Green Bay Packers: 3 Matchups to watch in Week Two

Packers D-Line vs. Lions Interior O-Line

As mentioned before, Kenny Clark is out this week with a groin injury, and they need someone to step in and replace him. Clark may be the best nose tackle in the entire league, so that is a tall order, but they’ll need to find a way to plug the middle. It is made slightly more manageable because Lions guard Joe Dahl is out this week as well.

In week one, Adrian Peterson had 93 yards on 14 carries. He can still run the football effectively, and every Packer fan knows just how good he can be running the ball. In his career against the Packers, he’s had games of 175, 192, 199, and 210 yards. He won’t be easy to stop and once he gets a head of steam up to the second level, tackling him is a losing endeavor. He needs to be contained at or around the line of scrimmage, which is mainly the job of the defensive line.

There are a few options for replacing Clark in the middle. The first, which I am not at all a fan of, is something they tried a bit when Clark went down, and that’s just not replacing him at all. Just have two defensive linemen who are mediocre at best try to take on the offensive line and hope the guys behind them can clean stuff up. The Vikings saw that look, presumably laughed, and then they ran it right down the Packers throat for a few plays until they put another lineman in. Hopefully, they don’t do much of that again.

The actual real options currently on the roster are thin as well. Assuming that Tyler Lancaster stays in his usual spot on the defensive line, Montravius Adams and Kingsley Keke are the only other guys to throw out there. Lancaster, as a bigger guy, could slide to nose tackle, and one of those guys could play his spot. The issue is that Adams hasn’t at all lived up to his high draft position and is questionable this week. Keke played in 29 snaps and failed to register a tackle, but Pro Football Focus did grade him a 66.6, well above Lowry’s 55.0 rating.

With only three or four guys, they’ll likely elevate a lineman from the practice squad, so don’t be surprised to see Willington Previlon or Billy Winn. The starter will likely be Keke, but anyone who’s suited up will probably get reps because of how thin they are without Clark. This is a big opportunity for some young guys to force themselves onto the field with impressive play.

What Green Bay Packers’ matchups are you most looking forward to watching this Sunday? Comment below or on Twitter @DairylandXpress.