Green Bay Packers: 3 Matchups to watch in Week Three
By Kenny Jilek
If the Green Bay Packers are going to stay undefeated in week three, they’ll have to win these three matchups to stay perfect.
Last week, the Green Bay Packers won two of the three battles that I outlined, holding Marvin Jones to 23 yards and Robert Tonyan making a big touchdown catch. The defensive line wasn’t great, but they got enough of a lead that the Lions didn’t run much in the second half, and it didn’t matter as much as it would have.
In a matchup that should have featured two of the top five wide receivers in the league, Michael Thomas is out, and Davante Adams is doubtful, so it will come down to a lot of other matchups. Without their biggest stars, both head coaches will have to find creative ways to get their offenses going.
Like last week, the key for the Packers will be getting enough of a lead early that the Saints are forced to pass the ball. If they can make the Saints play their game and throw the ball without their top receiver, they’ll have a good chance to win. What they can’t have is the Saints being able to run the ball all the way up and down the field, especially if Kenny Clark doesn’t play.
The Packers offense will also look different without Adams and only three true receivers in Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Malik Taylor. Other guys will split out, and they’ll put every tight end and running back in different alignments to try to make things happen and get the matchups they want.
For both teams, their biggest receiving threat other than their star receivers may be their running backs, Aaron Jones and Alvin Kamara. So whoever can use their multipurpose running back the best and limit the other will have a great chance to win.