Important lessons Packers can take into Week 6 against Cardinals

The Green Bay Packers host the Arizona Cardinals at Lambeau Field in Week 6.

Before that matchup, we take one last look at Green Bay's Week 5 win against the Los Angeles Rams. What lessons can Matt LaFleur's team take into the game against the Cardinals?

In our weekly rewatch of the game in "After Further Review," we break down what LaFleur can take into Week 6.

What can the Packers learn from their Week 5 win over the Rams?

1. Jordan Love doesn't have to be Superman to be the franchise guy

When a team makes you the highest-paid player in NFL history, there is inherent pressure to throw for 350-plus yards and 3-4 touchdowns every single game. However, the fact is that Jordan Love doesn't have to be that guy for this year's Packers to succeed.

Between the defense limiting opponents and creating takeaways, combined with guys like Josh Jacobs, Emanuel Wilson, and Jayden Reed to move the ball on the ground, Love can be great without needing to throw 40-50 times a game.

That's not to say he isn't capable of doing so, but there were times against the Rams when drives stalled out and relied on the pass three downs in a row. The Packers only converted one third down and faced an average of over 10 yards throughout the game. The best drives came with a healthy mix of run and pass, with the exclamation mark coming when the offense nickel-and-dimed out of the shadow of the goalpost before Love unleashed a deep bomb to Reed.

The drive was capped by Jacobs officially recording his first touchdown on the season after having several wiped off the board this season by penalty.

2. Packers defense needs Jaire Alexander

This one could probably be its own column. Should Jaire Alexander miss additional time, it's definitely a topic we can explore going forward. After rewatching this game, it became apparent that for Jeff Hafley's defense to perform at peak function, Alexander needs to be on the field.

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Xavier McKinney is looking like an early Defensive Player of the Year candidate with his fifth straight game with an interception, and Evan Williams played marvelously as the other starting safety. Javon Bullard moved to the slot with Keisean Nixon playing more snaps at outside corner.

In addition to these two standouts, it is apparent that Alexander is the glue that keeps the defense within Hafley's scheme. For the second straight week, Green Bay was playing in a lot more zone looks that allowed Matthew Stafford to pick them apart and move downfield with ease outside of the red zone area.

This was particularly evident on early downs, where the Rams picked up 13 of its 24 first downs on first or second down. When Alexander is on the field, the team can play in man more often and, in turn, be more aggressive with schemes and coverage.

3. Packers need to build on a much cleaner game

Green Bay had one of its cleaner games so far this season, cutting down significantly on penalties and drops. While it was far from a perfect game, with plenty of room for growth, I believe in pointing out the good and the bad. The Packers only allowed one first down from penalty and only committed six, which were enforced for 34 yards.

Reed had a drop that stalled out a drive early in the game, but that was relatively small potatoes in the grand scheme of the game. The biggest mistake was Love's pick-six, where he tried to avoid a safety and haphazardly threw the ball off his back foot while falling. Considering how well the defense has been playing of late, even with some depth issues on the back end, it is best to give the two points and let your defense battle it out.

4. Motion creates sweet emotion

One of the points I made above is that Love doesn't need to be a superhero to win games, particularly because of the run game and the athletes they have at his disposal. On top of that, Matt LaFleur's scheme has been fantastic for creating opportunities.

When you watch a Packers game, you'll often notice moving parts opening up the flow of the Green Bay offense. Tucker Kraft was the recipient in this game, as evidenced by his two touchdowns where the defense ultimately lost track of the big man. Reed and Christian Watson have also been big benefactors of this in the past, as well as opening up the run game.

5. In Narveson We Trust?

Matt LaFleur made some waves after the Packers' Week 4 loss to Minnesota, stating he still had plenty of faith in Brayden Narveson as the kicker despite two misses that took points off the board in a tight game. LaFleur was ridiculed for doing so, and the team even brought in a couple of guys for tryouts last week.

Ultimately, Narveson won out and was Green Bay's kicker in Week 5. He rewarded his coach's faith, making his only field goal attempt from 46 yards right before the end of the first half. Narveson was also perfect on all three extra points.

It is worth noting that Narveson's 46-yard kick came from the right hash, which is the direction he has pushed all of his misses, leaving very little room for error. Instead, he rose to the challenge and made the kick dead center through the goalpost. At a time when some people were calling for a return of Anders Carlson, among other names, making kicks and not leaving points on the board is best for everyone involved.

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