In The Athletic’s power rankings this week, the Packers were a disrespectful 7th. ESPN was even worse, ranking the Packers 8th. Disgraziata!
How to explain this disconnect? How can a 1-loss team, the top team in the NFC, be so doubted? The answer was best summarized by Mina Kimes and Sam Monson: The Packers haven’t exactly been bad – they’ve been frustrating.
In the first two games, the flashes of dominance and elite talent jumped off the screen. Following those inspiring performances, some in the locker room even wondered if this team might go undefeated. But those dreams crashed faster than the Cracker Barrel rebrand. The Packers lost their very next game, a giveaway in Cleveland. Then came a frustrating tie in Dallas, followed by a pair of less-than-convincing wins vs two sub-.500 opponents in Cincinnati and Arizona (both teams playing without their starting quarterbacks).
Xavier McKinney’s postgame comments following the Cardinals game reflected the disappointment – and even gave a warning for what’s ahead. “I don’t think we played really up to our standard as much,” McKinney said to USA Today’s Ryan Wood. "We’ll get back to the film room and find ways to be better, but we for damn sure can’t do this against good teams, because it’s not going to work. I think the guys know that. Yeah, we’re happy about the win, but we’ve got to be a lot better.”
Whatever these Packers are – or aren’t, is about to become clear. On Sunday night, the Packers face-off against Aaron Rodgers and the 4-2 Pittsburgh Steelers, a stiff road test with the whole country watching.
Much of Rodgers’ career has been defined by score-settling and chips on his shoulder. From his early days at Butte Community College, to his NFL Draft Day snub, to his falling out in Green Bay. Even his recent divorce from the Jets produced some patented Rodgers bitterness. Rodgers is a player who has, very effectively, turned every and any perceived slight into a virtual PED of motivation.
Having been cast aside from the team he loved most, and not long after two MVP seasons – you better believe Rodgers will be locked in more than ever Sunday night.
The psychological test in Pittsburgh is just the beginning. With an early bye week already in the rear view mirror, the Pittsburgh game begins a brutal 11-game gauntlet for the Packers. 6 of the games will be played on the road. 5 of the games will be divisional brawls. 3 of the games will be face offs against teams currently atop their division (Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Denver). The only 2 games vs teams with losing records are a road date with the upstart Giants and a home battle vs the always-dangerous Ravens.
Good teams are frequently born from adversity. They are battle-tested. Without a doubt, the Packers have some big battles ahead. With those battles comes an opportunity for this team to put all the speculation to rest, and to put the doubters out of business – go Pack go.
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Mark Ballard is an obsessive Green Bay Packers fan, born in Buffalo Bills country, but raised right by a Mom from Rice Lake, WI. You can find him on X at @ballark
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Comments (8)
Leatherhead
October 24, 2025 at 11:59 am
This would be a good game for the offense to explode for 30+. Pittsburgh's defense isn't exactly overwhelming (19th in points, 28th in yards), They're 31st in passing yards, which roughly translates to not being able to stop a sneeze.
So, Watson returns? Jacobs is healthy? Oline eats their Wheaties? We're in mid-season now, and it's time to start looking like we're in midseason form. Scoring 27 is pretty good, but we're leaving points on the field. Our defense is pretty good, but we're on the road against HOF QB and might not be able to hold them under 24.
It's time to elevate. It's time to look like you've had months of practices, exhibitions, and games. These presnap penalties are inexcusable at this point. We're doing a very good job of hanging onto the ball.(3rd).
The next four games....@Pittsburgh, home against the Panthers and Eagles, and @ NYG... are going to answer some questions. Will we be 8-1-1? 6-3-1? 4-5-1? I'd be quite happy with 7-2-1, or even 6-3-1, because that would put us in the hunt during the stretch run.
The game I'd most like to see us win? Eagles. IF we want to be seen as legit contenders, it's imperative we win this game at home. The game that is the least important, in terms of making the playoffs, is Pittsburgh. The game that I see as the most likely win is Carolina.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXOh, I saw Peter Schraeger doing homage to Roy Firestone, and he mentioned that Love has the 2nd high QB rating in the 4th quarter, and the 3rd highest QB rating on 3rd down. Maybe he's not the problem.
HarryHodag
October 24, 2025 at 11:59 am
Here's one thing to know about Rex Ryan: blowhard. A key component of the national sports media dopes.
The same issue from past years has sprung up again this year: a team with a lot of talent that never seems to be in sync. If you watch the Lions you get full-force effort from all parts of the team. It seems sometimes like the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing in Green Bay.
If the Packers can correct the problems in the secondary and offensive line then things will be smoother. I suspect Rodgers sees gaping holes in the secondary(and Hobbs hasn't been good) and Rodgers will effort a 'bombs away' approach. Jacobs and the offensive line need to put together the most complete game of the year.
If Watson returns I will hope MLF goes 'bombs away' on the Steelers as well.
PackerBackerAZ
October 24, 2025 at 12:37 pm
Rodgers has been terrible when pressured. The Packers defensive front four should be able to pressure Rodgers all game. Not a word in the article about how bad the Steelers LT, LG and RT have been. Not a word in the article about how many explosive plays Pittsburgh gives up or how few they produce. Just a veiled misrepresentation of Rodgers playing to his old MVP self because of a supposed grudge.
If Hafley is as good as most people believe, Rodgers should be rendered ineffective on most passing downs. He'll need to have the Packers run defense playing to their number two rating.
I just can't see the almost 42 Rodgers playing good enough, under pressure, to beat the Packers.
bjkdad44
October 25, 2025 at 10:01 pm
🙏🏻🤞🏻🙏🏻
Major Snafu
October 24, 2025 at 05:34 pm
If I'm the Steelers I would go quick passes over the middle and slants to get rid of ball and negate the pass rush. This is something Rodgers is good at.
The Packers need to pass protect and love needs to pass the ball down Field more and less screens that go nowhere..
I got Steelers by 7.
Leatherhead
October 24, 2025 at 08:38 pm
I think that's what we'll see them try. After 6 weeks, it's pretty clear to me that we have one of the better pass rushes in the league and if you don't unload in a hurry then a bad thing happens. The number 2.5 seconds gets mentioned a lot; even if it's not a sack, you don't want your QB to get hit a bunch of times. It wears him down AND jeopardizes your season every time.
Can the DBs extend their coverage a fraction of a second to give the rush a chance to reach home? Not the deep guys, like McKinney and Williams, but the underneath guys...Nixon, Cooper, Walker, Bullard and.......Hobbs?
First, I'm a Valentine guy. I think he's played damn well for us since we took him in the 7th, he's always available, he's cheap. He's started a bunch of games for us, he doesn't do a lot of things that hurt the team.
Second, Hobbs hurt us last week, but we didn't do him any favors by having him play press coverage on guys when he should have just given them a cushion and tackled them after a short reception.
I'd make Rodgers and the Steelers prove that they can nickel and dime us down the field, over and over, well enough to keep pace with our offense. I don't think they have the ability or the patience. I'd do as much as I could to take away the quick throws (this is called "getting your hands up")
Take away Rodgers first choice, and make him double clutch on his second. By then he should have somebody in his space.
Snap the ball
October 24, 2025 at 10:08 pm
Packers by 12 plus
Snap the ball
October 24, 2025 at 10:12 pm
Time for the youngest team to get after it.
They have a good schedule ahead and you always have to play division games
In domes we should have advantage with our speed at Lambeau home field advantage
Time to make it happen.