Coming off an extremely impressive week one victory over the Minnesota Vikings, the Green Bay Packers will look to move to 2-0 on the season when they face off against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
Packers Wire looks at five keys to victory for Green Bay:
Packers’ wide receivers need to expose a short-handed Detroit secondary
Cornerback Desmond Trufant is out. Cornerback Darryl Roberts and safety C.J. Moore are both questionable. Also, Jeff Okudah (Detroit’s third overall pick) will make his NFL debut. This does not bode well for the Lions’ defense. An experienced quarterback like Aaron Rodgers should be able to pick apart Detroit’s defensive back group, especially if he has times to throw the ball.
Davantae Adams, Allen Lazard, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling will all have to have big days if Green Bay is to beat Detroit.
Can Aaron Jones get going?
Against the Vikings, the Packers passing game was unstoppable. Rodgers and his receivers took advantage of a young Minnesota secondary. But star running back Aaron Jones had 11 carries for just 66 yards and a touchdown. By no means did Jones have a bad game, but if Green Bay is going to seriously contend in the NFC this season, he may need to be more productive. Look for Matt LaFleur to try and get the running back involved in the early in the first quarter. If Jones is able to get going, then later in the game the offense will open up and Rodgers can start looking downfield for big plays.
Green Bay needs to put Detroit away early
For whatever reason, the Lions always seem to push the Packers to their limit. In both of last year’s matchups, the Packers won each game by just four points. On Sunday, Green Bay needs to get off to a hot start and crush the Lions’ spirit early. LaFleur’s squad is better. They just have more talent. If the Packers are able to play their best football, Detroit does not stand a chance.
Matt LaFleur can’t get complacent as a play-caller
Last Sunday, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense was rolling – they simply could not be stopped. But that won’t always be the case throughout the season. It is inevitable that this offense will face cold stretches. And when things aren’t clicking like they were on Sunday, LaFleur can’t afford to become too predictable as a play-caller. In Week one, he did a tremendous job of keeping the Minnesota defense on its heels by staying balanced. Against the Lions, LaFleur will need to do the same thing. The quick throws, jet sweeps, and other wrinkles added into the offense will be too much for most defenses to handle.
I thought LaFleur called a great game in Week 1. If Green Bay wants to move to 2-0 on the season, he will need to do it again.
Can the Green Bay O-line keep Rodgers clean again?
The Packers’ offensive line did a wonderful job of protecting their quarterback last Sunday. Rodgers was not sacked and he had a clean pocket to pass from for most of the game. But this week’s game could be a much bigger challenge for the line. Lane Taylor is out for the rest of the season, and Billy Turner is questionable. This means that some backups will need to step up and perform at a high level if the Packers are to keep Rodgers on his feet.
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