The Green Bay Packers enter a must-win game against the Washington Commanders in Week 7. With that in mind, here are three bold predictions.
While the Green Bay Packers‘ season won’t be over if they lose to the Washington Commanders on Sunday, they’ll put themselves in a tough situation.
This is the first of three consecutive road games for the Packers. Coming soon are matchups with the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles.
Winning in Week 7 is a must for Matt LaFleur’s team.
As Green Bay aims to end its losing run, here are three bold predictions for Sunday’s showdown with Washington.
Aaron Rodgers is sacked five times
Recent performances will likely force Matt LaFleur to reshuffle the offensive line, and that’s desperately needed with another tough matchup to come.
The Commanders have one of the league’s best defensive fronts. They are strong against the pass, making 19 sacks in the opening six games.
Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen, Jamin Davis, Montez Sweat, and Efe Obada each have at least three sacks.
Green Bay, meanwhile, couldn’t block the New York Jets’ defensive line last week, allowing four sacks and nine quarterback hits.
Aaron Rodgers could find himself under constant pressure again, barring a serious turnaround from the Packers’ offensive line. Another challenging matchup awaits.
Rashan Gary sacks Taylor Heinicke three times
Green Bay’s offensive line has struggled, but the same is true for Washington. The Commanders have allowed a league-high 23 sacks in six games. According to ESPN, they rank 30th in pass block win rate.
For all of the Packers’ inconsistent play on defense, they have been strong against the pass. Green Bay ranks first in the NFL for passing defense, allowing just 164 yards per game.
That’s slightly misleading, as teams have run the ball a lot, leading to fewer passes. However, there have been plenty of great moments from the pass rush, mostly Rashan Gary.
Gary’s six sacks in six games ties for second in the NFL. He is only half a sack behind the league leader Alex Highsmith.
Gary dominated the Commanders in last year’s matchup at Lambeau Field, making two sacks and four quarterback hits. He is an even better player in 2022 and is on pace for a career-high in sacks this season.
Just like I don’t expect the Packers’ offensive line to have an answer for the Commanders’ pass rush, the same goes the other way. This could be a big afternoon for Green Bay’s pass rush, and leading the way is Rashan Gary, who adds three more sacks to his season total.
Both teams are held to 20 or fewer points
With both pass rushes dominating, it could be a low-scoring contest at FedExField. That’s why I have no team scoring more than 20 points. We could be looking at a narrow 20-17 win for either team.
And it shouldn’t be all that surprising. Both teams rank inside the bottom 10 for points scored. Green Bay is averaging 17.8 points per contest, Washington 17.0.
The Commanders enter this game without starting quarterback Carson Wentz, while the Packers are hit with injuries at wide receiver. They could be without Randall Cobb and Christian Watson this week.
And given the struggles of both offensive lines, establishing the run and getting in rhythm on offense may be a challenge.
The Packers haven’t been able to put together four quarters of consistent play on offense this season. We’ve seen moments of their potential, but that’s it. They are yet to put up 30 points in a game this season and haven’t come close the past couple of weeks.
Fortunately, they come up against a Commanders team also struggling to move the ball and score points. It could lead to another ugly, low-scoring game. That’s why I have both teams putting up no more than 20 points.
It should be a close game, but don’t expect too much great play on offense.