When looking at the Packers' regular season schedule in early May, a visit to the desert in Week 8 didn't seem all that intimidating. Nearly halfway through the regular season, getting the league's only remaining undefeated team on Thursday Night Football (TNF) feels daunting.
Especially this season, traveling to Glendale for a TNF game that carries obvious playoff implications is less than ideal. The short week, however, has generally been friendly to the Packers: they are 10-4 in Thursday games under Aaron Rodgers. They've had only one such road loss on Thursday since 2014 and three of their four total TNF losses have been by one possession or less.
But, they haven't won in Arizona since Week 17 of the 2009 season, a game in which the Packers got a moral victory over the Cards' backups and then were promptly shown the exit one week later in the same building during the NFC wildcard round. In fact, State Farm Stadium is one of only two venues belonging to an NFC team where Rodgers hasn't won since the Super Bowl season. Even with plenty of Packers fans expected to be in attendance, it won't exactly feel like Lambeau West.
To make matters worse, they'll be without more key personnel, with wide receiver Davante Adams and defensive coordinator Joe Barry just recently added to the Reserve/COVID-19 list. With eight players already on Injured Reserve and the availability of starters David Bakhtiari, Kevin King and Preston Smith still very much in question, an upset won't be easy.
On Offense
Aside from Week 1, Rodgers and the Packers' passing game have generally had their way this season, even while missing Marquez Valdes-Scantling over the past four games. The Arizona pass defense, however, has been stingy, not having allowed a single 300-yard passing performance this season and dropping opposing quarterbacks nearly three times per game.
All this is to say that the Packers must lean on their most versatile offensive asset: Aaron Jones. Last week versus Washington, Jones was largely held in check, amassing a highly-uncharacteristic 39 total yards. But, this week presents an opportunistic matchup for Jones. While the Cardinals' front seven is talented on paper, they're responsible for the second-worst yards per carry in the NFL through seven weeks (5.0 YPC).
I'm looking for Matt LaFleur to go with a heavy dose of Jones both inside the tackles and in the gadget role that seems to be shared by several different skill position players this season. Additionally, without his favorite downfield target in Adams, Rodgers will be looking for Jones as an outlet in the passing game, where he's arguably most dangerous to defenses.
On Defense
State Farm Stadium won't feel like the setting to a horror movie for the entire Packers team. It will be a homecoming for linebacker De'Vondre Campbell, who started all 16 regular season games for the Cardinals last season and, after being acquired by the Packers as a free agent in June, has since ascended into elite category at his position. Facing his former QB, Campbell assumes a role of elevated importance this week, responsible for containing Kyler Murray on both scrambles and designed keepers.
Where the Packers could have their hands full is in the secondary, with the combination of Rasul Douglas and rookie Eric Stokes tasked with blanketing some of the most talented receivers in the game. I expect the speedy Stokes to be regularly lined up on receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who is a known deep ball threat. If King can go on Thursday, it will be especially beneficial for covering veteran A.J. Green, whose height alone still makes him dangerous in the red zone.
As if the Packers haven't had enough of them in Arizona, Thursday's game has all the makings for another shootout. Having lost three straight to the Cardinals, will the Packers finally get redemption?
PackerDay Prediction: Cardinals 35, Packers 31
Comments