Aaron Jones returns to Green Bay for revenge against Packers

Packers’ Offense vs. Vikings’ Defense Green Bay’s offense looked drastically different in their home opener than most people likely thought they would coming into the year. They ran the ball 53 times for more than 200 yards in a 16-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. They had to adapt with Malik Willis getting a second consecutive start against the Tennessee Titans. Willis wasn’t asked to run the air raid and throw it all over the field, but he did have to make more plays with his arm. He did, eclipsing 200 yards passing for the first time in his career. Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed were all able to make chunk plays down the field against a Titans defense that was the best in football against the pass coming into the game. That, of course, had largely to do with the fact that Jordan Love was sidelined with a knee injury. It’s unclear if Love will return this week against the Vikings, but he did go through a pregame workout, leading to some optimism that this week is the one the Packers have targeted to get Love back under center. If Love is back, it feels like the Packers have some plays out there in the passing game that they’re missing out on because Love has been on the bench. That’s to be expected. Love is a potential MVP candidate, and Willis is a backup. They’ll face a challenge this week regardless of who is under center, with Brian Flores’ complex scheme. Love struggled with Flores and Minnesota’s defense in the first matchup last year but torched the Vikings the second time around. If Love returns, it’ll be interesting to see what wrinkles Flores has for Love and vice versa. The run game was not as dominant as it was a week ago but still did enough against a Titans’ defense that is stingy against the run. Emanuel Wilson and Josh Jacobs combined for 93 yards on 26 carries. It’s not gaudy, but it was enough. Willis added 73 yards on six carries, giving a different dimension to the offense as well. That probably won’t be part of the game plan if Love is under center, but it was a nice dynamic that Willis can provide if he gets the nod. If they’re going to win this week, they’ll need to be better than they were each of the last two weeks. Minnesota’s defense has been dominant in the early portion of the season. They slowed down San Francisco’s offense, which is always efficient. They followed that up with a dominant performance over CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans, a team that many think could be a challenger for the AFC. As most games do, this one starts up front. Jordan Morgan missed the last game and a half with an injury, so the combination of Rasheed Walker, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Sean Rhyan and Zach Tom played the entire game against Tennessee. Minnesota’s pass rush replaced Danielle Hunter with Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel. So far, the early returns have been solid. Joshua Metellus is also one of the better nickel backs in all of football. He victimized the Packers last year at Lambeau Field when he stole an interception from the hands of Jayden Reed. Packers’ Defense vs. Vikings’ Offense Green Bay’s defense is certainly good at forcing turnovers early in the season. They got three more on Sunday against Will Levis and the Titans’ offense. Last year, the Packers had seven total interceptions. Rasul Douglas was tied for second on the team, and he did not play for the team for more than half of the season. Through three games, Xavier McKinney has already picked off enough passes to have the team lead for 2023. The Packers have seven interceptions through three games. That also equals last year’s total. Jeff Hafley has emphasized taking the ball away, and they have certainly done that early in the season. They could have some opportunities against Sam Darnold, who has been prone to the turnover through the course of his career. One issue through the first two games has been the pass rush, or lack thereof. The Packers didn’t have any pass rush issues that the Titans could not solve. They pummeled Will Levis, beating him to a pulp. They sacked him eight times. They took the ball away three times. They were in his face and had him under duress throughout the day. If there were any questions about whether the Packers were playing possum when they insisted that they were focused on discipline against Jalen Hurts and Anthony Richardson, those doubts should be gone. Darnold does not have the athleticism of the aforementioned quarterbacks, but the offensive line in front of him should be better than what the Titans put in front of Levis. In fact, it cannot get much worse. Christian Darrisaw is a standout at left tackle, and he should match up well with any of the Packers’ defensive ends. The Packers failed their first two tests in run defense, after Saquon Barkley tore them apart for three touchdowns. Jonathan Taylor ran for more than 100 yards on just 12 carries. Whether it was due to the two-score lead the team was staked to early or not, the Packers were much better in the run game against the Titans. They finished the day with 11 carries for 33 yards. That’s three yards per carry. That will get the job done 10 times out of 10. This week is different. Aaron Jones is coming back to town. He likely has his mind on revenge, after the Packers unceremoniously released him in the offseason. The Packers know better than anyone what he’s capable of doing. They’ll need to slow him down to make the Vikings one-dimensional. Special Teams The Packers have not benefited from the new kickoff rules as of yet. Keisean Nixon has one chance at a return this season, and it was one that was ill-advised. There’s little reason to think that will change anytime soon. Green Bay’s kicking situation remains a work in progress. Brayden Narveson missed another kick, this one from 48, but it was wiped out by a seldom-called defensive holding penalty on a defensive tackle. He has missed one in each of his first three games of his young career. Narveson will probably have some leash as the season progresses. Brian Gutekunst said he needed to be more patient with specialists. Matt LaFleur insists his confidence has not shaken. Daniel Whelan has been excellent in the early part of the year. The Vikings are breaking in a new kicker with Greg Joseph moving on in the offseason. The special teams matchup appears to be about even for this contest.