Good afternoon, everyone. On Sunday, the Green Bay Packers will take on the Washington Commanders at FedEx Field. For the Packers, this is an absolute “get right” game after having lost two consecutive games for the first time under head coach Matt LaFleur. There is no excuse for Green Bay on Sunday. They need to win this game by a wide margin against a struggling Washington team. I’m here to share my thoughts on what they need to do (with a whole bunch of heart and determination) to get it done. Without further delay, let’s get started.
On offense, it all starts with the offensive line. To be blunt, the O-Line hasn’t performed well at times this season. David Bakhtiari is playing solid at left tackle, while Elgton Jenkins is out of place and struggling at right tackle. By far, the weakest position of the O-Line is right guard. Royce Newman and Jake Hanson need to be glorified benchwarmers. Josh Myers, in my opinion, will improve at center as the season goes along. Jon Runyan, Jr. has had some good and bad moments as well. I think that part of the reason for the O-Line’s decline in quality is the movement of Adam Stenavich to offensive coordinator. I’m not saying that he should go back to OL coach only. What I do think needs to happen is for Stenavich to be in the OL room almost exclusively since it’s Matt LaFleur who is calling the offensive plays (with some Aaron Rodgers input). In my opinion, the offensive line should be, from left to right: David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Jon Runyan, Jr (or Zach Tom), and Yosh Nijman. Regardless of whether that lineup happens or not, the O-Linemen need to do a great job against a Washington defensive front that is pretty good, even without Chase Young (who is still recovering from an ACL injury that he suffered last season at FedEx Field). If the blocking is better, then it can give Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon plenty of running room. Speaking of Aaron Jones, he needs to get at least 15-20 rushing attempts per game. He’s the Packers’ most explosive player when given the chances. He has to be the workhorse for this Packers offense not just in the running game, but in the passing game as well. Matt LaFleur needs to come up with creative ways to get Jones involved early and often. Considering that the receiving corps is banged up and inexperienced, I wouldn’t be surprised if Jones and Dillon get a good percentage of Aaron Rodgers’ passes. Outside of the running backs, Rodgers needs to focus on throwing to the open man, whether it be Romeo Doubs, Allen Lazard, Amari Rodgers, Robert Tonyan, or Marcedes Lewis. Rodgers also needs to avoid throwing hero balls when faced with a third or fourth and short situation or in crunch time. Hopefully the offensive line gives Rodgers plenty of time to find an open man. Obviously, the receivers need to do their part in terms of running their routes and catching each pass. Matt LaFleur also needs to come up with ways to get those receivers open. Most importantly, the Packers need to sustain long drives that end in touchdowns while avoiding any turnovers and penalties. I think that the offensive line will play a huge role in whether the Packers achieve this goal or not on Sunday against Washington. I have hope that they will bounce back in a big way and help the Packers defense by giving them some rest.
Speaking of the defense, the key for them is to make the Washington offense one-dimensional. The Packers defensive front, which includes Kenny Clark, Preston Smith (who is making his first trip to FedEx Field ever since he signed with Green Bay in 2019), Rashan Gary, Jarran Reed, TJ Slaton, and Dean Lowry need to get off their blockers and tackle the ball carrier for minimum yardage. In addition to them, guys like De’Vondre Campbell and Quay Walker need to make the tackles if the runner gets past the D-Line. Not only does the defense have to focus on keeping the running backs in check, but it needs to keep Taylor Heinicke from scrambling all over them like he did last season at Lambeau Field. The defense needs to keep him in the pocket all game long. Also, the pass rush needs to get to him early and often and frustrate him. I have hope that the Packers can get at least 3 sacks on Sunday and force Heinicke to throw passes that can easily be intercepted. The defensive backs, including Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, Eric Stokes, Darnell Savage, and Adrian Amos need to cover the receivers well. DC Joe Barry needs to play more press man to take advantage of their ability (especially with Jaire) to blanket the pass catchers, which include Terry McLaurin. Most importantly, the Packers defense needs to be aggressive and make sure that Washington doesn’t sustain long drives on offense. I also hope that the Packers can get any turnover on defense, whether it be a strip sack or a pick six. I feel like that this is the easiest opposing offense left in the season (other than the Bears) that the Packers have on the rest of their schedule. If the defense struggles against Washington, then all heck will break loose.
On Special Teams, the key for the Packers to do is to avoid mistakes that can impact a game. For example, the Packers allowed a field goal and a punt to get blocked last week against the Jets. The line protecting the kicks needs to do a much better job than that in order to keep each kick from suffering that fate. Jack Coco, who needs to snap each ball accurately, needs to do his part in that. Pat O’Donnell needs to catch each snap by Coco and secure the hold for Mason Crosby to kick the ball. When he is called upon, O’Donnell needs to pin Washington deep in their own territory. Crosby needs to make each field goal and PAT attempt that isn’t blocked (which hopefully doesn’t happen again). Whoever is returning punts needs to make good decisions with the football. If there is an opportunity for a long return, he needs to follow the blocks and evade defenders for a big gain (and hope that there’s no bogus penalty). If an opportunity like that is not possible, then he needs to secure the fair catch. On the other side, the coverage unit needs to make sure that there are no long returns by Washington. The easiest way to avoid long kick returns is for Mason Crosby to kick each ball out of the end zone for a touchback. I’m sure that Pat O’Donnell is able to punt almost every ball deep in Washington territory and out of bounds so no return is possible. I have no doubt that there will be a bounce back performance by Rich Bisaccia’s unit on Sunday.
Overall, I hope that the Packers play with heart, determination, and enthusiasm on Sunday. This should be a game that they win by double digits. I know that it’s on the road, but there will be mostly Packers fans at that stadium. Hopefully those fans get to watch a dominant performance on Sunday. I pray that no player gets injured on Sunday, regardless of the team. I’ll be back on Monday or Tuesday with my postgame thoughts. Have a great weekend, everyone. Go Pack Go!
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