Good afternoon, everyone. On Sunday afternoon, the Green Bay Packers will once again try to end their losing streak. This time, they will be facing the Los Angeles Rams at Lambeau Field. It hasn’t looked that great for the Packers as they’re 2-5 on the season. I still have hope that they can win some games during the remainder of the season. Here is how they can get the win on Sunday against the Rams.
On offense, the Packers (once again) need to stop starting the game slow. Starting with the Saints game, the Packers have scored 9 total points in the first half of games. Because of this, they have trailed for a majority of those games, with the exception of coming back to win against New Orleans in Week 3 (which has been the last win so far in 2023). The running game needs to be focused on from the start to keep the Rams defense (which includes Aaron Donald) from getting after Jordan Love all day. Aaron Jones should be good to go for a full workload on Sunday. He needs to get a combined 30-35 touches a game, which includes at least 20 rushing attempts. For those rushing attempts to result in good yards each time, the offensive line needs to do a much better job blocking the defenders and creating those holes for Jones to run through. If Jones and the other running backs are able to run well, then that can open up the play-action passing game. Even then, the fakes need to be creative to make sure that the defenders fall for them. In the passing game, whether play action or normal plays, the offensive line needs to protect Love from any and all pressures. I do hope that Elgton Jenkins gets to mess with Aaron Donald agains like in past games. If the linemen can do their job, then Love should have time to throw accurately to his receivers, who need to run their routes and catch any pass that is thrown, especially wide open passes. The receivers, including Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks (among others), need to catch the contested passes against defensive backs. The drops last week were part of the reason why the offense was only able to put up 10 points against Minnesota. Dropping the ball less can help the Packers move the ball down the field in each drive in their mission to win the time of possession battle, in addition to running the ball well and avoiding turnovers. The Packers also need to avoid committing any penalties that can mess up drives, including offensive holding penalties that nullify big run or pass plays. In the red zone, the Packers need to get focused on scoring touchdowns and not mess around and potentially get nothing for their efforts. 2 straight times, the Packers had the ball at the opposing team’s 15 yard line last week (against the Vikings). Those 2 straight times resulted in a turnover on downs thanks to dropped passes and overall bad execution. The coaches need to come up with a good game plan, and all of the players on offense need to do their part to make sure that everything goes well from start to finish.
On defense, the Packers need to focus on making the Rams one-dimensional on offense. The defensive front needs to get past the blockers and tackle the ball carrier for minimum gain. With guys like Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark on the defensive front and with one of the Rams’ linemen probably being out, I am sure that the run game can be kept in check by the defense (as long as they tackle by wrapping up instead of diving at the ball carrier’s ankles). If the ground game is kept in check, then the pass rush can hopefully get after the quarterback. Matthew Stafford has not practiced this week due to a thumb issue, but I have a feeling that he might tough it out against the Packers since he has played against them numerous times as QB in Detroit. Whoever the QB is on Sunday for Los Angeles, the defense needs to pressure him and force him to make ill-advised throws that can be intercepted easily. When there are opportunities for an interception, the defender needs to catch the ball and not let it bounce off his chest or hands. Among the defenders is Quay Walker, who dropped a pick last week against the Vikings that would have been crucial. Whoever is healthy in the defensive backfield (which unfortunately doesn’t have Rasul Douglas as he was traded to Buffalo) needs to cover the receivers well and not allow any easy catches. If a catch is allowed, then the defenders need to tackle the receiver quick before he takes it for a huge gain (in other words: a chunk play). Most importantly, the Packers need to keep the Rams from winning the time of possession battle. Stopping them on early downs and keeping them from converting the third downs can help the Packers make this possible. Any turnover opportunities, including interceptions and strip sacks, can also help the Packers do this and allow the offense more chances to put up points. It would be an awesome bonus if the interception is returned for a touchdown by anyone on defense. I want the players on defense to play with pride and determination to keep the other team from dominating them all game long. Hopefully the crowd at Lambeau Field can help them out.
On Special Teams, the Packers need to do their business and avoid mistakes like allowing a blocked field goal or punt. To keep that from happening, the linemen need to block the defenders from getting near the ball. The long snaps need to be accurate and the holder (usually punter Daniel Whelon) needs to get the ball secured for Anders Carlson to kick it through the uprights. Carlson should make each kick on Sunday when he is called upon (*knocks on wood*). Daniel Whelon needs to punt each ball deep into Rams territory when he is called upon, which I hope is very little. On kick and punt returns, the coverage unit needs to make sure that the returner doesn’t go for a whole bunch of yards, regardless of whether or not there is a penalty flag on the play. The best way to avoid a long return is for Carlson to kick each ball deep and out of the end zone for a touchback. There will also be times where the return man just lets the ball go down into the end zone, which automatically results in a touchback. That might be the case when the Packers are in return formation. If there is an opportunity for a big return, Keisean Nixon needs to catch the ball, protect it, and follow the holes that the blockers make for him. I still hope for that big return touchdown that can give the Packers a boost of momentum and make the crowd go wild. On punts, the return man needs to either fair catch the ball cleanly or run away and let it bounce hopefully out of bounds. If the ball bounces, then any Packers player needs to get out of its way to not cause a potential turnover. I hope that there is another big play like the blocked field goal last week. Regardless of whether or not that happens, I have no doubt that Rich Bisaccia will get his players ready for anything on Sunday.
Overall, I hope that the Packers come out on Sunday with a lot of pride and determination to end the losing streak and improve their record to 3-5. As long as they limit the mistakes and penalties, I think that they can get the win at home. No matter what the outcome is, I pray that there are no serious injuries for any player on Sunday. I’ll be here for the recap of the game on Monday or Tuesday. Have a great day, everyone. Go Pack Go!
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