5 Things To Watch For In Week 11: Packers v. Chargers
The Green Bay Packers are coming off of a loss in Pittsburgh last week against the Steelers as they head back home to Lambeau and welcome the Los Angeles Chargers into town.
Here are five things to watch for this upcoming Sunday.
How Does The Defense Respond?
The defense got torched against a below-average offense last week, especially in the run game. It doesn’t get easier this week with Austin Ekeler and Josh Kelley coming into town, so the run fit will surely need to tighten up. They cannot afford to give up one hundred yards to two running backs again this coming week if they want a chance because the Chargers pass game is just as effective.
If they can limit the run game, the secondary, which held up very well last week, will have their hands full with Keenan Allen, Quentin Johnston, Gerald Everett, and Ekeler again. The offensive firepower will be something the Packers will have to slow down this coming week, at least.
Can The Offense Stack Fast Starts?
While the offense has been near league-worst in the first half all year, they figured out how to start fast against a good Pittsburgh defense. The Packers will look for what they have been looking for all season this upcoming week, which will be if they can build off of the good plays and continue to stack them.
The offense has seen more recent success again after the run game started getting the appropriate touches installed into the game plan. Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon should be ready for another workload this week to get the offense started again, which has been one of the reasons behind the success of moving the ball in these past two weeks.
Can Special Teams Correct Mistakes?
While Keisean Nixon leads the league in both returns taken out, as well as average yards per return at just under 26.5 yards per return, the Packers are going to need their special teams to step it up this week. When the team isn’t performing up to its standards in certain phases, special teams can be where you make up for some of that.
While having an extra point blocked last week proved to be more prominent than just one point at the end of the game, the key is that they seal the edge this week, and any opportunity that comes their way, they make the most of them.
Will The Offense Attack The Middle?
While the offense has attacked the middle more often over the past few weeks, it would benefit them more to use Christian Watson and Luke Musgrave over the middle to open things up. When you look back to last year, Watson thrived when being sent on crossing routes, forcing the defense to worry about him. Most of Watson’s touchdowns were from some sort of motion crossing the field, whether that be a crossing route, jet sweep, or slant, and his reception per target percentage was way higher because of it.
When you have the speed that the Packers do, sending someone over the middle will only help guys like Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, and Jayden Reed out more. Look for the Packers to start looking to get people involved over the middle to help simplify things for the offense once more.
Who Wins The Line?
The Packers offensive line, specifically Zach Tom, held its own last week against one of the best pass rushers in the league, TJ Watt. This week won’t get any easier with Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack coming into town, so it will be something to watch between Tom and the rest of the line to see if they can push the line of scrimmage in their favor.
On the defensive side, Rashan Gary (who is listed as questionable) has been a stud this season, winning a league-high percentage of his snaps, but he could use some more help getting pressure, and that all starts with having a suitable scheme. As obvious as it sounds, the more linemen the Packers have, the more success they have had with pressuring opposite quarterbacks.
One change that might not be able to happen this week would be to run more penny fronts and force the quarterback to make quick reads. Justin Herbert, along with his core weapons, will be able to pick that apart most of the time, so that might not be seen as much this week.