Good afternoon, everyone. On Sunday afternoon, the Green Bay Packers will take on the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. This is the first game after the bye week, and I hope that the Packers are ready to go on Sunday against one of the worst teams in football. Let’s get into detail about what the Packers need to do to win the game against Denver (would be only the second win at Denver all time for Green Bay).
On offense, the Packers need to have a balanced attack. The running game needs to focus on Aaron Jones from start to finish. Jones should be good to go for this game after being out for a couple of weeks basically (he played sparingly against Detroit and missed the game at Las Vegas). It is up to the offensive line, which includes Elgton Jenkins, Zach Tom, and (hopefully) Yosh Nijman, to win the battle of the trenches and create the holes for Jones and the other running backs to run through. It is then up to the running backs to follow those holes and either evade or run over defenders on their way to sizable gains each play. As for the types of run plays that should be called, they need to be runs out of single back or I-Formation so that the backs have a running start unlike from shotgun where the back stays mostly still before the ball gets handed off to him. Stuff like end arounds and option plays should not be in the game plan as those have mostly failed to gain yards. In fact, those plays have messed up drives by going for a loss of 5 yards, like during a potential touchdown drive against the Raiders in Week 5. Running the ball well (with Jones specifically) can help set up the play action passing game. The defense that the Packers are facing is pretty much the worst defense in terms of everything, including passing. After a couple of iffy performances the past two games, Jordan Love should have a great game against the Broncos defense as long as the offensive line protects him from any pressures. As long as he is protected, he should have time to throw to plenty of receivers, including the running backs, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, Jayden Reed, and Luke Musgrave. The throws by Love need to be accurate, and the receivers need to run their routes well and catch each pass that isn’t a throwaway. In terms of the types of passes, they need to be consistent plays that go past the line of scrimmage. I’m not a fan of passes that go behind the line of scrimmage. Love should not be restricted to doing those passes every game. Most of the time, those passes are either thrown short or go for nothing. I do hope that a deep pass to Christian Watson is completed for a touchdown at some point this season. With the Broncos having the worst pass defense in football, I think that it’s entirely possible for that to happen. Most importantly, the Packers need to play consistently good football on offense for all four quarters. Doing good on the early downs and avoiding turnovers and penalties will help the Packers win the time of possession battle and sustain long drives. Those drives should end in a touchdown each time, especially inside the red zone. As long as the game plan is good and the players execute it well, the Packers should be able to put up over 30 (maybe 40) points against the Denver defense, which gave up 70 points to the Dolphins in Week 3.
On defense, the Packers need to make the Broncos one-dimensional on offense. The running backs need to be kept in check by the Packers defensive front, which includes Kenny Clark, Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, and Lukas Van Ness among others (hopefully Quay Walker is able to play). That defense should get past the blockers and tackle the ball carrier for minimum yards. The defensive front should have at least 3 D-Linemen on every play to not have a major opening for the backs. If the running game is kept in check, then the pass rush can get after Russell Wilson, who I think is not a good quarterback anymore. The Packers should get at least 4 sacks on Wilson and pressure him to throw easy interceptions to the likes of Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, Rudy Ford, or anyone else that has an opportunity to pick a pass off. The receivers need to be covered well by Jaire, Rasul, and the rest of the defensive backs (NOT BY PASS RUSHERS). Most importantly, the Packers defense needs to keep Denver from getting into a rhythm on offense. Forcing any type of turnover, sacking Wilson, and tackling the running backs for a loss on early downs can help the Packers win the time of possession battle and give the Packers offense more opportunities to score points. This defense needs to play well for all 4 quarters, especially against an offense that has been struggling so far this season even with a new coach in Sean Payton (who used to coach the Saints). As long as the players execute their assignments and not be put in awful situations where they give up an easy play, the Packers defense should play well on Sunday.
On Special Teams, the Packers need to avoid mistakes that could give the Broncos extra momentum. An example would be giving up a huge kick or punt return to Denver. To keep this from happening, the coverage unit needs to make sure that the returner is tackled solidly for minimum gain. A way to keep this from potentially happening would be for Anders Carlson to kick the ball out of the end zone for a touchback or for Daniel Whelon to punt the ball deep into Broncos territory and out of bounds. On the other side, I hope that Keisean Nixon can take a kickoff to the house for a touchdown. If there is not an opportunity for a big return like that, Nixon needs to let the ball go for a touchback. When he has the ball, the blockers need to make it possible for Nixon to go all the way without committing a holding or block in the back penalty. Most importantly, the return man (Nixon or Jayden Reed) needs to hold onto the ball during the return. On punts, each fair catch needs to be caught cleanly with no mess ups. If the ball is bouncing on the ground, any Packers player needs to stay away from the ball and let it bounce out of bounds or let any Broncos player down it. During field goal and extra point attempts, the long snapper needs to snap the ball accurately to the holder, who is usually Daniel Whelon. Whelon needs to catch the ball and set it up with the laces facing the goalpost. It is then up to Anders Carlson to make each kick, as long as the linemen keep anyone from blocking it. On punts, Whelon needs to catch the ball cleanly and punt it deep into Denver territory when he is called upon (which is hopefully no times on Sunday). The Packers should be ready for any tricks that the Broncos pull on Special Teams (and in general). As long as mistakes are avoided, I am sure that the Special Teams unit will play well.
Overall, this game should be a win for the Packers. The Broncos are one of the worst teams in football, and Green Bay needs to play well for all four quarters on all sides of the ball. They can’t avoid to shoot themselves in the foot against this team, even though the game is in Denver. Regardless of the outcome, I pray that everyone on both teams stay healthy throughout the entire game. I’ll be back for my recap on either Monday or Tuesday. Have a great weekend, everyone. Go Pack Go!
Comments