Green Bay Packers v. Washington: Final Thoughts
By Paul Bretl
Before the 5-1 Green Bay Packers take on the 2-4 Washington Football Team at home, I have my final thoughts — or basically a brain dump — on the upcoming matchup.
Green Bay Packers v. Washington Final Thoughts
– This could be a big day for Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams as they go up against a Washington secondary that ranks 28th by DVOA and a unit that has given up the most passing yards per game this season with 309.5.
– Another player who could be in for a big day is Kenny Clark. Clark has been a monster this season and Washington is going to be without Brandon Scherff at guard. At tackle, Washington will also be without Samuel Cosmi, which could mean plenty of opportunities for Rashan Gary to get after Taylor Heinicke as well.
– Under pressure, Heinicke is completing 47 percent of his passes with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Although he is tough to bring down as he has been sacked only twice this season, according to PFF ($$).
– Keep your eyes on Robert Tonyan as both a run blocker and a pass blocker. He really struggled last week against Chicago, and while grades are not everything, it’s worth noting that PFF has him graded as the worst pass-blocking tight end this season and he ranks as the 19th worst in run-blocker.
– As I wrote earlier in the week, the backup and role players have really been stepping up for this Green Bay Packers team that is dealing with a number of injuries. Players such as Dean Lowry, Jonathan Garvin, Henry Black, Rasul Douglas, Chandon Sullivan, and several different offensive linemen have all made big contributions in recent weeks.
– Washington had one of the better defenses in football last season, but this year, they are giving up the most points per game with 31.0 and they rank 29th by DVOA.
– With that said, don’t forget about this defensive front. Chase Young, Montez Sweat, Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, and Matt Ioannidis all can wreak havoc. Washington ranks 10th in pressure rate and 9th in yards per carry allowed.
– So yes, it’s going to be yet another challenge for the Green Bay Packers offensive line. My guess is we see the same configuration as last Sunday once Josh Myers left: Jenkins-Runyan-Patrick-Newman-Turner.
– This obviously means that I don’t think David Bakhtiari is going to play. My guess is that the Packers go slow and steady, easing him back in so that means we won’t see him until Kansas City. But that’s just my guess.
– Preston Smith, Kevin King, and Darnell Savage are all listed as questionable and were limited participants this week to varying degrees. Obviously, every situation is different, but for reference, heading into Week 5, Elgton Jenkins missed Wednesday’s practice and was a limited participant the other two days–he then did not play against the Bengals.
– Terry McLaurin was on the injury report but he will play. He had nearly 1,200 receiving yards in 2020 and has already been targeted 57 times this season. Expect a lot of McLaurin and I imagine we will see a lot of Eric Stokes on him as well.
– Another name to know on this Washington offense is Antonio Gibson. While he does have 25 carries this season, he has been more effective as a pass catcher and also reliable on third downs.
– Are trap games real? Naturally, Matt LaFleur and Rodgers don’t think so but if they do exist, I imagine this is one of them. Washington is floundering at 2-4, while on the horizon, the Green Bay Packers have a short week before they play Arizona. They then face Kansas City, Seattle, Minnesota, and Los Angeles.
– Last week, Oren Burks had the second most snaps at linebacker, followed by Jaylon Smith and then Krys Barnes. This seemed backwards to me. Did Green Bay want the more athletic Burks on the field with Justin Fields’ running ability? Or is this an early trend? My hope moving forward is that we see more of Barnes and that Smith is used strictly on passing downs.
– Aaron Jones absolutely should get his share of the touches but I do like that AJ Dillon is getting more involved. Let’s keep doing that.
– But let’s stop with the five wide, spread the defense out play-calling on offense. This is a Green Bay Packers team under LaFleur where the run game sets everything else up.
– Overall the defense has been solid this season and improving each week. However, they are yet to get a red zone stop. The good news is that they don’t allow many red zone visits, but regardless, they can’t keep giving up touchdowns.
– For Whitney Mercilus who joined the team just a few days ago, it’s not as simple as lining him up and going after the quarterback—this is a brand new defense. With that said, in some obvious passing situations on Sunday, line him up and have go after the quarterback.
– Last week the field goal unit was much better at handling pressure, but let’s see if they can do it a second week in a row.
– This is a game that the Green Bay Packers should control from start to finish and win comfortably. Now, let’s see them do it.
– The throwback jerseys look incredible. I can’t wait to see the Green Bay Packers in them and on the field.