Steel City Underground presents post-game takeaways in our Steelers Offseason Recall series, revisiting key moments from the 2025 season and how they shaped the year that followed.
The Pittsburgh Steelers entered Week 8 of the 2025 season looking to rebound from a heartbreaking loss to the Bengals. Instead, they suffered another disappointing defeat, falling 35-25 to the Green Bay Packers at Acrisure Stadium. What appeared to be a winnable game turned into a second-half collapse that exposed several flaws on both sides of the ball.
While the final score reflected another frustrating loss, the game told a deeper story. There were a few positives, but they were ultimately overshadowed by defensive breakdowns, questionable officiating, and missed opportunities.
Steelers contained Josh Jacobs, but little else
One of the few bright spots for Pittsburgh was its ability to limit Green Bay’s rushing attack. Packers running back Josh Jacobs, who had been one of the league’s most productive backs, was held to just 33 yards on 13 carries, averaging only 2.5 yards per attempt.
Containing Jacobs had clearly been a focal point of the Steelers’ defensive game plan, and they executed that aspect successfully. Unfortunately, it was one of the only areas where the defense found success.
Jordan Love picked apart Pittsburgh’s defense
While Jacobs was bottled up, quarterback Jordan Love had one of his best performances of the season. The Steelers generated virtually no pass rush, failing to record a sack as Love completed 29 of 37 passes for 360 yards and three touchdowns.
Pittsburgh’s defense struggled to get off the field, particularly after halftime. Green Bay scored on five consecutive second-half possessions, including three touchdown drives, as the Packers steadily pulled away.
The Steelers’ revamped secondary also endured one of its roughest outings of the year. Veteran cornerbacks Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey had difficulty limiting yards after the catch, and missed tackles became a recurring issue throughout the game.
Tucker Kraft dominated on National Tight Ends Day
No player benefited more from Pittsburgh’s defensive struggles than Packers tight end Tucker Kraft.
Kraft torched the Steelers for seven receptions, 143 yards, and two touchdowns, repeatedly turning short completions into explosive gains. Pittsburgh had no answer for his physicality after the catch, as he consistently broke tackles and created separation.
His biggest play came on a controversial 59-yard reception that helped shift momentum permanently toward Green Bay. On the play, Kraft appeared to shove safety DeShon Elliott before making the catch, but no offensive pass interference was called. Elliott suffered a knee injury during the play and was forced to leave the game.
Officiating frustrations mounted
Several controversial calls left the Steelers frustrated throughout the evening. Earlier in the game, D.K. Metcalf was penalized for offensive pass interference on what would have been a minimal gain. Later, similar contact by Kraft went uncalled on his long reception. The most controversial moment came when Aaron Rodgers believed he had drawn the Packers offsides before launching a deep pass.
The Steelers expected a free play and an easy penalty. Instead, officials huddled and ruled there had been no infraction despite replays appearing to show Green Bay had jumped early.
The missed call stalled a Pittsburgh drive, and Green Bay quickly capitalized on the ensuing possession. Combined with the no-call on Kraft’s shove-off, the sequence completely swung momentum in favor of the Packers.
Steelers lost the little battles
Coming into the game, Pittsburgh needed to win situational football and control the game’s smaller details. Instead, Green Bay dominated those areas.
The Steelers attempted to pressure Love with frequent blitzes, but the strategy failed. T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig were unable to generate meaningful pressure, allowing Love to comfortably distribute the ball throughout the evening.
Offensively, Pittsburgh also abandoned the running game too early. Jaylen Warren averaged nearly five yards per carry and Kenneth Gainwell added productive runs of his own, but the Steelers finished with only 18 rushing attempts. The imbalance made the offense predictable and placed additional pressure on Rodgers.
The Packers ultimately outgained Pittsburgh by 159 yards and converted key third downs throughout the contest.
Roman Wilson delivered a breakout performance
Amid the disappointment, second-year receiver Roman Wilson finally provided a glimpse of the potential that made him a third-round draft pick in 2024.
Wilson played nearly half of the offensive snaps and caught four passes for 74 yards, including the first touchdown reception of his NFL career.
He also hauled in a 45-yard completion after breaking free during a Rodgers scramble drill.
With injuries and a crowded depth chart limiting his opportunities early in his career, Wilson’s performance stood out as one of the few encouraging developments from the loss.
Boswell kept Pittsburgh competitive
As he had done throughout much of the season, Chris Boswell kept the Steelers within striking distance.
The veteran kicker converted all four of his field-goal attempts, including multiple kicks from beyond 50 yards, while adding an extra point. However, relying on Boswell’s leg to generate offense was not a sustainable formula against a Packers team finding the end zone.
Another warning sign for Pittsburgh
The loss dropped the Steelers into an uncomfortable stretch where many of the same issues that surfaced against Cincinnati reappeared a week later. The pass rush failed to affect the quarterback. The secondary struggled to tackle and limit explosive plays. Situational football remained inconsistent.
While officiating certainly played a role in several momentum-changing moments, the Steelers ultimately had too many self-inflicted problems to overcome.
Perhaps the most telling assessment came from team captain Cameron Heyward after the game.
“There’s not a lot of fight in us right now.”
For a team with championship aspirations and division-title hopes, Week 8 served as another troubling reminder that significant improvements were still needed heading into the second half of the season.