Can Pittsburgh extend its five-game winning streak?

The Pittsburgh Steelers have won their last five games and have looked like one of the best teams in the league over that stretch. The Green Bay Packers’ season has fallen to shambles since the injury to Aaron Rodgers. The Packers will look to salvage any chance of a playoff berth, and the Steelers will continue their quest to secure the first seed and home advantage throughout the playoffs when the teams meet at 8:30 p.m. Sunday night on NBC (live stream).

Rodgers went down in Week 6, and the Packers’ season has gone down with him. Since his injury, the Packers are 1-3 and haven’t been able to cobble together a competent offense, culminating in a shutout last week by the Ravens at Lambeau Field.

They have averaged 12.5 points per game since Week 6, which would make them the lowest scoring offense in the NFL if it were to hold for the entire season. Brett Hundley has shown little promise as an NFL quarterback. He has thrown just two touchdowns against seven interceptions and had his worst performance of the year against the Baltimore Ravens.

Le’Veon Bell leads the NFL in rushing yards with 886 yards, contributions that have helped the Steelers to rank 10th in total yards per game (357.5). Despite its yardage total, Pittsburgh has struggled to reach the end zone, ranking 13th in the NFL in points per game with 22.7. That’s because the Steelers score a touchdown on only 42.5 percent of their red-zone trips, good for the second-worst percentage in the league ahead of only the Colts. The Steelers’ red-zone woes have allowed inferior teams to stay in games longer than they should.

Time, TV channel, and streaming info

• Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
• Location: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pa.
• TV: NBC
• Stream: NBCSports.com
• Odds: The Steelers are favored by 14 points.

Packers vs. Steelers news:

• The Packers will have to learn how to convert on third down if they want to maintain and extend possessions:

In 2013, Green Bay averaged a 47 percent conversion rate on third downs with a healthy Aaron Rodgers and totaled 47 percent and 53 percent rates in the two games the team won without him.

This season, the Packers have failed to reach the 47 percent benchmark in the Rodgers-less era but pulled out a win against the Bears with a close 43 percent mark. That rate was far and away the highest percentage of any game so far, as Green Bay has consistently converted at a rate of 36 percent or less. In today’s NFL, those marks over a five-game stretch just won’t cut it. The Packers continue to be unable to sustain drives, even in third-and-short situations.

• Corey Linsley’s presence is important for keeping continuity on the offensive line:

The Green Bay Packers practiced earlier this week without starting center Corey Linsley after his back seized up on him. However, head coach Mike McCarthy said he doesn’t expect Linsley’s back to keep him sidelined during Sunday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Linsley’s back knocked him out Thursday, forcing the Packers to shuffle their offensive line just to make it through the morning practice. Justin McCray, who has played extensively at guard and tackle already this season, shifted inside to center for the first time in his career. He would start there if Linsley doesn’t recover in time to play Sunday, though that doesn’t appear likely given McCarthy’s comments.

• After winning five straight following a rocky start to the season, the Steelers have their eyes on winning another Super Bowl:

For all the troubles this team has managed to walk around this year — from slow starts to Instagram/Twitter meltdowns — to career lows in play, then chip in a healthy dose of shade being thrown Todd Haley’s way, and you’ve got your three-ring circus to be caught up in.

But in my eyes, that ship has sailed. This team has already taken what I think is its hardest punch. The Steelers have seen the worst. Barring some catastrophic injuries to the usual suspects, the dark waters traveled have built character and made this team step up its game like we haven’t seen since the 2008 season.

You know, the last season this team won a Lombardi Trophy.

• The Steelers hope to get the same result as the last time the Packers went to Heinz Field:

The last time the Steelers and Packers squared off at Heinz Field, it was one of the more ridiculous games you could imagine. In case you forget the 2009 matchup between Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers, it was the game when Roethlisberger threw for over 500 yards, including a last-second, game-winning touchdown to Mike Wallace to give Pittsburgh the 37-36 victory.

This was one of the more entertaining games you’ve probably ever seen, if you can remember it.

Can Green Bay turn around its season?

The Green Bay Packers are still in the hunt for a wild card berth if they can start to string together some victories. But they’ll need their offense to start putting some points on the scoreboard. The problem is the Steelers have one of the strongest defenses in the NFL. They have the second-most sacks in the league, and with some of the injuries to the Packers offense, it should be hunting season for the Steelers. Green Bay is going to have to work hard to keep Hundley upright in the pocket but doesn’t seem to have enough talent to do it.

Packers vs. Steelers prediction:

This has the feelings of a trap game, and Pittsburgh has to come in focused or risk being upset. The good thing for Pittsburgh is Green Bay showed no signs of life last week against the Ravens. I don’t see how Green Bay will be able to manufacture offense unless Jordy Nelson has a career night. A Steelers offense fresh off dropping 40 points on the Titans is poised for success against the Packers, so Pittsburgh should win this game with relative ease. All eight of our experts agreed in their Week 12 picks.

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