For the first time since 1970, the Green Bay Packers have won a football game in Pittsburgh. To put that in perspective, the last time the Green and Gold left the Steel City with a victory, Bart Starr was still under center.

It was a tale of two halves on Sunday night. Green Bay struck first for a 7-3 lead, but the offense went cold the rest of the half. Brandon McManus missed two field goals, and Pittsburgh made them pay, taking a 16-7 lead into the break.

In the second half, Green Bay’s offense finally woke up, erupting for 28 points while Pittsburgh managed just nine. The Packers turned a nine-point halftime deficit into a 10-point victory — their largest comeback win from a 9+ point halftime deficit since 1982, according to ESPN Research.

The Packers played their most complete second half of the season, and several performances stood out. With that in mind, here are three key takeaways from Green Bay’s triumph in Pittsburgh.

1 – Jordan Love continues to prove he belongs in the conversation among the league’s elite quarterbacks

On Sunday, Jordan Love completed over 20 consecutive passes, threw for more than 350 yards, delivered three or more touchdown passes, had zero turnovers and took no sacks. No other quarterback in NFL history has ever accomplished all of that in a single game.

Through seven games, Love is putting up elite numbers: 70.7% completion rate for 256.8 yards per game, with 13 touchdowns to just 2 interceptions and a 111.3 passer rating. He ranks in the top three in EPA per play, total EPA and success rate. Among QBs with at least 20 attempts, he leads in passer rating and completion rate on intermediate throws (10–19 yards) and ranks second in yards per attempt.

For context, in the same category last season, he was 26th in passer rating, 30th in completion rate and 12th in YPA.

In primetime this season, Love has been spectacular: 70.6% completion rate, 989 yards, 8 touchdowns with 0 interceptions, 8.9 yards per attempt and a 122.0 passer rating. When the lights are bright, he delivers, and any attempt to downplay his performance says more about certain fans and analysts than it does about how well he’s actually been playing.

2 – Tucker Kraft has become one of the league’s most underrated players

Throughout the week, the NFL’s X account shared posters for National Tight Ends Day, highlighting some of the league’s top tight ends — but Tucker Kraft was nowhere to be found. Naturally, he responded by putting on a monster performance in front of the national audience.

Kraft hauled in seven of nine targets for 143 yards and two touchdowns. Heading into Monday Night Football, he led all other tight ends by 66 yards in Week 8. Green Bay’s offense clicks when he’s the focal point — and it needs to stay that way.

Last year, the Packers averaged over 26 points per game whenever Kraft saw at least six targets. This season, he ranks among the top five tight ends in the league in total yards, yards per catch, receiving grade, yards after the catch, yards after catch per reception, yards per route run and passer rating when targeted.

“We’d be crazy not to,” Matt LaFleur said post-game on the potential of building the Packers’ offense around Tucker Kraft. “He was a beast. He was a man possessed. You’ve just got to find ways to get him the ball.”

Is Kraft going to get more respect moving forward? Probably. But honestly, I still believe he won’t appear on many top-three tight end lists — a spot where he has clearly earned at least a serious discussion.

3 – Carrington Valentine needs to be a starter

Valentine actually opened the season with 76 snaps in Week 1 and 50 in Week 2 while Nate Hobbs was recovering from injury. Since then, however, his playing time has steadily decreased.

Keisean Nixon and Hobbs have been starting on the outside, but Valentine is a far more efficient boundary corner than Hobbs. Hobbs has played over 76% of the snaps on the outside, and quarterbacks targeting him have a passer rating over 127.0 with a 65% completion rate.

By no means has Valentine been a perfect defensive back. He’s allowed a 115.1 passer rating when targeted and three touchdowns, but he’s also made more plays on the outside when called upon — including a huge one in the end zone against DK Metcalf.

"I thought, all in all, he showed physicality,” Matt LaFleur said about Valentine’s performance against the Steelers. “He was challenging guys. There was just no gimmes. I thought that was big time."

Week 7 defensive snap count (76 total) saw Hobbs on the field for all 76 snaps, while Valentine played just 2. In Week 8 (63 total), the roles flipped: Hobbs saw only 4 snaps, and Valentine took 62.

On Monday, LaFleur said the cornerback position will remain a competition, and the team still has faith in Hobbs despite benching him for Valentine. That competition also includes Nixon. Moreover, he added that he was pleased with how Valentine competed on Sunday.

Hobbs was a productive cornerback with the Las Vegas Raiders, primarily playing in the slot, where he spent most of his career. It’s time for Green Bay to let him play to his strengths, which means moving him inside. That also opens the door to move Valentine to the outside, where he’s a more effective player than Hobbs and can make a bigger impact on the defense.