The Green Bay Packers defense has been having issues stopping the running game all season long under defensive coordinator Joe Barry, and those problems returned against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The rush defense was one of the reasons why Green Bay lost to Pittsburgh 23-19 on Sunday afternoon.
Packers fans were once again voicing their displeasure about him on Twitter. In this game, Jaylen Warren led the Steelers in rushing with 101 yards on 15 carries and one touchdown. Najee Harris also rushed for 82 yards on 16 carries and one touchdown for Pittsburgh.
Those two players carried the Pittsburgh Steelers offense on Sunday afternoon against the Green Bay Packers defense. Kenny Pickett also rushed for 16 yards on four carries, and Calvin Austin III also had six yards rushing on one carry. Green Bay won’t be able to stop the run until they get their act together on the defensive side of the ball.
The passing defense for the Packers this season has been way better than the rush defense. One of the things they will have to address in the offseason is a run-stopper. It also didn’t help that Quay Walker was inactive on Sunday and so was Jaire Alexander.
The Pittsburgh Steelers Game is the Latest Example of How the Green Bay Packers May Have Trouble Against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 11
Just like with Pittsburgh using a 2-running back system, the Los Angeles Chargers will also use the same thing. Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley are the top two tailbacks on the Chargers roster. Ekeler has rushed for 332 yards and four touchdowns this season, and Kelley has rushed for 339 yards and two touchdowns this season.
They both will pose problems for the Green Bay Packers rush defense once again. They hope maybe Quay Walker will return for that Week 11 matchup, but we will see how the week goes on with that one. The Pittsburgh Steelers continued to show the Packers’ fatal flaw on the defensive side of the football during the 2023 NFL regular season.
Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren were having their way against Green Bay’s defense on Sunday. If the Packers’ defense doesn’t stop Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley next week, the same result will happen at the end of the day for them.
