Steel City Underground presents our 2025 Plays of the Year series: a weekly rewind through the biggest moments, breakout performances, and unforgettable highlights from last season’s Pittsburgh Steelers campaign.
Following every NFL game in 2025, Steel City Underground parsed the best plays from the Pittsburgh Steelers, highlighting moments for Steelers Nation to revisit along with the context that led up to each big play.
The outcome of the NFL Week 8 primetime matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers at Acrisure Stadium didn’t go the way Pittsburgh had hoped. For the second straight week, the Steelers dealt with adversity—some self-inflicted, some not—and fell to a 35-25 loss.
Still, not everything was a disappointment. In the first half of Sunday Night Football, the Steelers scored first and added two more scoring drives before Aaron Rodgers connected with D.K. Metcalf to give Pittsburgh a 16-7 lead heading into halftime.
The Steelers offense faced consistent pressure, led by Packers defensive end Micah Parsons, as Rodgers squared off against the team he began his NFL career with. The offensive line held up relatively well despite allowing three sacks, with Rodgers responsible for two of those losses as pressure closed in.
Despite that, Rodgers remained composed, spreading the ball around to keep the Packers defense from stacking the box. He completed passes to eight different skill players and even flipped a checkdown to tackle-eligible Spencer Anderson for the lineman’s first career reception.
In the second quarter, Rodgers led the offense on a 9-play drive starting from their own 16-yard line. Jaylen Warren opened the series on the ground before Rodgers found a returning Calvin Austin III for a 7-yard gain. Kenneth Gainwell followed with a 14-yard run that carried the game to the two-minute warning.
After a short Gainwell run and an incompletion to Austin, Rodgers took a deep shot to Austin down the right side, drawing a defensive pass interference penalty on Keisean Nixon that set the Steelers up at the Green Bay 36-yard line.
On the replayed down, Warren added three yards on the ground before Rodgers connected with Metcalf for a 10-yard gain to the 15-yard line.
With 34 seconds remaining in the half, the Steelers lined up at the Packers’ 2-yard line. In the huddle, Rodgers communicated with his big-bodied receiver. Lined up in a heavy set to the left, Rodgers faked a handoff to Warren and fired a quick slant to Metcalf, placing the ball perfectly in front of him. Metcalf boxed out the defender and secured the catch for the Steelers’ first touchdown of the game.
.@dkm14 for 6️⃣!
📲 Stream on NFL+: pic.twitter.com/LfslSlTTFU
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) October 27, 2025
Chris Boswell’s extra point was good, extending the lead and allowing Pittsburgh to take a nine-point advantage into halftime.
Rodgers finished the game completing 24 of 36 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns, connecting with Metcalf five times for 55 yards on seven targets. Through eight weeks, the duo had combined for 27 receptions, 461 yards, and five touchdowns, according to ESPN stats.
Check back each week as we continue spotlighting the plays that defined the Steelers’ 2025 season — one moment at a time.