The Green Bay Packers will take their show on the road before four division games out of their next five.
That includes a showdown on Thanksgiving Day against the Detroit Lions.
Before that, they’ll have to conquer the New York Giants on the road, which is an area Green Bay has struggled this year.
Apart from a 35-19 beatdown of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Packers have either lost or played a one-score game when they’ve played on the road.
Here are our keys to Green Bay escaping New York with a win.
1. Block Burns
Micah Parsons is one of the best players in football, and his impact is felt on every snap.
Even when he’s not sacking the quarterback, sometimes he’s occupying two or three bodies at a time.
The Giants have one of those players, too.
Brian Burns was on the board for the Packers to potentially select in the 2019 NFL Draft, but they passed on him to take Rashan Gary.
Gary has been a good player in his career.
Burns has been more impactful.
Burns’ 11 sacks that he’s collected this season would be a career-high for Gary.
He’s a game-wrecker in the highest regard.
If the Packers can block him, there are plenty of holes to exploit in New York’s defense.
2. Keep Him Contained
The Packers should have a bullseye on the back of Jaxson Dart this week.
Dart has been sacked 19 times this season going into Week 10.
Green Bay’s pass rush is the strength of its team.
One reason Dart has not been sacked more is because of his ability to escape pressure and move around the pocket.
The last time the Packers were in New York, Tommy DeVito gave them fits extending plays, and he’s not nearly the passer that Dart has proven to be through his young career.
If the Packers are able to push the pocket, however, the young rookie could be prone to some mistakes.
This is a big game for defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt.
3. Play to the Standard
A common complaint among the fanbase in Green Bay is that the Packers have played down to their competition.
There is certainly some truth there.
They’ve lost to Cleveland and Carolina, two teams that had no business playing with Green Bay.
In addition, they blew a two-score lead against the Dallas Cowboys for what ended in a 40-40 tie.
They trailed late in the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals as well, before pulling out a victory in the fourth quarter.
The flip side has been kind to Green Bay. Washington was supposed to be a contender coming into the season, and Green Bay won by two scores.
They beat Detroit 27-13 to open the season.
They beat Pittsburgh by two scores as well.
Green Bay has shown an ability to beat the better teams in the NFL, while also having some of the worst losses in the league.
The Giants, who look to be headed for the top of the draft order for the second consecutive season, would qualify as another bad loss.
Green Bay needs to play to their standard, otherwise there are going to be some fair questions as to just how good this team can be.
