The Green Bay Packers have faced the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh six times, always ending in defeat. Over the years, quarterbacks like Lynn Dickey, Brett Favre, and Aaron Rodgers have felt the pain of these close matchups.
In 1980, the game started with an unexpected safety thanks to a mishap on a Packers punt, leading to a nail-biting finish at 22-20. Fast forward to 1998, and the Packers almost staged a comeback from 27-3, but couldn’t fully clinch it, thanks to Jerome Bettis’s clock-killing run.
By 2009, the matchup turned into a quarterback showdown. Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger combined for nearly 900 passing yards. Rodgers gave the Packers a late lead, but Roethlisberger’s final drive pulled the Steelers ahead 37-36.
In 2017, Brett Hundley took over for the injured Rodgers and pushed the game to a tie. But Roethlisberger again found a way to win with a game-winning field goal right before time expired. And just a couple of years ago, Jordan Love faced a similar fate, throwing an interception in the end zone during a desperate drive, sealing another loss.
Now, the spotlight is on Rodgers, who is aiming not only to lift his team out of this losing streak but also to join an elite club of quarterbacks who’ve beaten all 32 NFL teams. Only a few, including Favre and Tom Brady, have achieved this milestone.
Currently, three active quarterbacks are in a similar situation to Rodgers. Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, and Matthew Stafford have all faced various teams but haven’t yet defeated one, leaving them a notch below this goal.
This week, Rodgers has been relatively quiet about the significance of the game. But a win in Pittsburgh could mean changing the narrative for the Packers and the quarterback himself. The stakes are high, and something has to give.
According to a recent survey, nearly 60% of fans believe that overcoming historical challenges like this strengthens a team’s identity. As the Packers prepare to face the Steelers again, every moment counts, both for the players and the fans who have witnessed years of tough battles.
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