A familiar face will lead the opposing offense versus the Green Bay Packers this week, with future Pro Football Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers looking to take down his former team and join a list of only four quarterbacks who have previously defeated all 32 NFL teams.

After a disastrous couple of years with the Jets, Rodgers is piloting a more serious Steelers offense this season, with Pittsburgh ranking 12th in points scored per game, 12th in adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) and 11th in expected points added via the pass (EPA).

As you might expect from an offense led by a QB of Rodgers’ pedigree, the Steelers have been efficient in the red zone and on third down, which often decide games. They score touchdowns in the red zone at the fourth highest rate in the league and convert on third down at the eighth highest rate.

But beyond the surface level stats, here is what the Packers should expect from Rodgers and the Steelers’ other key offensive characters this week:

Aaron Rodgers

While Rodgers certainly has had the more accomplished career than Joe Flacco, it was interesting to see them go toe to toe in a shootout last week, as there are clear similarities between the pair of grizzled quarterbacks at this stage of their respective careers.

Like Flacco, Rodgers is mostly throwing the ball short this year, and doing it quickly. Of 38 qualified QBs, Rodgers ranks 36th in average depth of target (ADOT) and has the third fastest average time to throw behind only Flacco and Tua Tagovailoa.

Rodgers still has a supreme level of accuracy, particularly on the more routine throws, and leaning on the quick game has been a recipe for success for the Steelers on offense for the most part.

The former Packers QB has the third highest PFF grade on both short throws (0-10 yards) and throws behind the line of scrimmage. The screen game is an important part of the Steelers offense, with Rodgers throwing screen passes at the fourth highest rate in the league.

He is however a more dangerous animal than Flacco, as he is still more than happy to take deep shots when the mood strikes. This is where the variance of his game comes into play, though.

As Packers fans well know, Rodgers can go into “YOLO” mode at times, and he is making more questionable decisions when throwing downfield late in his career. Rodgers ranks 10th in big time throw rate but 27th in turnover worthy play rate.

There could well be chances for turnovers if Rodgers continues throwing caution to the wind on Sunday night.

As has been the case for a while, Rodgers does not like throwing to the intermediate part of the field. He is throwing to the 10-20 yard area at the 35th highest rate and ranks 36th in PFF grade when he does so.

Looking at EPA per play, Rodgers is not as good against man coverage as he is against zone, so the Packers may have to go against type and lean into man coverage a bit more.

Sitting back in a soft zone and letting him pick his way down the field is not how they want to live, although manning up comes with some risk, as we will come to later.

There will be opportunities for Green Bay’s pass rush to get home, but they will mostly need to do it with four, as Rodgers has been better against the blitz than when not facing it, with his PFF grade dropping from 18th versus the blitz to 28th against four or less rushers.

Rodgers is not a statue in the pocket, but he is not as mobile as he once was, ranking 20th in pressure to sack rate. If the Packers can put him under duress, they are likely to force mistakes, with Rodgers ranking 28th in PFF grade under pressure and 30th in turnover worthy play rate.

Whether Rodgers can lead the Steelers to offensive success may largely depend on whether he is happy to consistently take a profit if it is given to him, or whether he goes into hero mode and starts putting the ball at risk.

Offensive line

The interior of Pittsburgh’s line is solid, but center Zach Frazier is questionable with a calf, and tackles Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu have somewhat struggled, with Jones giving up four sacks already. As a unit, they rank 24th in PFF’s pass blocking grade and 15th in run blocking.

Helping to bolster the Steelers’ line is the fact they frequently play with multiple tight ends. Pittsburgh deploys 12-personnel (two tight ends) at the fourth highest rate in the NFL and 13 personnel (three tight ends) at the highest rate.

One of those tight ends, Darnell Washington, is basically the size of an offensive lineman, and the Steelers can really dictate formation to the defense by using their big guys so regularly. The Packers will need to play more base defense than they usually do in order to match up.

Regardless, this is not the type of front which looks likely to restrain Micah Parsons, coming off a career high three sacks in a game, and the rest of the Packers pass rush.

DK Metcalf

Part of the reason why Pittsburgh leans on tight ends so heavily is that they do not have an embarrassment of riches at wide receiver. They do however have one of the most imposing threats in the league in DK Metcalf.

He is enjoying a strong start to the season after being traded from Seattle. Metcalf is 12th in yards per route run among 98 qualifiers and is PFFs 14th highest graded receiver.

With a unique blend of size and speed, Metcalf is a big play threat, ranking fifth in the NFL in yards per reception and first in yards after the catch per reception.

That statistic is boosted by the 80-yard touchdown he scored which included more than 60 yards after the catch, essentially untouched, and Metcalf only has two broken tackles on the season, but he has elite speed and is difficult to catch once he gets to top gear.

Despite his size, Metcalf has only won six of 14 contested targets this year, but the Packers defensive backs have struggled against receivers capable of boxing out and winning the ball in the air.

This week will provide another test in that regard and could dissuade coordinator Jeff Hafley from leaving his players in man to man situations with Metcalf. Rodgers will have no problem trusting his guy to make a play, so Keisean Nixon, Nate Hobbs and company will need to be ready.

Jaylen Warren

Pittsburgh has a pair of capable running backs in Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell, although neither is the most explosive of backs. Many of their numbers do not jump off the page, but Warren does rank ninth in yards after contact per attempt and fifth in missed tackles forced.

They are steady, efficient runners, but the Steelers lean much more heavily on the pass, ranking 27th in rush attempts per game, and Warren and Gainwell are not likely to steamroll the Packers this week.

Both runners are useful in the pass game though, and this is where the Steelers’ quick game can do damage. Warren is first in the NFL among running backs in yards per route run.

The keys to victory on defense will be fairly simple for the Packers in this one.

It could be tough to unsettle Rodgers with how fast he is getting the ball out, so they will need to tackle well to limit the success of the quick passing game, and hold up better on the back end than they did last week when Rodgers does decide to take his shots, especially to Metcalf.