Good afternoon, everyone. On Sunday night, the Green Bay Packers will take on the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, NY. Before the season started, this game was billed as a potential Super Bowl preview. Both of these teams almost faced each other in the Super Bowl the previous two seasons, only for them to fall short of the Big Game. So far this year, the Bills have done pretty well, going 5-1 while blowing out their opponents at home by an average of over 30 points. Before their bye week, they went into Arrowhead Stadium and got a clutch victory over the Chiefs, who have won against them in the past two postseasons. The Packers, on the other hand, have been struggling since their loss to the Giants in London. Green Bay was 3-1 before their losing streak began with that game. The worst part of it is that the losing streak was in the “easiest” part of the schedule. Now the Packers have a gauntlet of tough games, starting with Sunday night. Even tougher is that they have never won at Buffalo. This could be a turning point in either a good or a bad way for Green Bay. We have seen in this NFL season that anyone can win. It’s not going to be without challenges, but I think that the Packers have a chance to win on Sunday night. Let’s get into detail on how they can get it done.
On offense, the Packers have to play keep-away ball. What I mean is that they need to consistently run the ball with Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon to keep the Bills offense off the field. The offensive linemen, plus any additional blockers, need to create the holes for Jones and Dillon to run through. The running game might not produce big results at first. If the Packers are patient enough to keep at it, then the Bills defense might get more tired and get gashed for 10-20 yard gains. This is the type of attack that can give Aaron Rodgers a much needed break from having to play Superman every time the Packers need momentum. With both Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb out due to injury, Rodgers needs to build trust with the receivers that are with him on the field. Rodgers needs to throw accurate passes to the receivers, who need to avoid dropping those throws. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jones and Dillon get a few catches in addition to their rushing attempts. Aaron Jones, in particular, needs to have at least 30 touches per game for the rest of the season. He’s the best offensive player on the team right now, and the attack needs to be focused on him. For the offense to accomplish their goal of keeping the high-powered Bills offense off the field (thus giving the Packers defense some rest), third downs need to be converted not just via penalty, but via normal plays. The Packers also need to be more disciplined, avoiding false start and holding penalties that pretty much kill the momentum of any drive. In addition to avoiding these penalties, the offensive linemen must continue to protect Aaron Rodgers from getting sacked. Hopefully David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins are able to play on Sunday night. When the Packers get into the red zone, they need to score touchdowns to put more pressure on Buffalo to answer right back. Everyone on offense, from coaches to players, need to do their best to overcome any adversity that comes their way.
On defense, the Packers will be facing the toughest offense so far this year. Led by MVP favorite Josh Allen, the Bills offense has plenty of weapons, including RB Devin Singletary, WRs Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, and TE Dawson Knox. In addition to that, Josh Allen had the ability to run and hurdle over defenders for key first downs. The Packers defense’s first goal is to keep the run game in check, not just on inside runs, but on runs that attack the edge. Some big runs that the Packers have allowed have been along the edge of the line. The defenders, including Rashan Gary (hopefully he plays on Sunday night), Kenny Clark, Preston Smith, and Jarran Reed, must get off the blocks and tackle the running backs for minimum gain. In addition, the defense needs to watch out for any trick plays that the Bills might use on offense. The pass rush needs to get home more often than in past games. Any short routes need to be blanketed so Josh Allen doesn’t have a way of avoiding a sack other than throwing the ball out of bounds. The most important thing for the defensive backs, including Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas, to do is to make sure no big passes are given up. It would be good to see the defensive backs get some interceptions, especially if Josh Allen tries a deep bomb and Jaire or Rasul is there to beat the receiver to the ball. Most importantly, the defense needs to play consistent ball for all four quarters. This game is going to be tough. For the defense to be able to play all four quarters, they have to rely on the offense to play keep away. The defense also needs to avoid dumb penalties that can give the Bills free first downs. Some touchdowns will be inevitable due to the offense of Buffalo being that good. The key is for the defense to limit how many are scored. The Packers must take advantage of any opportunity for an interception or a fumble recovery. I have hope that Joe Barry’s unit will put up a fight.
On Special Teams, the Packers need to avoid any mistakes and penalties. An example of a mistake is a muffed punt that could be recovered by the opposing team. Amari Rodgers has muffed a couple of those punts so far this year, including last week against the Commanders. Against a Bills team that can score at will, any of those muffed punts and fumbles could be deadly in terms of Green Bay’s chances to keep the game close. Whoever the Packers put on the field to return punts needs to either make the most of any return opportunity or fair catch each ball cleanly (other than ones punted out of bounds). On the other side, the coverage unit needs to make sure that the Bills don’t score any TDs via punt or kick return. Pat O’Donnell can help matters by punting each ball deep into Bills territory and out of bounds at the same time. In addition to punting, O’Donnell needs to secure the hold for Mason Crosby to kick field goals and extra points. Before the hold, Jack Coco needs to snap each ball accurately and help the line protect the kicks from getting blocked. It will be cold on Sunday night in Orchard Park, which might mean that it will be tougher for the kickoffs to be touchbacks. Maybe this will be the week where they allow Pat O’Donnell to do kickoffs. Who knows if the Packers try any trick plays on Special Teams? If they do, I hope that it’s early on in the game and that they succeed in it. I have faith in Rich Bisaccia coaching up this unit to be great. They just need to clean it up with the penalties and little mistakes that can turn into big ones.
Overall, I’m both nervous and excited for this game. Whether or not the Packers win on Sunday night, I want them to put up a fight and play with heart. I also hope that no injuries occur for either team on Sunday night. I’ll be here on Monday or Tuesday with my recap of the game, no matter what the outcome of the game is. Have a great weekend, everyone. Go Pack Go!
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