Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Five things to watch, stats, prediction­s.

- Tom Silverstei­n

STEP BY STEP: There’s no way quarterbac­k Brett Hundley will be able to make all the changes at the line of scrimmage that Aaron Rodgers did, so players are going to have to be patient and follow his lead. “Aaron can cover a lot of things up,” receiver Jordy Nelson said. “He knows the playbook in and out. He knows the defenses in and out. He knows what he wants. So, if something doesn’t sound right, it triggers in his head, and he can change it to what he wants.” Hundley knows many of the same things, but they won’t come to mind as fast and so don’t be surprised if there’s less nohuddle and fewer run-pass option plays. KEEPING UP WITH JONES: The injuries in the secondary have not helped the developmen­t of rookie safety/linebacker Josh Jones. The coaches had a lot of plans for Jones, but with safeties having to play cornerback and cornerback­s rotating in and out, they’ve had to stay basic. It means when Jones has been in the game, he has had to play a standard linebacker position. “It’s probably not a position where he can be as effective and he can be the playmaker we want him to be and he wants to be,” inside linebacker­s coach Scott McCurley said. “But that stuff will come.” The likely return of Kevin King and possible return of Davon House should allow Jones to be turned loose more against the Saints. RIGHT ON THE MARK: The trade of Adrian Peterson to Arizona has returned Mark Ingram to the undisputed No. 1 running back position. He responded to the move by rushing 25 times for 114 yards and two touchdowns against Detroit last week. He and backup Alvin Kamura have proved to be an excellent combinatio­n for the 14th-ranked rushing attack. “He’s got a combinatio­n of good size, speed and really good vision,” Packers defensive line coach Mike Trgovac said of Ingram. “He can make that jump cut. I think he’s got the whole gamut. Then they bring the other guy in and he’s just kind of like a good complement to him.” CONTAINING CAM: It’s no secret among offensive linemen that Saints end Cam Jordan is one of the best in the league at his position. Jordan is off to a great start for the opportunis­tic Saints defense. He has five sacks, an intercepti­on, a forced fumble and four passes batted down. He can line up anywhere across the defensive line so it’s a challenge to keep him double-teamed. “Cam is a great player,” said guard Jahri Evans, a former teammate. “He never gives up, he’s relentless. He’s always countering a move even if he’s blocked, he’s always into his second and third move countering.” THE RANDALL DILEMMA: With the season-ending injury to Quinten Rollins, the defense is down to Damarious Randall and Lenzy Pipkins in its “star” (slot) position. For now, Randall must be on the field in nickel situations. He has two intercepti­ons the last two weeks, and while anyone could have caught the two deflection­s, he has the best ball skills of anyone in the secondary. “Some guys have to track the ball into their hands,” cornerback­s coach Joe Whitt said. “He doesn’t have to track it. He can catch the flash of it and catch the ball.” But how much can the Packers really count on him? He’s going to get challenged in the weeks to come and he has not been reliable.

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