Sunday night’s playoff-like matchup with the Minnesota Vikings feels like a game where the Green Bay Packers offense is going to lean more heavily on the passing game, specifically with there being big-game potential for Jayden Reed.
The Packers are already most likely going to be without Christian Watson, who is listed as doubtful, while Dontayvion Wicks is questionable after missing practice Wednesday and Thursday and being “very limited,” as Matt LaFleur put it, on Friday. From the sounds of it, Wicks is a true game-time decision.
The current state of the receiver room could put the playmaking burden in the passing game on Reed’s shoulders, especially if Wicks cannot go. However, from a matchup perspective, the opportunity should be there for him as well.
“He’s just a heck of a competitor,” said LaFleur of Reed. “He’s helped us not only in the pass game obviously, but just getting the ball in his hands on reverses, arounds, whatever it may be, screens. I love how he competes, both in the run game and pass game. He’s made plays when given opportunities.”
This is a blitz-heavy Vikings defense, something the Packers are fairly accustomed to seeing, given their recent opponents. In Green Bay’s last six games, four of their opponents rank in the top eight in blitz rate this season. In fact, since Week 11, Love has been the most blitzed quarterback in football.
“They’re not afraid,” said LaFleur of the Vikings’ defense prior to their Week 8 matchup. “Sometimes, it’s going to look like a punt rush, and you’ve got to have a plan for that and go out there and execute that plan, but it does present a lot of challenges. Those guys are fast; they’re physical.”
In this stretch of games, the Green Bay offensive line and Jordan Love have held up well, with 67 percent of Love’s pass attempts during that six-game span coming from a clean pocket–the 12th-best rate in football. Overall, against the blitz, Love has completed 67.3 percent of his throws at 7.6 yards per attempt with four touchdowns to one interception.
From the defensive perspective, blitzing can cause chaos and confusion up front, leading to pressures, which then result in mistakes or sacks. But on the flip side, if the offense is able to handle the blitzers, there are then one-on-one opportunities in the passing game to take advantage of.
Minnesota is going to be without top slot cornerback Byron Murphy – where the bulk of Reed’s snaps come from – who has already been ruled out due to an injury. Safeties Josh Metellus and Camryn Bynum rank second and third on the team in slot snaps this season, with both ranking in the top three among safeties in receptions and yards allowed from the nickel.
To maximize their opportunities in the passing game and to make sure Green Bay doesn’t become one-dimensional and predictable against a blitz-heavy opponent, involving Aaron Jones and the run game will, of course, be an important factor as always.
However, compared to last week in Carolina, moving the ball on the ground – even with Jones – may prove to be a bigger challenge against Minnesota, who is allowing only 3.7 yards per carry–the fifth-best mark this season. Interior defensive linemen Harrison Phillips and Jonathan Buford both rank in the top 10 in run stops among their position group.
Hopefully, Wicks will be a go. His ability as a route runner to create separation, along with picking up yards after the catch, will give him the chance to thrive in these one-on-one situations, which the Packers receivers will likely see a lot of. Also not to be forgotten is Romeo Doubs, who has provided a reliable presence throughout the course of the season, leading the team in targets and touchdowns.
“I think Rome’s been very consistent,” said LaFleur this week. “Obviously, he’s made a lot of big-time plays for us, and in particular, it’s happened to come out this way down in the red area. You can always count on him to go out there, and when given the opportunity, he’s made some big plays for us this year.
“I think he’s really grown, I would say, over the course of the last two seasons, just in terms of being so consistent and so reliable. That’s a great comfort for our offense, for our football team, for Jordan. Knowing that he can always count on Rome to go out there and get the job done.”
With so much youth and inexperience coming into the season, the wide receiver position was one of the biggest question marks on this Packers team. But now, with two games remaining, it has grown to be a position of depth, with the Packers able to rely on six or seven players if needed.
With Watson out and Wicks’ status unknown, Green Bay will again need to rely on that depth this week, along with getting key contributions from Reed and Doubs, but if the offensive line can hold up in pass protection, the opportunity for some big plays in the passing game should be available.
“Our wideout room is extremely deep,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich on Thursday. “It’s deeper than it’s been in a long time. It’s a testament to our personnel guys, getting the right guys in here. It’s a testament to coach (Jason) Vrable and Quinshon (Odom), coaching them in that room and their mindset. The way they practice.”
