5 Big Questions Facing Green Bay Packers v. Minnesota Vikings
By Paul Bretl
Can the Green Bay Packers special teams unit contain Kene Nwangwu?
In what was a surprising turn of events, the Green Bay Packers special teams unit was fairly sound last week in Cleveland–being called for only one penalty and not sustaining any egregious errors. However, as we all know, we still need to be very wary.
This week the Packers special teams unit will be up against one of the more dynamic kick returners in the NFL in Kene Nwangwu. Although Nwangwu has only 13 return attempts this season, he has scored twice, which is the most in football, and his 35.0 kick return average is also tops in the league per PFF.
As a kick coverage unit, the Green Bay Packers are allowing 25.48 yards per return this season–this ranks as the seventh-highest average in football, according to The Football Database.
This is certainly a game that the Packers should win, but as we’ve seen this season, it only takes a special teams error or two to make a game much closer than what it should be. And with temperatures likely hovering around 0 degrees for the game, Mason Crosby may not be able to kick the ball through the end zone, meaning Nwangwu is going to have a few return opportunities.