GREEN BAY – Two notable pieces of history will be on the line Sunday night when the Packers take on the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium, but only one of them can happen.
Either the Packers will get their first win in Pittsburgh in 55 years, or Aaron Rodgers will become the fifth starting quarterback to beat all 32 teams in the league.
So let's examine those one at a time.
Regarding Green Bay's recent history in Pittsburgh, it's been a long struggle. The Packers' last win there came in 1970, with none other than Bart Starr at quarterback.
That game actually featured two future Hall of Famer QBs in Starr and Terry Bradshaw, only the rookie Bradshaw came off the bench in relief of Terry Hanratty and had a most forgettable performance. The eventual four-time Super Bowl-winning QB completed just three of 20 passes and threw four interceptions.
The game began with Wisconsin native and St. Norbert college alum Larry Krause taking the opening kickoff 100 yards for a Green Bay touchdown. Just after halftime, Bradshaw had his lone highlight, connecting with Dave Smith for an 87-yard TD to give the Steelers a brief 9-6 lead.
As the two teams combined for 10 turnovers, Starr was 14-of-32 for 235 yards with two TDs and two INTs in the 20-12 triumph.
Since then, the Packers have played in Pittsburgh six times, with six different starting QBs, and lost every game. Lynn Dickey, Randy Wright, Brett Favre, Rodgers, Brett Hundley and Jordan Love have all had opportunities there and come up short, but not without their share of heartbreaks.
In 1980, the first points of the game were a safety for Pittsburgh when a Green Bay punt snap from the 28-yard line sailed over punter David Beverly's head and bounced all the way through the end zone. The final score? Steelers 22, Packers 20.
In 1998, on a Monday night, the Packers rallied from a 27-3 deficit in the fourth quarter to get within 27-20, but Jerome Bettis ran for 12 yards on third-and-5 to help kill the clock, and Favre didn't get the ball back one final time.
In 2009, future Hall of Famers Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger orchestrated a shootout, combining for nearly 900 passing yards and six TDs. Rodgers got the Packers the lead with two minutes left, but Roethlisberger got the ball last, driving the Steelers 86 yards and hitting Mike Wallace for a 19-yard TD on the final play of the game. The PAT gave the Steelers a 37-36 triumph.
In 2017, Hundley was subbing for an injured Rodgers on a Sunday night and fought valiantly, driving the Packers for the tying TD with two minutes to go. Both teams failed on their next drives, and Roethlisberger again got the ball last with 17 seconds left. A 23-yard toe-tap catch by Antonio Brown set up Chris Boswell's walk-off 53-yard field goal.
And just two years ago, Love was intercepted in the end zone with 3½ minutes left, and then on a final desperation drive – unable to kick a tying field goal due to a missed extra point that left the Packers trailing by four, 23-19 – his last-ditch shot at the end zone also was picked off.
Of course it's now the Packers' own franchise legend at QB, who lost his only game in Pittsburgh while with Green Bay, trying to prevent his former team from ending this ignominious streak.
In the same breath, Rodgers is also trying to join Favre, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Tom Brady as the only quarterbacks to beat all 32 NFL teams.
Favre was the first to do it with the Vikings' win over the Packers in 2009. Manning was next when his Broncos beat the Colts in 2014. Brees, who actually beat the Saints early in his career when he was the Chargers QB, chalked off the Ravens as his 32nd victim in 2018. And last but not least Brady, with the Buccaneers, beat the Patriots in 2021.
For the record, three other active QBs like Rodgers have beaten 31 teams and need to defeat one more. Patrick Mahomes has never faced the Chiefs, Russell Wilson lost in his only attempt to beat the Seahawks, and Matthew Stafford has never beaten the Steelers despite three tries.
Rodgers hasn't said much about the potential milestone this week, mostly revealing how much more this game would mean to him if it were at Lambeau Field.
But because it's in Pittsburgh, either he gets to make some history, or the Packers will break a long drought. Somethin's gotta give.
