Finally playing in London for the first time in the NFL’s International Series, the Green Bay Packers will be hunting a fourth-straight win when Matt LaFleur’s team takes on the New York Giants on Sunday morning at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Here’s how the staff at Packers Wire believes the Week 5 showdown against the Giants in London will go down:
Zach Kruse (2-2): Packers 24, Giants 16
The Giants are an underwhelming 3-1 football team, but Brian Daboll’s squad has the type of running game and defensive front necessary to make this a tough, hard-fought contest, especially given the unusual circumstances of playing overseas in London after a weird week of prep. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Giants drew first blood and kept it interesting for 60 minutes, but this is a game the Packers should absolutely win. They are more talented on both sides of the ball and have a huge advantage at quarterback. As long as Saquon Barkley doesn’t go crazy and the Packers run the ball effectively and safeguard against turnovers, Matt LaFleur’s team should return to the US at 4-1. As will likely be the case for much of the season, don’t expect a “pretty” win.
[listicle id=85620]
Brandon Carwile (3-1): Packers 21, Giants 17
The Packers have a history of not playing well on the west coast and this week they are traveling all the way to London. This will be their first international game, so I’m not sure how that will impact their performance, but I imagine it will in some way. The Giants pose a pretty significant matchup problem for Green Bay as the number one rushing offense. Saquon Barkley is coming off a 146-yard game against the Chicago Bears and is finally healthy for the first time in three years. The Packers knew the Patriots were going to run the ball last week and still couldn’t stop them. New York’s rushing attack will keep this game close even though Green Bay is the better team on paper. Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon should have pretty big games seeing that the Giants have allowed at least 145 rushing yards in three straight games. I think the Packers squeak out another close one against a New York team that is on the up and up under a new head coach.
[listicle id=85629]
Paul Bretl (3-1): Packers 24, Giants 17
There are going to be times when moving the ball is difficult for the Packers offense. The Giants are one of the best situational defenses in the NFL this season, both in the red zone and on third down. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale loves to blitz and is very good about disguising coverages with late movement and a mix of man and zone. Green Bay will need to lean on the run and quick passing games to put themselves in manageable third-down situations. However, with time in the pocket, Aaron Rodgers should have some downfield opportunities as well. On defense, the name of the game is stopping Saquon Barkley with all 11 players on the ball. Joe Barry will have to deviate from his two-high look at times, but the run play on the field needs to be more sound than what we saw a week ago as well. This isn’t a Giants offense that takes shots downfield, so I’m hoping the Packers play aggressively, especially against an offensive line that has given up a lot of pressures this season. With travel like this, you never truly know what you’re going to get, but the Packers are the better team – there just may be some frustrating moments along the way.
Brennen Rupp (3-1): Packers 24, Giants 10
Will Green Bay’s front seven be able to slow down the dynamic Saquon Barkley? After giving up 4.75 yards per carry last week to New England’s running backs I can see why Green Bay’s run defense isn’t inspiring much hope. However, this is the same group that held Leonard Fournette to 35 yards on 12 carries the week prior. Barkley is a different animal and I expect him to bust off a couple big runs, but Green Bay has the dogs up front to contain Barkley. On the flip side, New York’s run defense is giving up 5.1 yards per carry. I don’t think they’ll be able to slow down Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. Jones is coming off a week in which he averaged nearly seven yards per carry and for the season he’s averaging 6.8 yards per carry. It won’t always be pretty, but a late fourth quarter touchdown from Dillon will be the dagger this week. Give me the Packers by two touchdowns in this one. The trend of winning ugly continues across the pond.
| Writer | Prediction | Score | Record |
| Zach Kruse | Win | 24-16 | 2-2 |
| Brandon Carwile | Win | 21-17 | 3-1 |
| Paul Bretl | Win | 24-17 | 3-1 |
| Brennen Rupp | Win | 24-10 | 3-1 |
[listicle id=85638]