5 THINGS TO WATCH
TURNING UP THE HEAT: Bills coach Sean McDermott grew up in the Jim Johnson pressure system in Philadelphia and his defense showed how effective it can be in getting after the quarterback last week against Minnesota. The Bills had Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins off-balance from the start and that’s saying something given how many yards (422) he put up in a 38-31 loss to the Rams on Thursday night. The Bills rank tied for 10th in sacks with eight, but also rank 29th in opponent passer rating (108.1), which means there will be openings if the Packers can protect Aaron Rodgers.”
JUST JOSHING: Rookie Josh Allen, who will be making his third start Sunday, said the quarterback he tries to emulate the most is Rodgers. He’ll have to get his completion percentage up from 55.7 if he ever wants to be as efficient, but one thing the 6-foot-5, 237-pound Allen does share with the Packers quarterback is scrambling ability. His high hurdle of Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr became a video sensation. It was one of 18 times he has run the ball in two games.
SHOTGUN START: At some point, coach Mike McCarthy is hoping Rodgers’ sprained left knee will feel good enough that he can start playing from under center again. McCarthy and offensive coordinator Joe Philbin have used just the pistol and shotgun formations. In the shotgun, the defense generally can expect the run to be headed in the opposite direction from the side in which the back lines up. It’s a cleaner handoff that way. When the back is behind the quarterback, it could go either direction. The Packers rank tied for eighth with a 4.5-yard per carry average, but they rank 31st with 59 attempts.
EXTRA GEAR: If the Packers do run the ball more Sunday they’ll be doing it against the fifth-ranked run defense in the NFL. The Bills are giving up just 80 yards per game and 3.5 yards per carry. It was obvious last week that Aaron Jones’ return from a two-game suspension added some bite to the run game, and while McCarthy said he likes a three-man rotation, you can bet he’ll stick with Jones if he averages 7.0 yards per carry like he did against Washington.
MR. HYDE’S REVENGE: This will be Micah Hyde’s first game against his old team since leaving in free agency after the 2016 season. He is a fulltime safety in Buffalo and is coming off a Pro Bowl year. McDermott saw the versatile and intelligent Hyde as a great fit on his defense.