Good morning, everyone. On Sunday afternoon, the Green Bay Packers will take on the Carolina Panthers at Lambeau Field. As always, I am here to give you my thoughts on what the Packers need to do to win on Sunday. Let’s get right into it.
On offense, the key for the Packers is to get to a fast start in terms of scoring points. Even though the Panthers have a very good pass defense, they have given up over 130 rushing yards per game. Considering the fact that it will be a cold weather game at Lambeau, I think that the running back duo of Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams will run the ball down the defense’s throat. This should tire out the Panthers’ pass rushers and set up the play-action passing game. What can help the offense accomplish this is the offensive linemen creating the holes and avoiding silly pre-snap penalties. Those penalties forced the offense into long second and third down situations last week against the Chargers. As a result, the offense didn’t get the run game going at all. As long as those penalties are avoided, the Packers should be able to establish the running game. For the passing game, it’s up to Aaron Rodgers to throw the ball accurately to plenty of targets, including Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, Jake Kumerow, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and the backs (Jones, Williams, and Danny Vitale). The receivers, in turn, need to catch every pass that is thrown by Rodgers. All of this is possible if the offensive line is able to protect Rodgers from any sacks or pressures. Converting third downs and avoiding turnovers are always important for the Packers to sustain long drives on offense. In the red zone, touchdowns need to be scored on offense to put more pressure on Carolina to answer back. If everything goes well in terms of the game plan, I think that this game will be dominated by the running game.
There is no question on who is the guy to look out for if you are the Packers defense. That one guy is Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey. This guy is the main reason why the Panthers are 5-3 even without Cam Newton. It is going to be tough to stop him. He is going to get his yards, but it‘s up to the Packers defense to limit the amount of yards per play. Tackling is key for Green Bay, as they can’t afford to have any broken tackles. These tackles also can’t be after a play went over 8 yards past the line of scrimmage. In addition to his rushing ability, McCaffrey is also a great weapon in the passing game. He can’t be covered one-on-one against a linebacker, as he is too fast for some of them to cover him. When there is an opportunity to pressure QB Kyle Allen, the Packers need to make the most of it. The duo of Za’Darius and Preston Smith have 16.5 combined sacks on the season (8.5 for Za’Darius, 8 for Preston). They can’t be the only ones getting consistent pressure on the quarterback. Guys like Kyler Fackrell and Kenny Clark need to get in on the action as well. If the defense can get this done, then Kyle Allen May be forced to throw the ball earlier than intended. This can result in easy interceptions for the defensive backs (who include Jaire Alexander and Kevin King). Another way to frustrate the QB is to cover the receivers and tight ends well. These targets for Kyle Allen include DJ Moore, Curtis Samuel and Greg Olsen. The defense can‘t allow easy catches at any point in the game. They also need to tackle the receivers for as little YAC (yards after catch) as possible. Third down stops are crucial for the Packers defense, especially when the Panthers are in third and 10-plus yards. If Carolina is able to get in the red zone, the Packers defense needs to force the Panthers to settle for field goals. The Packers also need to get back to getting turnovers, whether they be interceptions or strip-sacks. It will be a tough task for the Packers on defense (especially with regards to McCaffrey), but I think they will be up to the challenge on Sunday.
Special Teams needs to perform a lot better than what happened the previous week. Specifically, they need to keep the punts from being blocked and get a lot better on punt returns. What can fix the first problem is better protection for JK Scott after the ball is snapped by Hunter Bradley. What can fix the second is better blocking on the punt returns and avoiding silly penalties, which can even happen on a fair catch. As always, the returns need to be covered well to avoid momentum-changing plays. Hopefully Tremon Smith can break out a kick return for a touchdown. With the cold weather, it’s very important for JK Scott to make sure that his punts still flip the field and give the Panthers bad field position. When he is called upon, Mason Crosby needs to make all of his field goals and extra point kicks. Hunter Bradley needs to do his part in snapping the ball accurately. I think that the Packers will be up to the task on Special Teams, especially at home.
If the Packers do these things, then they will win against the Panthers and go to the bye week with an 8-2 record. After last week’s outing, I am sure that the Packers will bounce back at Lambeau Field for a victory. Look for my post-game thoughts on either Sunday night or Monday morning. Have a great day, everyone. Go Pack Go!
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