Good morning, everyone. On Sunday afternoon, the Green Bay Packers will take on the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. This game should be an easy win for the Packers, but anything can happen in the NFL. I am here to give you my thoughts on what the Packers need to do to get a win on Sunday. Let’s get started.
The key for the Packers on offense is to get to a fast start in this game. That means that the Packers need to avoid any mistakes that could cost them field position and the football. If they can get a touchdown on their first couple of possessions, then their chances of winning will be very good. With the weather being predicted as plenty of snow and rain, this game is a perfect opportunity to unleash Aaron Jones. I get that head coach Matt LaFleur wants to still have a balance with him and Jamaal Williams. With all due respect to Williams, I think that Aaron Jones makes this offense a lot better when he is the featured back. However, he can’t be able to run the ball effectively without the offensive line creating the holes for him (and Williams) to run through. For the passing game, I think that the receivers (who include Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, Jake Kumerow and Marquez Valdes-Scantling) will have a bounce-back game against a Giants defense that is ranked 27th in passing yards allowed per game. They need to run their routes right and catch every pass thrown by QB Aaron Rodgers, even in the snow and rain. It would be a bonus if the running backs are utilized in the passing game as well. For Rodgers, he needs to find the open guy and not hold the ball for too long. He did plenty of that last week, despite having some guys open. As long as he finds the open receiver, then everything should go as planned for the Packers. The offensive line needs to do its job in protecting Aaron Rodgers from any sacks or pressures, unlike last week against the 49ers. In order to sustain long drives and win the time of possession battle, the Packers need to convert third downs on offense (especially manageable ones). Touchdowns need to be scored in the red zone in order to put more pressure on the Giants to answer back. Turnovers need to be avoided at all costs, as they can give the Giants momentum in the game. Doing all of these things on offense will help the Packers win on Sunday.
Even with the weather favoring the running game, it’s up to the Packers defense to make sure that Saquon Barkley does not run all over them. If they can keep Barkley in check, then they can get after rookie quarterback Daniel Jones and make life miserable for him. Even if the defense doesn’t get the sack every time, pressuring Daniel Jones will make him force some throws that could be easily intercepted by the defensive backs (who include Jaire Alexander, Darnell Savage, and Kevin King). It will help that Golden Tate and Evan Engram will not play on Sunday due to injury. With that said, the defense can’t let anybody get open on Sunday, especially over the middle of the field. What can help the defenders cover the receivers better is by them knowing their assignments on every play and making sure that there is no miscommunication at all. The defense needs to stop the Giants on every third down that they face (especially ones over 10 yards). In the red zone, the defense needs to force the Giants to settle for field goals and not let them score touchdowns. After not getting a turnover in 2 of the last 3 games (those 2 games were both losses), I think that the defense will get a few takeaways on Sunday against the Giants. They can get these turnovers in a number of ways, including strip-sacks of Daniel Jones and interceptions. Regardless of how they do it, any turnover will give the Packers more chances to score points on offense. Doing all of these things on defense will help the Packers win the game on Sunday.
I think that the Special Teams unit will do better than in previous weeks in a number of ways. First, the punt return game should be productive in terms of getting positive yards on the returns, as long as there are no penalties during the return. On the other side, the returns (both kickoff and punt) need to be covered well by the Packers in order to avoid momentum-changing plays. JK Scott needs to get back to flipping the field on his punts after the performance that he had against the 49ers last week. In that game, he had a couple of punts that went for fewer than 35 yards. Hopefully he can get back to punting for 50 or even 60 yards in the air. Mason Crosby needs to make all of his field goals and extra points in this game, like he has done all season long. Hunter Bradley needs to do his part in terms of snapping the ball accurately to make sure everything goes well with the punts and field goals. The Packers can’t have a punt blocked like against the 49ers. I still have hope that the Packers get a blocked punt or field goal at some point in the last 5 weeks of the regular season. The one thing that the Packers can‘t do on Special Teams is to turn the ball over at any point, including during a punt return. As long as the Packers don’t screw up on Special Teams, they will have a good chance of winning on Sunday.
If the Packers are able to do all of these things, then they will win against the Giants on Sunday and improve to 9-3 on the season. This game presents an opportunity for Green Bay to get back to their winning ways, but they can’t take this game for granted. The NFL is a week-to-week league, and the Packers need to perform at the highest level to come out of this game with a win. Regardless of the outcome, I will be back with my post-game thoughts on Monday morning. Have a great day, everyone. Go Pack Go!
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