Why Aaron Rodgers could be a sneaky fantasy start vs. the Packers
USA TODAY’s Joe Rivera and Jacob Camenker discuss Aaron Rodgers facing his former team and why he could be primed for a breakout performance.
Aaron Rodgers has an opportunity to, once again, make history on “Sunday Night Football.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) quarterback is facing his old team, the Green Bay Packers (4-1-1), in the close of the Week 8 Sunday schedule. Should Rodgers and the Steelers emerge triumphant, he’ll become the fifth quarterback in NFL history to defeat all 32 teams.
That’ll be a tough ask against a Packers defense that features one of the game’s best pass rushers in Micah Parsons. The blockbuster acquisition of the offseason, Parsons has proven the Packers right on the decision to deal for him: Entering Week 8, he has 37 total pressures and six sacks on the 2025 season, and is PFF’s highest graded pass rusher.
The Steelers are looking for a bounce-back victory after their Week 7 “Thursday Night Football” loss to Joe Flacco and the Cincinnati Bengals. Both Rodgers and Flacco turned back the clock in the effort, looking in vintage form while the AFC North rivals traded blows.
The Steelers will hope Rodgers looks like Green Bay Rodgers once again when the Packers march into Acrisure Stadium on Sunday night.
USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates, highlights and more from the Week 8 “Sunday Night Football” matchup below. All times are Eastern.
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Quarterback Jordan Love had two passes fall incomplete, bookending a one-yard rush by running back Josh Jacobs. Green Bay was forced to punt on fourth-and-9.
The Steelers begin their second drive of the quarter on their own 36 with 11 minutes left in the first half.
Pittsburgh’s kicker remained perfect from 50+ yards out with the 50-yard field goal he knocked through on the Steelers’ first drive of the second quarter.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers hit receiver DK Metcalf in the hands with a deep pass to the end zone on third-and-3, but Packers defensive back Carrington Valentine managed to break up the pass, forcing the field goal.
Green Bay still leads, 7-6, with over 12 minutes left in the first half.
Packers 7, Steelers 6
Quarterback Jordan Love’s third-down deep pass to Romeo Doubs fell incomplete, and McManus’ long field goal try fell short of the goalposts.
The Packers still lead, 7-3, 10 seconds into the second quarter.
Green Bay will continue its drive in Steelers territory with a third-and-10 play to begin the second quarter.
Packers tight end Tucker Kraft’s 16-yard touchdown remains enough to keep his team ahead, while the Steelers are on the board with kicker Chris Boswell’s 56-yard field goal.
Pittsburgh didn’t get anything going in response to Green Bay taking its first lead of the night.
Packers punt returner Keisean Nixon muffed the catch on Corliss Waitman’s 47-yard punt, but fellow Packer Zane Anderson recovered. Green Bay will begin its third possession on its own 18 with 3:20 left in the first quarter.
The Packers’ tight end showed out for the prime-time game on National Tight End Day. His 16-yard catch-and-run got him in the end zone for the fifth time this year and put Green Bay on top for the first time in the game.
The Packers take a 7-3 lead after Brandon McManus’ extra point, and the Steelers will take back possession with just over five minutes left in the first quarter.
Packers 7, Steelers 3
Pittsburgh’s first offensive possession stalled on the Green Bay 38, when quarterback Aaron Rodgers took a sack on third-and-15. Veteran kicker Chris Boswell trotted out on 4th-and-20 to knock through a 56-yard field goal for the first points of the game.
Pittsburgh takes the first lead of the game, 3-0, with 8:41 left in the first quarter.
Steelers 3, Packers 0
Rodgers found Wilson, the second-year receiver out of Michigan, wide open down the right sideline on the third play of the Steelers’ opening drive. The young wideout hauled in the pass for a huge gain before stepping out of bounds.
Wilson’s 45-yard catch more than doubled the total output of his career to that point. Wilson had zero catches in an injury-shortened rookie season last year, and he had tallied 36 yards on four catches in 2025 entering the Week 8 game.
