Three things to know ahead of Packers vs. Commanders

Key No. 1: Green Bay Packers banged-up offensive line faces tough Washington Commanders pass rush

The Washington Commanders generated a total of 26 pressures on New York Giants QB Russell Wilson last Sunday. Defensive end Dorance Armstrong is tied for first in the league in pressures forced with nine, while rookie defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton had seven pressures.

The Green Bay Packers offensive line could be without multiple starters on Thursday. Zach Tom was taken out of the game following a violent hit from Aidan Hutchinson, while free agent acquisition Aaron Banks left the contest following an ankle injury. Darian Kinnard and Jordan Morgan took over to replace the two starters. Morgan, who had been alternating with Sean Rhyan at the right guard position prior to the injury to Banks, played left guard in the final quarter of the game.

There’s definitely reason for optimism for Commanders fans hoping that they can dominate in the trenches, but there are  positives for the Packers fans as well. After all, quarterback Jordan Love was excellent against the blitz in Sunday’s win.

In Week 1, the Lions blitzed Love on nine occasions, but failed to get home for even a single sack. Instead, Love and the Packers excelled against the blitz. Washington will face the task of not only generating pressure, but making it count against a strong Packers offense.

Key No. 2: Can Green Bay Packers defensive line be disruptive?

On the other side, the Commanders gave up three sacks, two of which were to Brian Burns. Giants rookie Abdul Carter combined with Kayvon Thibodeaux for the other sack. The Packers will of course be deploying their new star Micah Parsons, who had one sack in his debut for Green Bay.

More importantly, Parsons is going to have plenty of help getting to the quarterback as he still battles a back issue. Devonte Wyatt, Lukas Van Ness and Rashan Gary all generated multiple pressures on Lions QB Jared Goff and contributed to tallying four sacks in Sunday’s win.

Almost more important on Thursday will be the run defense. Led by Daniels, the Commanders have a strong running game made even more potent by the QB run ability. The team averaged almost seven yards per carry against New York, with Daniels rushing for 68 yards and rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt leading the team with 82 yards on 10 carries.

The Packers are coming off a truly impressive display against the run, holding a Detroit team that averaged almost 150 rushing yards per game last season to just 46 on the ground on Sunday afternoon. Jeff Hafley’s unit will need another strong display on Thursday to ensure a win.

Key No. 3: Can Jordan Love keep pushing the ball down the field?

Love and the Packers only had the ball for 47 plays that totaled just over 24 minutes, but they made the most of their opportunities to attack downfield. Matt LaFleur’s offense was generating explosive plays throughout the game, with Romeo Doubs, Tucker Kraft and Jayden Reed all having catches of over 15 yards.

The Commanders secondary is one of their strongest units on their team. Dan Quinn’s defense limited a subpar Giants offense to very few explosive plays. Against a Packers team with weapons all over the field, players like Marshon Lattimore, Trey Amos and Mike Sainristil will need to have another strong outing.

One of the weaker spots on the Washington secondary is Noah Igbinoghene. The former Miami Dolphins corner allowed the most yards against New York. The Packers could look to attack him with speedy options like Reed or Matthew Golden, who showed a lot of positive signs in his NFL debut.