Packers: Five players to watch vs. Rams in Week 8

5. Blake Martinez

Todd Gurley is a top three running back in the NFL. He can catch and run the ball as well as any back. For the Packers to limit Gurley’s output, Blake Martinez must have a good game.

Gurley will get his yards, but making solid tackles when you have a shot will lessen his impact. Martinez will also have to cover Gurley either out of the backfield or when he moves to the slot.

For the defense to have success against Gurley, Martinez will have to be the sideline-to-sideline tackling machine he has been in the past while proving he has improved in coverage.

With the threat of both run and pass at any time, Martinez will be the one who doesn’t leave the field. It’s possible Oren Burks or safety Jermaine Whitehead will get the assignment of Gurley on obvious passing downs. But, in order to get there, the Packers and Martinez must be stout on the early downs and hold the Rams to third-and-longs.

The Packers will have to put together a complete game in order to come away with a win in this one. The Rams have the look of a Super Bowl team. This will be a true litmus test for the 2018 Packers.

If they can come away with a win, the team should have all the confidence it needs for the second half of the season. Even in a loss, the Packers can see just how far they are from being on the Rams’ level.