PACKERS SCHEDULE
5 THINGS TO WATCH
UNLEASHING JONES: There is more than one way to get the ball to running back Aaron Jones, but the Packers have pretty much limited him to carries. Last week against Seattle, Jones showed he isn’t onedimensional, catching five passes for 63 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown. He might have scored on another completion if quarterback Aaron Rodgers had seen him wide open during a second-half drive that ended at the 12-yard line. In the Packers’ offense, the backs often must block because the tight ends are lined up like receivers, leaving just five to protect Rodgers.
WATCH OUT FOR SACKRELL: The last time the Packers and Vikings met, outside linebacker Kyler Fackrell played 13 snaps and had one tackle. Reggie Gilbert was the No. 3 guy off the bench behind Clay Matthews and Nick Perry. That was Week 2. Heading into Week 12, Fackrell is a starter and leads the team in sacks. Once considered a draft bust, Fackrell has 23 tackles, eight sacks and two pass breakups in the last seven games. “Guys just take time to get used to the speed of the game and how to approach it,” defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said. “I thought he came into training camp in great shape. It’s just taken time for all that to click in. Obviously, you’re seeing the results.”
SAFETY FIRST? Facing the division’s best combination of receivers/tight ends, Pettine probably won’t have starting cornerback Kevin King, who has missed two straight games with a hamstring injury. He has to consider whether to move Tramon Williams from safety back to cornerback so he can have his two best cover men – Williams and Jaire Alexander – on receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. The problem this week is that safeties Kentrell Brice (ankle) and Raven Greene (ankle) are hurt. Moving Williams back to corner would mean starting Josh Jones and Ibraheim Campbell at safety.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: This will mark the fourth time in five weeks the Packers have played on the road and the results have not been good. At 0-5, this could be the first Packers team to lose its first six away from Lambeau Field since the 1979 team coached by Bart Starr. Two of the Packers’ three remaining road games are against the Vikings and Chicago Bears, so they can salvage something out of their road schedule if they can win those two games. Though they’ve had a chance to win late in all but one of their road games, they can’t ever seem to get over the hump.
DOME OF DOOM: The Packers are 0-2 at U.S. Bank Stadium and the loss last season all but ended their season. Rodgers broke his right collarbone in the first quarter after escaping the pocket and taking a hit from linebacker Anthony Barr, and the team never recovered. The Packers were coming off a big win in Dallas the week before and appeared to be gaining momentum when Rodgers got hurt. If they’re going to salvage something out this season, Rodgers needs to avoid big hits and play like a healthy quarterback.