A revitalized Green Bay Packers team will expect to move to 3-1 on the year when they entertain the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lambeau Field on Sunday. The Packs are 6.5-point favorites for the game off the back of an excellent victory over the San Francisco 49ers on the road as they put further distance between themselves and the Week 1 mauling by the Saints.
Aaron Rodgers looked dialed in against the Niners, while Davante Adams and both lines enjoyed their best games of the season. It was a real statement win from Green Bay as they put 30 points on the excellent Niners defense.
Week 4 presents the Packers with a similar situation as they search for a way around Pittsburgh’s intimidating defense. The Steelers will get T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith back for this game and that should at least make them competitive on one side of the ball.
The offense is a very different story for Pittsburgh though with Ben Roethlisberger looking every bit a tired and immobile 39-year-old quarterback.
Big Ben will hope to answer his critics with a strong showing in Green Bay, one of several interesting storylines to keep an eye on in the Week 4 contest. The other intriguing storyline will be how our same game parlay, that pays out north of 6/1, gets on.
Check out the legs below and then we’ll break down each selection.
Green Bay Packers -6.5 (-105)
Pittsburgh Steelers under 19.5 points (-106)
Aaron Jones to score a touchdown (-180)
Najee Harris over 36.5 receiving yards (-114)
Same game parlay odds: +637
Green Bay Packers -6.5 (-105)
With the Week 1 debacle against New Orleans far off in Green Bay’s rearview mirror, attention has turned back to making a Super Bowl run for the Packers. There were plenty of elements to the Week 3 win at San Francisco that suggested the Packers could be in the mix come January/February time with the improvements on both lines the biggest plus point.
Neither line was pushed around by the Niners and that should hold up in this match up against Pittsburgh’s excellent defensive front and appalling O-line. Rodgers got excellent protection in Week 3 and if they can produce a repeat performance then the Steelers won’t keep up.
Pittsburgh rank 25th in total offense and even with Diontae Johnson returning to the receiving core for this game, it is tough to imagine them taking a significant step forward from last week to this Sunday.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Pittsburgh Steelers vs Green Bay Packers
Pittsburgh Steelers under 19.5 points (-106)
There’s been very little to like about the Steelers offense through three weeks of the season. The line is one of the worst in the league, leading to them being unable to establish any kind of ground game and forcing Pittsburgh to rely on their rapidly aging quarterback. Ten points was all the Steelers could manage against Cincinnati in Week 3, despite putting together long drives that exceeded nine minutes but only resulted in field goals.
The big-play potential from Roethlisberger has gone, partly due to his age and partly due to the lack of protection he gets, and they are instead forced to dink and dunk their way down the field. That’s resulted in Pittsburgh’s offense failing to score more than 20 points in a game all season. As a whole, the team managed 23 points in the win over Buffalo but their second touchdown came from the defense.
Throw into the mix the Packers allowing an opposing team to score over 20 points just once in their last five home games and it could be another long night for Big Ben and co.
Aaron Jones to score a touchdown (-180)
The Steelers have played the run well this year, ranking eighth in yards per carry allowed and won’t make life easy for Aaron Jones if the Packers try to run him between the tackles.
Utilizing him in the passing game worked wonders in the Week 2 victory over Detroit as Jones caught six targets, turning them into 48 yards and three touchdowns. He was less involved against the 49ers as Adams stole the show but should feature heavily in this week’s game plan should Rodgers find himself under pressure from the Steelers and needing to get the ball out quickly.
Jones is a vital red zone weapon for the Packers and his treble against the Lions means he’s now scored six touchdowns in his last six home games.
Najee Harris over 36.5 receiving yards (-114)
Rookie running back Najee Harris was Roethlisberger’s security blanket in the Bengals mauling, the first-round draft pick being targeted 19 times in the game as the Steelers quarterback constantly went for the check down option.
With the Steelers rushing attack ranking last in the league and showing no signs of improvement, offensive coordinator Matt Canada is having to find new ways to get the best out of Harris and we should expect to see him involved heavily in the passing game once more.
The return to action of Johnson could limit his target share but that’s counteracted by JuJu Smith-Schuster’s likely absence due to a rib injury. The Packers had a tough time keeping the Saints’ Alvin Kamara under wraps in Week 1 and Harris will hope to be as effective when he faces Green Bay.
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