The Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers will play each other in week 2 of the NFL preseason. The game will take place at Heinz Field on Sunday, August 23, at 1 PM. ET.
This is the second time both teams will meet since the Packers defeated the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. Last week the Packers defeated the New England Patriots in their first preseason game, and they will be going for their second straight win on Sunday.
This game could be a preview for the Super Bowl, because these two teams are going into the season with high expectations. Green Bay came close to making the Super Bowl last season, but they couldn’t seal the deal against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship game.
Packers vs Steelers Betting Lines
BetOnline.ag has the Steelers favoured by 2.5 points, while the over/under for the game is currently set at 41.5. Check out our BetOnline review page for more info on one of our top rated NFL sportsbooks.
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My Pick
Pittsburgh made it back to the playoffs last season after a two year absence, but they lost in the Wild Card round to the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers come into the season with high expectations because they had one of the best offenses in the NFL last year, and they feel that if they can remain healthy, they should be able to make a deep playoff run. Their only weakness is their defense, which was one of the worst in the NFL last season, but they are confident that the defense will be much improved this year.
In their first game, head coach Mike McCarthy allowed Aaron Rodgers to play longer than most people expected. He completed 11 of his 19 pass attempts, finishing the game with 117 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
The more playing time Rodgers gets, the better the Packers chances in this one.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are still looking for their first win of the preseason, after losing their first two games. They struggled offensively in their first game against the Minnesota Vikings, but played well defensively. Last week, their offense played better, and Ben Roethlisberger threw a touchdown in his first preseason action of the year. On defense, the Steelers struggled, which was surprising against a Jacksonville Jaguars team that isn’t known for its offense.
This week, Pittsburgh will face an even tougher challenge on the defensive end, especially if Aaron Rodgers plays as many minutes as he did last week against the Patriots. Their defense is very young due to the fact that they lost a lot of their veteran players in the offseason, but defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau has to find a way to get his players to be consistent every week, or else they won’t go as far as they are hoping to go this season.
Ben Roethlisberger played only one series last week, but he will likely play more this week, so he can get his timing with his receivers down.
Green Bay’s defense looked very good against the Patriots, limiting their offense to 211 total yards. Since it is the preseason, it is too early to tell just how good they are, but we should have a better idea after this game.
The Steelers probably won’t give their starters a lot of playing time, which gives the Packers the advantage, because they will play their starters longer.
Play: Packers +2.5 @ BetOnline.ag
Green Bay Packers • Pittsburgh Steelers