After a tough 34-29 loss that resulted in an injury to Jordan Love, the Green Bay Packers will likely be without their starting quarterback this week. The Packers open their home portion of the 2024 season Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. They are coming off a tough 29-27 home loss to the Houston Texans in Week 1. I Love can’t go, it will be third year quarterback Malik Willis starting. If the Packers roll with Willis, here is what they need to do in order to avoid an 0-2 start to the season.
Keep Pressure on Anthony Richardson
The talent Anthony Richardson is nothing to mess with. He has arguably the best arm in the entire league. Some of the throws he had last week against Houston was incredible and a throws I am not sure any other quarterback int he NFL makes. His arm talent and the deep ball is something the Green Bay Packer defense must be ready for.
Like Jalen Hurts, Richardson is also a threat to run the ball as well. He is a big quarterback and that can deliver contact and adsorb it as well. I am not sure if the Colts want him to run as much after major shoulder surgery last year, but if he is on early, it could be tough afternoon for the Green Bay Packers defense.
Prevent a Break Out Game from Jonathan Taylor
Jonathan Taylor had an incredible career at Wisconsin and has had a very nice career to this point in the NFL. He is still one of the best running backs in the league and can take over a game fast. The Colts have a good offensive line as well. If he able to make his presence known early, he will be a tough player to stop.
I think the Green Bay Packers have to take the running game away and put the game on Richardson’s shoulders. He is prone to turnovers as well. I would expect a similar approach to Richardson that the defense had to Jalen Hurts.
The Green Bay Packers Need to be a Run First Offense
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Assuming it will be Malik Willis starting Sunday, Matt LaFleur will likely try to make the game-plan as simple as possible. Willis was acquired in a trade with the Titans a few weeks ago so I’m sure he does not have the whole playbook to his arsenal. He is a running quarterback as well and the Green Bay Packers offense does cater well to running quarterbacks,
Willis will also have to make plays with his arm as well. However, he does have a really good receiving corp to help him out. I don’t expect monster numbers from Willis, but I do expect a ton of Josh Jacobs and Emmanuel Wilson to make it easier. Because of this, I don’t think this will be a high scoring game.
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