Packers’ Matt LaFleur focused on Steelers battle not Aaron Rodgers hype
Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, holding a 4-2 record, return to the national spotlight on Sunday night when they face Matt LaFleur’s 4-1-1 Green Bay Packers at Acrisure Stadium. Both squads enter the matchup atop their divisions, setting the stage for a high-stakes “Sunday Night Football” clash that could shape the course of their seasons.
A major storyline for the Steelers revolves around quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is preparing to face his former team for the first time. Green Bay selected Rodgers with the 24th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, and his matchup against the Packers adds extra intrigue to an already highly anticipated game.
However, LaFleur brushed aside the storylines surrounding the matchup, emphasizing that the focus isn’t on Green Bay going up against Rodgers but on preparing for the Pittsburgh Steelers as a whole, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.
“We’re playing the Pittsburgh Steelers, who happen to have Aaron Rodgers. It’s as simple as that,” remarked the Packers head coach.
Matt LaFleur focused on Packers-Steelers not Aaron Rodgers
“That is for you guys to talk about. Granted, I mean, we’ve got a lot of love and respect for Aaron. What he’s done here, I mean, he’s a Hall of Famer. And I know, like our past together, we had a lot of great moments, but this game is not about that. It’s about going to Pittsburgh, “Sunday Night Football,” our guys will be jacked up, their guys will be jacked up. It’s about the Green Bay Packers versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
LaFleur worked with Rodgers in Green Bay from 2019 through 2022 before the Packers dealt the veteran quarterback to the New York Jets in 2023 and officially began the Jordan Love era. Following two injury-plagued years in New York, Rodgers signed with the Steelers during the offseason and has since led them to an impressive 4-2 record to open the year.
Coming off their victory over the Cardinals, the Packers are focused on maintaining their level of play rather than getting caught up in the narratives surrounding Aaron Rodgers. Still, fans can’t help but feel the buzz of anticipation that comes with facing their former franchise quarterback.
Rodgers spent 18 years with the Packers, including 15 as the team’s starting quarterback, earning four MVP honors and leading Green Bay to a Super Bowl title in 2011.
1 Quiet Reason the Raiders' Offense Has Struggled This Season
The Las Vegas Raiders' offense has struggled this season for various reasons, mainly subpar play along the offensive line and at quarterback. However, the lack of playmakers at skill positions, for various reasons, have held the Raiders' offense back.
Raiders Rookies Must Improve
The Raiders invested a second-round pick into drafting Jack Bech, proving how much they believed in him before he ever put a Raiders jersey on. However, Bech must do his part and work through the growing pains only the Raiders' coaching staff knows about.
Bech and Dont'e Thornton were brought in to be two of those playmakers but have yet to make much of an impact. Bech's lack of playing time on an offense in desperate need of help at wide receiver speaks volumes about where Las Vegas' coaching staff believes he is developmentally.
“The more plays that we can log with the new guys, Jack [Bech] and Dont'e [Thornton Jr.], we can show them the things that they need to improve on and the things that they're not quite as sharp on. It helps them. And there's some pain in that too. There's some pain in there that we have to undergo. But it's how you do it,” Carroll said.
“By the time you get to the middle of the season, these guys should have things really cleaned up, and they should be ready to go and we can count on them and they can come through and not be error repeaters, you know? And that's what we're working hard at."
During the Bye Week, Raiders' Wide Receivers Coach Chris Beatty gave an update on the development of both of Las Vegas' wide receivers. If the Raiders can get Bech and Thornton up to speed quickly, it could alleviate some of the issues they are having on offense.
"Some ups and downs. We have got to be more consistent. Both of those guys are learning a lot. Theres good and bad in everything. First couple of games, Dont'e had an explosive play in every game," Beatty said.
"He has kind of fell back a little bit and some of the fundamentals, we have got to continue to build on. Same thing with Jack. They have done okay but there is a lot more out there. So, we will keep pushing them and getting the most out of them."
