Packers vs. Steelers Point Spread: SNF Week 8 Odds, Prediction
Pittsburgh is not a home underdog all that often but is +3 with a total of 44.5 on the NFL odds.
Sunday Night Football Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Green Bay and Pittsburgh are two of the most iconic franchises in the sport, but neither has played in a Super Bowl since following the 2010 season when Aaron Rodgers led Green Bay to a 31-25 victory in SB XLV. Rodgers was named game MVP and back then, many thought he would win more of those and lead the Pack to more titles, but he never did.
Rodgers became an all-time great, though, in Green Bay in winning four regular-season MVP Awards, second-most ever, before he was pushed out following the 2022 season and traded to the Jets. He had two forgettable seasons in New York but is having a renaissance in Pittsburgh and faces his former Packers team for the first time. Rodgers can become the fifth-ever quarterback to beat all 32 NFL teams.
This game should do bonkers ratings and betting action simply because of the teams’ popularity and both are leading their divisions … but mostly for the Rodgers vs. Green Bay angle.
Including that Super Bowl matchup, Green Bay is 20-17 all-time vs. Pittsburgh. They played last in 2023 and the Steelers prevailed, 23-19 at home, when Kenny Pickett was the team’s starting QB. Current Packers starting QB and former Rodgers backup Jordan Love threw for two scores but also two picks.
Green Bay Packers
Green Bay had a major travel issue to Arizona over the weekend, so maybe that helps explain a closer-than-expected 27-23 win over a Cardinals team missing its starting quarterback. But any victory is a good one in the NFL and especially on the road. And it would be expected if some long-time Packers were looking ahead a bit to facing Rodgers. Top running back Josh Jacobs was in some question Sunday but rushed for two scores to join Hall of Famer Jim Taylor in 1961 as the only players in franchise history with at least two rush TDs in three straight games.
There was more history as Lucas Havrisik made a 61-yard FG, the first 60-yarder made in team history. Green Bay was down 10 late in the first half and had lost 10 straight games when trailing at any point by double digits. The Packers have scored at least 27 points in all but one game thus far. Defensively, trade addition Micah Parsons had the first three-sack game of his already brilliant young career. Two came in the fourth at huge times. The Packers are 1-4 ATS in their past five.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Short of going unbeaten, every team has at least one bad loss in a given NFL season. The Steelers may have had theirs on Thursday in Week 7, falling 33-31 in Cincinnati. Just no excuse for that excellent defence to allow 33 points to a Cincinnati offence that had been struggling so badly. The Bengals had the NFL’s worst rushing offence entering but had a season-high 142 yards on the ground. But short-week turnaround games are really tricky, especially on the road like that was.
Aaron Rodgers continued a fine season with four touchdown passes (but also two picks), his 36th career game with at least four. That passed fellow legend Peyton Manning for third-most all-time. Strangely, all four of those Rodgers TD throws were to tight ends: Two to Pat Freiermuth and one each to Jonnu Smith and Darnell Washington. Pittsburgh became only the second team to have three tight ends with at least one TD catch in a game. It was Rodgers’ sixth career loss in a game with at least four TD throws, tying Eli Manning for the most in history including playoffs. Pittsburgh is 7-2 ATS in its past nine at home.
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