It’s London week, and the (3-1) Green Bay Packers are set to face the (3-1) New York Giants on Sunday.
This will be Green Bay’s first trip across the pond, while New York has played there twice since the international slate began in 2007. Perhaps that doesn’t give the Giants much of an advantage, but it is significant, considering the Packers have had trouble playing in different time zones.
On paper, Green Bay is the better team, which is why they are 7.5-point favorites despite New York’s No. 1 rushing offense.
If the Packers hope to win, their run defense better show up against one of the most talented running backs in the game in Saquon Barkley. The Giants will do their best to set the pace through their ground attack. Meanwhile, the Packers will need to do everything they can to make Daniel Jones beat them.
Offensively, the Packers would be wise to also stick to the ground attack. New York’s defense has allowed at least 145 rushing yards in three straight games. We may see two teams pound the rock on Sunday, and whichever team does it best could come out on top.
Starting with Barkley going up against a vulnerable run defense, let’s highlight four key matchups in this week 5 meeting.
Packers run defense vs Giants RB Saquon Barkley
Barkley is the NFL’s leading rusher through the first four games. He is healthy for the first time in years and averaging a career-high 5.5 yards per carry. Expect Barkley to get his fair share of touches on Sunday against the Packers’ 22nd-ranked run defense. Green Bay has already allowed two teams to rush for at least 150 yards this season, and Barkley is eager to make it a third. Last week he rushed for 146 yards against the Chicago Bears, which isn’t even his most in a game this season. The Packers need to have a better plan this week against the run, or Barkley will another huge day.
Packers interior offensive line vs Giants DL Dexter Lawrence
Earlier this week, we named Lawrence as the player who the Packers should take from the Giants’ roster. Lawrence has a pair of sacks in 2022 and is up to 15 pressures, which puts him third among defensive linemen, per Pro Football Focus. A strong start to the season has Lawrence as the top-rated player on New York’s defense. Green Bay’s Jon Runyan Jr., Josh Myers, and Royce Newman could be in for a long day against Lawrence, who tends to move around along the interior. Runyan has yet to allow a pressure this season, while Myers and Newman have combined for 11. Hopefully, the three of them can do enough to limit Lawrence’s impact, especially after he logged a career-high eight pressures against the Bears.
Packers OLB Rashan Gary vs Giants RT Evan Neal
Gary had one of the best games of his career in Week 4 when he totaled two sacks, five pressures, and forced a crucial fumble during the second quarter. Gary has been on a tear this season and will have another favorable matchup this week when he faces a rookie offensive tackle. Neal was the seventh overall pick in this year’s draft but has struggled in his first four games. He has allowed 11 pressures and four sacks, which is tied for the most among rookies and second most overall. The Packers would be wise to exploit this matchup as much as they can on Sunday.
Packers RB Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon vs Giants run defense
As bad as Green Bay’s run defense has looked this season, the Giants have been even worse. They are currently 28th overall in total run defense and surrendering 141 yards per game. That means Green Bay’s two-headed backfield could be in store for a big day. Jones has been the Packers’ best offensive player of late, with two 100-yard performances in the last three games. Meanwhile, Dillon has provided some tough yardage this season and could run through a defense that has missed 28 tackles.
