Green Bay Packers at New York Jets: 5 matchups to watch

3. Jason Spriggs & Lucas Patrick vs Mike Pennel & Leonard Williams

This battle is something that has to be watched every week, but, if Rodgers ends up playing, this will be even more important to pay attention to. Rodgers wants to play, and we have seen no official word that he will be riding the bench. With the playoffs out of sight, the Packers can’t afford for him to sustain any type of serious injury. The left side of the Packers line has been stout all year, but the right side has been very questionable.

Since being drafted out of Indiana University three years ago, Jason Spriggs has struggled to put together any semblance of positive production. Lucas Patrick has been an interesting case. He hasn’t seen consistent playing time in his young career, but he will be getting that this week. He needs to show up big if he wants to maintain that moving forward. Unfortunately for him, his assignment isn’t too easy this week across from former Packer Mike Pennel.

Defensive end Leonard Williams has been one of the better defensive linemen in the league since he entered the NFL a few years ago. He’s having a down year by his standards, but Spriggs has been the cure for any pass rusher that has had issues this year and in years past. After being cast off by the Packers, Pennel has quietly developed into one of the better interior defenders. He’s currently a top 15 interior defender per Pro Football Focus right now against a backup guard.