Pittsburgh’s defense broke up a short pass over the middle on third-and-1, and the Packers punted the ball away from their own 29-yard line.
Former Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will lead the Steelers’ offense with their first possession starting at the Pittsburgh 20-yard line.
What time does the Packers-Steelers game start?
The Packers-Steelers matchup kicks off at 8:20 p.m. ET, the common start time for “SNF.” The Packers travel to Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers.
What channel is the Packers-Steelers game?
The “Sunday Night Football” matchup between the Steelers and Packers airs on NBC. Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth will be on the call, with Melissa Stark providing reports from sideline.
Packers-Steelers stream
Cord-cutters looking to live stream the matchup have a few options. Peacock, NBC’s proprietary streaming service, will carry the matchup.
Viewers can also choose Fubo. Fubo carries NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC, NFL Network and the ESPN family of networks, meaning you’ll be able to catch NFL action all season long with the streaming service. Fubo also offers a free trial.
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Steelers vs. Packers predictions
Here’s how some USA TODAY Sports experts feel the Week 8 “Sunday Night Football” matchup will lean:
Jon Hoefling:Â Pittsburgh SteelersJordan Mendoza:Â Pittsburgh SteelersTyler Dragon:Â Green Bay PackersLorenzo Reyes:Â Pittsburgh SteelersRichard Morin:Â Pittsburgh SteelersChristopher Bumbaca:Â Pittsburgh SteelersSteelers-Packers live betting odds, moneyline, O/U
Packers wide receivers Matthew Golden and Christian Watson are active for Green Bay tonight vs. Pittsburgh.
WRÂ Dontayvion WicksKÂ Lucas HavrisikOLÂ Jacob MonkOLÂ Donovan JenningsDLÂ Lukas Van NessDLÂ Warren Brinson
Pittsburgh has no surprise inactives tonight against Green Bay.
The Packers enter “Sunday Night Football” in first place in the NFC North. Here’s how the division stacks up:
Green Bay Packers (4-1-1)Detroit Lions (5-2)Chicago Bears (4-3)Minnesota Vikings (3-4)
The Steelers enter “Sunday Night Football” in first place in the AFC North. Here’s how the division stacks up:
Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2)Cincinnati Bengals (3-5)Baltimore Ravens (2-5)Cleveland Browns (2-6)
Only four quarterbacks in NFL history have beaten all 32 teams.Â
Rodgers, with a win over the Packers, would join the list that includes Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Brett Favre.Â
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On Oct. 22, Watson told reporters that he planned to play in this week’s game. He does not yet have a designation for Oct. 26’s prime-time clash on the Packers’ official injury report, though the expectation is that he will be a full go.Â
The Steelers enter their matchup with the Packers at 4-2. The Steelers entered their Week 5 bye with a 3-1 record and won their Week 6 home matchup against the Browns. They enter tonight’s game off a loss vs. the Bengals on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 7.
Green Bay enters its matchup with the Steelers at 4-1-1. The Packers won their first two games of the season, with impressive victories over the Lions and Commanders. They were upset on the road in Cleveland in Week 3, then tied the Cowboys 40-40 in a historic “Sunday Night Football” game. Green Bay has come out of its Week 5 bye with back-to-back wins over the Bengals and Cardinals.
Rodgers has remained mum about the identity of his wife. She has not yet publicly appeared with the 41-year-old quarterback, and it isn’t clear whether she will at any point during the season.Â
Before acknowledging his marriage, Rodgers last mentioned having a significant other during a December 2024 appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”Â
Rodgers said during the appearance her name was “Brittani,” clarifying she spelled her name with an “I.”Â
Rodgers has not clarified whether she is the woman he married during the 2025 offseason.Â
The four-time NFL MVP has arrived for tonight’s game against his former team.
Below are the full terms of the Micah Parsons trade:
Packers get:Cowboys getDLÂ Kenny Clark2026 first-round pick2027 first-round pick
Parsons signed a four-year extension with the Packers upon being traded. Below is a look at the full details of that contract, per Spotrac.com.
