Tucker Kraft catches a pass for a touchdown against DeShon Elliott of the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH – Jordan Love threw three touchdown passes, two of them to Tucker Kraft, as the Packers beat the Steelers 35-25 on the road Sunday night – Green Bay’s first win in Pittsburgh in more than a half-century.
Scoring summary
By the numbers:
First quarter
- Steelers 3, Packers 0 at 8:46: Chris Boswell 56-yard field goal attempt good.
- Packers 7, Steelers 3 at 5:05: Jordan Love 16-yard touchdown pass to Tucker Kraft, extra point attempt good.
Second quarter
- Packers 7, Steelers 6 at 12:18: Boswell 50-yard field goal attempt good.
- Steelers 9, Packers 7 at 5:52: Boswell 48-yard field goal attempt good.
- Steelers 16, Packers 7 at 0:34: Aaron Rodgers 2-yard touchdown pass to DK Metcalf, extra point attempt good.
Third quarter
- Steelers 16, Packers 14 at 8:48: Love 9-yard touchdown pass to Savion Williams, extra point attempt good.
- Steelers 19, Packers 14 at 5:39: Boswell 56-yard field goal attempt good.
Fourth quarter
- Packers 22, Steelers 19 at 14:55: Josh Jacobs 3-yard touchdown run, two-point conversion attempt succeeds.
- Packers 29, Steelers 19 at 10:57: Love 24-yard touchdown pass to Kraft, extra point attempt good.
- Packers 32, Steelers 19 at 5:28: McManus 28-yard field goal attempt good.
- Packers 35, Steelers 19 at 3:59: McManus 25-yard field goal attempt good.
- Packers 35, Steelers 25 at 2:07: Rodgers 21-yard touchdown pass to Roman Wilson, two-point conversion attempt fails.
Jordan Love drops back to pass while being pressured by Patrick Queen. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
Love vs. Rodgers
Dig deeper:
Love passed for 360 yards and three touchdowns to outduel former mentor Aaron Rodgers and lead Green Bay to its first win in Pittsburgh since 1970.
The 41-year-old Rodgers, who won four MVPs and a Super Bowl in 18 seasons with the Packers before the team moved on to Love in 2023, completed 24 of 36 passes for 219 yards and two scores but did little in the second half as the Steelers (4-3) dropped their second straight.
Drafted in 2020 to be Rodgers’ eventual successor before being elevated to the starter three years later, Love put together a near-flawless second half as Green Bay (5-1-1) stayed atop the NFC North.
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The 27-year-old Love, who credits Rodgers for playing a pivotal role in his development, did a solid impression of Rodgers in his prime, particularly after halftime. Love completed his first 16 passes after the break, two of them for scores, as the Packers erased a nine-point deficit to win at Pittsburgh for the first time since 1970.
Tight end Tucker Kraft caught seven passes for a career-high 143 yards and two touchdowns. Josh Jacobs ran for just 33 yards, but his 3-yard scoring sprint on the first play of the fourth quarter put the Packers up for good as Pittsburgh’s defense stumbled yet again, nine days after being carved up by Joe Flacco in a loss at Cincinnati.
Wearing throwback jerseys honoring Pittsburgh’s inaugural team in 1933 – when the club was known as the Pirates – the Steelers turned back the clock in a way that felt less like nostalgia and more like “here we go again.”
Given an opportunity to strengthen its hold on the underwhelming AFC North, Pittsburgh instead saw the NFL’s highest-paid defense struggle to keep Love and the Packers in check. The Steelers allowed 454 yards and failed to create a turnover for the third straight contest.
Rodgers said repeatedly that he wasn’t looking for revenge against his old team, and he plans to one day retire in the town where he cemented his status as a future Hall of Famer.
There was a loud pop from the Acrisure Stadium crowd when Rodgers was introduced, including from the not insignificant number of Green Bay fans who made their way inside.
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Though there was the occasional flash from Rodgers, who has played well during Pittsburgh’s respectable start, the Steelers too often saw drives bog down once they crossed midfield. While Chris Boswell bailed them out by booting four field goals, it wasn’t enough to keep pace with Green Bay once Love got rolling.
The Packers scored on five straight possessions after the Steelers went up 16-7. Love connected with Savion Williams on an 8-yard score to pull Green Bay within two.
Jacobs’ touchdown gave the Packers the lead for good. After Micah Parsons sacked Rodgers to thwart Pittsburgh’s ensuing drive, Kraft hauled in his second score on a 24-yard catch-and-run in which the 260-pounder had no trouble weaving his way through Pittsburgh’s injury-marred secondary.
By the end, Rodgers and the Steelers were trying to play catch-up while Rodgers heard the familiar chant of “Go Pack Go,” only to find himself on the wrong side of it for the first time in his 21 years in the league.
Injury Report:
Packers linebacker Nick Niemann left in the second half with a chest injury. Steelers defensive lineman Daniel Ekuale left with a knee injury in the second quarter, safety DeShon Elliott exited in the third quarter with a potentially serious right knee injury and left guard Isaac Seumalo went down with a chest injury and didn’t return.
What’s next:
The Packers welcome Carolina to Lambeau Field next Sunday while the Steelers host the AFC South-leading Colts.
The Source: FOX6 News gathered information from the NFL and Fox Sports. The Associated Press contributed.
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