The Green Bay Packers can make it two wins in a row and start building actual momentum toward a late-season playoff push by beating the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night at Lambeau Field.
Just four days after upsetting the Dallas Cowboys and snapping a five-game losing streak, the Packers will host the AFC South leaders in primetime in Week 11.
The margin for error for Matt LaFleur’s team is razor thin over the final seven games of the 2022 season, but getting to 5-6 would help keep the door open.
Here are five things to watch and a prediction:
Can the Packers commit?
The Packers ran the ball 39 times and rushed for over 200 yards during a dominant effort against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, but a much different beast is headed for Lambeau Field on Thursday night. The Cowboys came into last week ranked 28th in run defense grade at PFF; the Titans are third. A big, physical front backed by linebackers and defensive backs that consistently make tackles in Mike Vrabel’s scheme will provide a supreme challenge to Aaron Jones, A.J. Dillon and the Packers run game. It will almost certainly be a slog at times, but can Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers stick with it? This should be a terrific test of the Packers’ winning formula.
King Henry
The line of scrimmage will be worth watching all night. As important as it will be for the Packers offensive line to move people and get the ground game going, the defense must also consistently win up front and keep All-Pro running back Derrick Henry from physically taking over the contest. The Packers run defense has been poor all season, and Joe Barry’s defense hasn’t consistently tackled well, especially in the back seven. If Henry is getting space and making people miss, it’s going to be a very long night at Lambeau Field. Maybe this is an opportunity for Barry to load up against the run given how poor the Titans are in the passing game, especially in terms of pass protection and talent at wide receiver. Setting the edge consistently will be key against Henry. Given the team’s deficiencies in throwing the ball, it’s tough to envision the Titans scoring a lot of points without a dominant effort in the run game.
Watson's influence
Christian Watson probably won’t catch three touchdowns every game, but his influence on the passing game should radiate throughout the rest of the season, including on Thursday night. He proved, in terrific fashion, just how devastating his speed can be – both vertically and horizontally – when facing man-to-man coverage. The Titans will either challenge Watson to repeat the performance or adjust how they want to play coverage. Either way, it’s good for the Packers passing game. Watson needs to keep making plays, but don’t be surprised if the intermediate areas of the field are a little bit more open for Aaron Rodgers on Thursday night.
Keep the turnovers coming
After producing five takeaways in the first seven games, the Packers have five in the last three, including two leading to 14 points last week. Turnovers are going to be a big part of how this team plays winning complementary football the rest of the way. Of course, turnovers are a big deal for the Titans, too. During the two-game losing streak to start the season, Tennessee turned it over five times. Over the current 6-1 stretch? Only five turnovers. As is usually the case, especially in cold weather games, the team that protects the ball better is the likely winner.
New returner
Amari Rodgers, who fumbled five times in 2022, will no longer be returning punts in Green Bay. He was released on Tuesday and is now a member of the Houston Texans. Last week, special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia benched Rodgers for Keisean Nixon, who is also the kickoff returner, but it’s unclear if he’ll be taking over the punt duties full-time. The Packers signed Dede Westbrook to the practice squad, providing another option. More than anything, the Packers just need ball security in the return game. No big mistakes.
Prediction: Titans 20, Packers 17 (3-7)
Predicting three games right out of the first 10 in a season should just automatically disqualify this portion of the weekly preview. In many, many ways, this has been a hugely unpredictable Packers team that has lost games it should have won while also winning a few surprise games along the way. The Packers are coming off a big win, playing in primetime at home, figuring out some things on offense and expecting to have a big advantage at quarterback and on the injury front, which all point to a winning performance. That means I’m picking the opposite result. The Titans can dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and have given up more than 17 points just once in the last two months. This team resembles recent 49ers teams, and we all know how well the Packers have played against that style of team in the Matt LaFleur era.
