The Pittsburgh Steelers are gearing up for a huge primetime showdown Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers, featuring Aaron Rodgers facing his former team for the first time. With a win, Rodgers would join the elite group of quarterbacks to have beaten every NFL team in his career.
It is a clash between two of the league’s most storied franchises, and all eyes will be on this matchup. After last week’s tough loss to the Bengals, Pittsburgh is looking to bounce back, and they will get a major boost on offense with Calvin Austin returning from a shoulder injury.
Pittsburgh Steelers WR Calvin Austin III returns from shoulder injury vs. Green Bay Packers
With the way both defenses performed last week, Sunday night’s matchup could turn into a shootout between the master, Aaron Rodgers, and his former apprentice, Jordan Love. For the Steelers, this could be a game where the offense needs to keep pace, and the return of a key playmaker could not come at a better time.
Calvin Austin is set to return after missing time since Week 4 against the Vikings. During his absence, the Steelers leaned heavily on multiple tight end sets, using all four tight ends in the passing game to make up for their limited wide receiver depth.
That approach worked, helping the running game and keeping defenses guessing, but now with Austin’s elite speed back in the lineup, Arthur Smith’s playbook just opened up even more.
Roman Wilson stepped up in Austin’s absence, delivering a strong performance against the Bengals. Now, with both Austin and Wilson available, along with DK Metcalf, Smith has the flexibility to get creative, blending the effective heavy personnel packages with deep threats that can stretch the field. Defenses will have to respect the speed of Metcalf and Austin while still being prepared for the amount of power looks that fuel the run game.
Do not be surprised if Austin lines up as the lone receiver in some jumbo sets, giving the Steelers the option to take a few deep shots or draw safeties out of the box. Even if he is not featured heavily, Austin’s presence alone changes how defenses line up, and his big-play ability adds a valuable dimension to the passing attack.
Expect Austin to carve out a meaningful role in this one, as his run after catch ability and speed could be exactly what the Steelers need in what is shaping up to be a high scoring primetime matchup.