Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson had a breakout performance for the Green Bay Packers in their 45-27 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday. Johnson led the Packers with 68 yards rushing on 14 carries (4.9 yards per carry) and one touchdown, which was his first career TD.

Johnson received the game ball for the win. Overall, the Packers rushed for 129 yards on 32 carries (4.0 average) and two touchdowns against New England.

Johnson had a message for Aaron Rodgers after his banner day when speaking about Jordan Love.

“I’ve had two good quarterbacks, Aaron and him, but I like Jordan better,” Johnson said.

Rodgers is notorious for being tough on young players. That very much was the case for Johnson.

“I learned a lot from him. It was just overall little things he always talked about that I’d be messing up on,” Johnson told the Green Bay media in Sept. 1. “The play would go on, I’d remember it, and he’d slap my hand, ‘Good job … Very [hard on young players], I experienced during training camp, so I know.”

The Steelers traded a 2028 sixth-round draft pick to Green Bay in exchange for Johnson on Aug. 30.

Johnson, a former third-round pick out of Iowa, entered training camp hoping to establish himself as a key part of Pittsburgh’s running back rotation. Instead, a disappointing preseason and a lack of contributions on special teams ultimately left him on the outside looking in.

The Steelers entered the offseason with high hopes for Johnson after selecting him in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. His college production at Iowa made him an intriguing developmental option behind Jaylen Warren, but Johnson struggled to carve out a consistent role during his rookie season.

In Week 2 last season, Johnson let a kickoff bounce past him into the end zone, assuming it would result in a touchback, and he ran toward the sideline as Seahawks running back George Holani fell onto the ball, resulting in a touchdown and a 24-14 Seattle lead.

Johnson feels like he never recovered from that mishap.

That’s in the past now, however. He’s just focused on the fresh start with the Packers.

“I just feel like, at first, it was my mental errors that really killed it for me. I feel like that kickoff killed me, and I just feel like, from there on, it was just downhill from there,” Johnson said via John Miller of NBC26. “I give all respect to the Steelers for giving me a chance and drafting me. But, it’s Go Pack, go now, so let’s go.”

So far, things have gone pretty smoothly for Johnson with his new team.