Term: Four yearsTotal value: $186 millionAverage annual value (AAV): $46.5 millionGuaranteed money: $136 million
Parsons had one year left on his contract when the Packers acquired him. He is due to have just a $1.17 million base salary, but because he received the entirety of his $44 million signing bonus. – Jacob Camenker
Parsons is the highest-paid NFL defender in both AAV and total contract value. Here’s a look at the top 10 defenders in each category:
AAVMicah Parsons, edge, Packers: $46.5millionT.J. Watt, edge, Steelers: $41 millionMyles Garrett, edge, Browns: $40 millionDanielle Hunter, edge, Texans: $35.6 millionMaxx Crosby, edge, Raiders: $35.5 millionNick Bosa, edge, 49ers: $34 millionChris Jones, DL, Chiefs: $31.75 millionSauce Gardner, CB, Jets: $30.1 millionDerek Stingley Jr., CB, Texans: $30 millionNik Bonitto, edge, Broncos: $26.5 millionTotal contract valueMicah Parsons, edge, Packers: $186 millionNick Bosa, edge, 49ers: $170 millionMyles Garrett, edge, Browns: $160 millionChris Jones, DL, Chiefs: $158.75 millionT.J. Watt, edge, Steelers: $123 millionSauce Gardner, CB, Jets: $120.4 millionMaxx Crosby, edge, Raiders: $106.5 millionNik Bonitto, edge, Broncos: $106 millionMilton Williams, DL, Patriots: $104 millionZach Allen, DL, Broncos: $102 million
While Parsons tops defensive players in AAV and total contract value, he ranks just 12th and 15th across the two categories league-wide, behind a plethora of high-paid quarterbacks.
Hafley spent the first decade of his coaching career at the college level with stops at Worcester Polytechnic, Albany, Pittsburgh and Rutgers. Though he played wide receiver in college for the Siena Saints, Hafley’s spent the majority of his coaching career on defense. He was either a defensive assistant or defensive backs coach in that first decade.
He followed former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano to the NFL in 2012 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He coached defensive backs for the franchise in 2012 and 2013.
When Schiano was fired after the 2013 season, Hafley went to Cleveland for two seasons before a three-year stint in San Francisco. His year with Ohio State in 2019 led to his hiring at Boston College in 2020, where he spent four season and went 22-26 with one Bowl game victory.
Green Bay hired Hafley in 2024 and saw immediate improvement by both standard and advanced statistics. Green Bay went from one of the four worst run defenses in 2023 to a top-10 unit in 2024. By expected points added (EPA) per play, the Packers went from 23rd in 2023 to fifth in 2024, according to SumerSports.
Like Macdonald’s success with Baltimore in 2023, Hafley will likely get head coaching interest for the 2026 hiring cycle.
Pittsburgh’s jerseys tonight are a version of their 1933 Throwback Uniforms.. It’s a uniform that pays tribute to the 1933 team and the city of Pittsburgh.
Rodgers signed a one-year deal with the Steelers, which has a base value of $13.65 million, according to Spotrac. He received a $10 million signing bonus and will have a cap hit of $14.15 million in 2025.
Rodgers’ contract can be worth up to $19.5 million in total value thanks to a $5.85 million incentive package tied to the deal. His incentives for the 2025 NFL season are as follows:
Playoff berth: $500,000Wild card win: $600,000Divisional win: $750,000Conference championship: $1 millionSuper Bowl win: $1.5 millionLeague MVP: $1.5 million
Among the incentives, Rodgers is only considered “likely” to earn the $500,000 for the playoff berth, per Spotrac.com. That’s why his projected cap hit is $500,000 more than the $13.65 million base value of his deal. – Jacob Camenker
Mike Tirico will handle play-by-play duties during the game, with Cris Collinsworth providing color commentary and Melissa Stark reporting from the sidelines.
NBC’s weekly “Football Night in America” pregame show will begin at 7 p.m. ET and feature insight from a panel of analysts, including Maria Taylor, Jason Garrett, Chris Simms, Mike Florio, Devin McCourty, Tony Dungy, and more.Â