The Green Bay Packers and Washington Commanders will face off at Lambeau Field on Sept. 11, with Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstret on the call with Amazon Prime carrying the game.
This will be the second of two big games to start the season for the Packers. After opening against Detroit, Washington was the team that knocked the Lions out of the playoffs last year to play in the NFC Championship game.
The Packers will have a chance to prove their mettle against another NFC contender.
Here’s more on that with a six-pack of thoughts with the regular season set to begin.
1. Parsons Debut – Yes, Micah Parsons was on the field for the team’s first game against the Detroit Lions, but he was not fully unleashed. It was his first game of the season, and he did not practice much during his time in training camp with the Dallas Cowboys. As Parsons gets further entrenched in Green Bay’s defense, he’ll have more opportunities to make plays. His unique athleticism will be something to watch here as he lines up at linebacker. Jayden Daniels’ ability to escape from the pocket could have Jeff Hafley using some of his linebackers to try and keep Daniels in the pocket.
2. Big Don’t Get Small – Green Bay’s offensive line started to lean more toward size with the free agent signing of Aaron Banks and the second round draft choice of Anthony Belton. Washington’s defensive line has some good players on it, but they are small with the intention of playing fast.
This is a game that could favor Green Bay’s run game if they’re able to establish a lead early. At some point, running into players bigger than you over and over again can wear on you. That’s especially true later in the game when players may not be fully conditioned for a full workload. Look for the Packers to try and lean on the Washington front.
3. New Look Secondary – Out with the old, in with the new as they say. Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes are gone.
They’ll be replaced by a bigger role for Carrington Valentine, and the addition of Nate Hobbs.
After a test against Detroit, the Packers will need to be on their A-game against a more talented quarterback than Jared Goff with Jayden Daniels. Terry McLaurin is also one of the top receivers in football.
4. Playoff scenarios – A season ago, the Packers were horrendous in the NFC North, and against NFC playoff teams. Ultimately, that cost the team when it came to playoff seeding.
The Packers were the seventh seed In last year’s NFC playoffs by virtue of losing the tiebreaker to Washington.
Washington got the sixth seed, and rode a more favorable matchup to the NFC Championship game.
The Packers were eliminated in the first round of the postseason. Thursday’s game could be big in terms of seeding down the road.
5. Ball King – Jeff Hafley and Dan Quinn are both experts at emphasizing turnovers. Hafley has installed a siren, along with presentations from a coach who is now nameless, but goes by the moniker of “ball king.” Hafley and his defense want to lead the league in forced fumbles.
Washington was +6 in last year’s playoff run, which includes a terrible day in the NFC Championship game. They were very opportunistic and will continue to try and punch at Green Bay’s ball carriers to great a takeaway.
Whoever wins this battle, could win the game.
6. Push the pocket – Green Bay’s edge rushing group should be one of the best in the NFL when the season gets rolling in earnest. Once of the keys in this game in particular is keeping Jayden Daniels in the pocket. One way to do that, is with Green Bay’s new-look defensive tackle group. With Kenny Clark being sent away, the Packers are working on some new depth in the interior of their defense. Colby Wooden, Devonte Wyatt and Karl Brooks are all going to be tasked to have big games to allow their defensive ends to get home.
This is a big game for them.
