Green Bay Packers: Would They Rather Face Patriots or Steelers?
If the Green Bay Packers win in the NFC Championship Game, would the New England Patriots or Pittsburgh Steelers be the better Super Bowl matchup?
Running the table brought the Green Bay Packers this far, facing the Atlanta Falcons in the Georgia Dome on Sunday in the 2017 NFC Championship Game. These are two MVP-candidate quarterbacks going head-to-head and leading two of the leagues offenses to square off with one another. With that type of matchup and the potential for a shootout, it’s always been a toss-up as to which team will win.
However, it’s also never too soon to start looking ahead—especially considering that Super Bowl 51 is the next stop. As that’s the case, let’s assume that Aaron Rodgers and the Packers win the first Conference Championship Game of Championship Sunday. Who then would they rather meet in Houston: the New England Patriots or Pittsburgh Steelers?
If you’re just looking at the Packers porous defense, the answer would probably be “neither.” But in the interest of picking one, the matchup with the Steelers would appear to be a bit more enticing for the Green Bay defense than facing off against Tom Brady and company.
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That might seem odd to say when you look at the talent that Pittsburgh boasts on that side of the ball. After all, facing off against the Killer Bs—Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, Antonio Brown—isn’t something that defenses would volunteer to do in any setting, but especially with the Lombardi Trophy on the line.
While that’s so, the truth is that the Steelers offense has been inconsistent throughout the year. If you need any evidence of that, look no further than Pittsburgh’s Divisional Round win where they escaped despite settling for six field goals and no touchdowns. They simply have a tendency to not be able to get into an offensive rhythm at times—even if they’re exceptionally dangerous when they do get into that rhythm.
As far as the Packers offense goes and who they’d rather face, the answer then becomes the Patriots. Despite what rankings may say, the Steelers have been the better defense in the postseason and have more playmakers that scare you. New England’s first real offensive test all season will come in the AFC Championship game, which could expose what many believe is their biggest flaw that’s been hiding all season. The Steelers can rush the passer better and simply are a more fearsome unit with the way they blitz and have been performing recently.
So with the Packers defense likely preferring to play the Steelers and their offense preferring the Patriots, where does that leave them overall.
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No one should make the mistake of thinking that Green Bay thrives on anything but their offense. In every matchup, their defense is vulnerable and can be beaten. However, it’s their offense that has taken them to this point, anchored by Rodgers’ sorcery. Subsequently, having the advantage over the Patriots defense in a potential Super Bowl 51 matchup ultimately makes them the more favorable matchup for the Packers.