Good afternoon, everyone. On Thursday night, the Green Bay Packers will be taking on the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. The Packers, who are 6-1, are looking to give the 7-0 Cardinals their first loss of the season. It will be a tough task on the road (and on a short week), but I believe that they can get it done. I am here to give you my thoughts on what Green Bay needs to do to win their 7th straight game. Without further delay, let’s get started.
On offense, the key for the Packers is to have a balanced attack. Last week against Washington, the Packers were not able to get the ground game going (only 57 rushing yards last week). With (potentially) both Davante Adams and Allen Lazard out due to COVID protocol, the Packers should focus more on running the football down the Arizona defense’s throat. It all depends on the offensive line, which needs to perform well in terms of creating the running lanes. Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon need to follow the holes created by the O-Line to “run to daylight” (without fumbling the ball in the process). This is a game where the running backs should at least get 15 carries each. Even if the play doesn’t result in a lot of yards, the offense needs to stay focused on the run game. With Adams and Lazard both potentially out (Lazard definitely out), I wouldn’t be surprised to see the running backs get utilized in the passing game as well. I am sure that Matt LaFleur will draw up a few plays to get the backs used effectively as receivers, including screen passes and (maybe) wheel routes. This game also might be an opportunity for the likes of Randall Cobb, Robert Tonyan, Amari Rodgers, (hopefully) Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Marcedes Lewis to have a big night. It all depends on three things: the offensive line keeping Aaron Rodgers upright, Rodgers throwing accurately to the receivers, and for them (in turn) to catch each pass. As long as those three things happen, the Packers offense should be good in that front. What I hope for is for the offense to not make it too obvious with empty sets. An empty set is pretty much when there is no running back next to Aaron Rodgers. It also means that they are trying to throw the ball all over the yard. For the Packers to have sustainable drives on offense, the best way to attack is a mix of run and pass plays while taking plenty of time off the clock. Converting third downs and avoiding turnovers can help Green Bay accomplish their goal. When they get in the red zone (otherwise known as the “Gold Zone”), the Packers offense needs to finish each trip with a touchdown of any kind to put more pressure on Arizona during the game. I believe that the offense will do well on Thursday night even without Davante Adams and Allen Lazard. As long as everyone does their job well, I think that the Packers will be able to put up at least 30 points against the Cardinals defense.
On defense, it is very complicated for the Packers against the Cardinals offense. Of course, the key is to stop the run. Not only does the defense have to look out for the running backs, but they also need to keep QB Kyler Murray from running all over the place. Therefore, the Packers defensive front (which includes Kenny Clark, Rashan Gary, De’Vondre Campbell, and Dean Lowry) needs to make sure that Kyler Murray stays in the pocket. The pass rush needs to collapse the pocket and make Murray throw tough passes that can be picked off. In addition to that, there could be an opportunity to strip-sack Murray for a big turnover. If the pass rush is not able to get to him, then the defensive backs (including Eric Stokes, Chandon Sullivan, Rasul Douglas, Adrian Amos, and Darnell Savage) need to make sure that the Arizona receivers don’t get easy catches. It will be a tough task against DeAndre Hopkins, Zack Ertz (who was traded to the Cardinals from the Eagles), and former Bengal AJ Green to name a couple of them. Another hurdle for the defense as a whole is that DC Joe Barry is out of the game due to COVID. Even with that setback, I still have faith that the defense will play their hearts out. They need to keep Arizona from getting too many third down conversions and scoring touchdowns in the red zone. It will be tough for the defense on Thursday night, but I believe that the defense will play well against Arizona.
On Special Teams, all the Packers need to do is avoid crucial mistakes. An example of such a mistake is allowing a field goal or punt to get blocked by Arizona. Last week against Washington, Mason Crosby’s 34-yard field goal was blocked. Stuff like that can’t happen against Arizona, who would take advantage of those mistakes. In order to prevent this from happening again, the line protecting the kicks need to actually block the defenders and make sure that each kick goes smoothly. Hunter Bradley needs to snap each ball accurately and Corey Bojorquez needs to secure the hold in addition to the line protecting the kicks. It is then up to Mason Crosby to make each kick. If he is called upon, Bojorquez needs to flip the field on each of his punts. In the return game, Kylin Hill and Amari Rodgers need to make the most out of any opportunity for a long return. The blockers need to create the holes for the returner to go through without getting penalized for holding or illegal block. If there isn’t a big return opportunity, the most important thing for the returner to do is to let the ball go to the end zone or fair catch it. On the other side, the Packers return coverage unit needs to make sure that the Cardinals returner doesn’t get a long return on either a kickoff or a punt. The best way to avoid a big kick return is for Mason Crosby to kick each ball into the back of the end zone for a touchback. Since the game is indoors, there should be no problem with each kickoff going to the end zone for either team. As long as no mistakes are made in critical situations, the Packers should be good to go on Special Teams.
Overall, this will be the toughest game for the Packers so far this season. Even though some key players are out either due to injury or COVID, I have faith that the Packers will play their hearts out on all sides of the football. There’s not a game that is impossible to win as long as the team is led by head coach Matt LaFleur and QB Aaron Rodgers. I believe that the Packers will be able to win this game. Regardless of the outcome, I pray that everyone stays healthy on either team. I’ll be back with my postgame thoughts on Friday or Saturday. Have a good night, everyone. Go Pack Go!
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