Good evening, everyone. On Saturday night, the Green Bay Packers will take on the Carolina Panthers at Lambeau Field. Even though the Panthers don’t have a winning record, they should not be taken lightly by Green Bay at all. The Packers still need to play with 100% effort on every facet of the game. Let’s go into detail on what Green Bay needs to do to win on Saturday night.
On offense, the key for the Packers is to have a balanced attack of run and pass. It all starts with the offensive linemen (including David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, and Billy Turner), who need to create the holes for the running backs to run through. Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams, and (hopefully) AJ Dillon should have no problem following the blocks and running for plenty of yards throughout the game. If the Packers are able to run the ball well (which I think they will), then there will be less pressure on QB Aaron Rodgers and the receivers to carry the load for Green Bay. Regardless, Aaron Rodgers needs to continue throwing accurate passes to any target, which might include running backs in creative play calls from Matt LaFleur. The receivers (who include Davante Adams, Robert Tonyan, Allen Lazard, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling) need to catch every pass that is thrown by Rodgers (other than throwaways) without any drops. Any production in the passing game is not possible without the O-Line protecting Rodgers from any pressures by the Panthers defense, which includes Brian Bush. I think that this will be yet another game where the Packers put up at least 35 points on the opposing defense, as long as they don’t turn the ball over. Avoiding turnovers (plus penalties) can help Green Bay win the time of possession battle and score plenty of touchdowns on offense (especially in the red zone). As long as mistakes are avoided, I think that the offense will have a great game on Saturday night (which can put pressure on Carolina to come back).
On defense, the key for Green Bay is to make the Panthers one-dimensional on offense. The way to do that is by keeping the running game in check. Even though the Panthers will not have Christian McCaffrey for this game, the Packers can’t sleep on Mike Davis, who has played well for Carolina in McCaffrey’s absence. It is up to the defensive front, which includes Kenny Clark, Rashan Gary, and Za’Darius Smith, to stop Mike Davis (and Teddy Bridgewater on occasion) for minimal gain without missing any tackles. Any missed tackles might turn a normal play into a chunk play for the Panthers on offense, both on run and pass plays. If the Packers defense can limit the impact of the run game, then they can get after Teddy Bridgewater and frustrate him. Like some quarterbacks, Bridgewater can scramble away from the pocket if he is given room. It is up to the pass rush to keep him in the pocket and not allow any of those scrambles. Any pressure can force the QB to throw errant passes that can be easily intercepted by anyone in the secondary, which includes Jaire Alexander, Adrian Amos, and Darnell Savage. In other situations, the secondary needs to make sure that the Carolina receivers (who include DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel) have no easy catches, especially down the middle of the field. It should not be up to the linebackers to help cover any of the fast receivers at all. What should also not happen defensively is giving up big plays on little screen passes, which has happened a few times this season. As always, the defense can help the Packers win the time of possession battle by forcing the Panthers to punt on most of their possessions. If Carolina gets into the red zone, the defense needs to hold them to field goals instead of letting them score touchdowns. I think that the Packers will force a couple of turnovers on Saturday night against the Panthers (hopefully another pick-six). I have plenty of confidence that the Packers will get the key stops on defense to help them get win number 11.
On Special Teams, all the Packers need to do is not allow any big plays that can give the Panthers momentum in this game. A great example of this is a long kick or punt return that puts them in field goal range, which happened last week against Detroit. At least after that one, the Packers defense held the Lions to a field goal. There should not be a situation where the coverage unit is nowhere near the returner on these plays. If there is a situation where JK Scott or Mason Crosby needs to stop the returner from going all the way for a touchdown, then they can’t whiff on the tackle and make themselves look silly. I really hope that there is not anything like that for the rest of the season. I also hope that Tavon Austin can have a good game with the punt and kick returns (in addition to any contributions on offense). If there is not a chance for a big return, he just needs to be careful with the football and avoid fumbling it. When he is called upon, Mason Crosby should continue making every field goal and extra point kick (even though he has missed a couple of PATs this year). If he is called upon, JK Scott needs to punt each ball deep into Carolina territory with no chance for a big return (punting out of bounds can help as well). The field goals and punt can’t happen properly without Hunter Bradley’s accurate snaps or the line protecting the kicks from getting blocked. As long as no big mistakes are made, I think that the Packers will be fine on Saturday night when it comes to Special Teams.
Even though the Panthers are not going to make the playoffs with their record at 4-9 so far, the Packers cannot take them lightly on Saturday night (even at home). As long as they play with full effort without major mistakes, I think that the Packers will improve their record to 11-3 on the season. No matter what happens, I hope that the game is played with no additional injuries or COVID-19 cases for either team. I will be here for the recap of the game, regardless of the outcome. Have a good night, everyone. Go Pack Go!
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