Important storylines to watch for Packers vs. Jaguars in Week 8

After an epic battle with the Houston Texans in Week 7, the Green Bay Packers head to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars.

With Green Bay now just one game behind the Detroit Lions in the NFC North, this is a key game in the race for a division title and a playoff berth.

As always, there will be plenty to watch, but here are three of the biggest storylines you should be following in this one.

Brian Thomas vs. Packers cornerback duo

If the Packers are going to win this game they will need to find an answer for Brian Thomas. The rookie wide receiver has been a revelation for Jacksonville, establishing immediate chemistry with Trevor Lawrence and emerging as the team's leading receiver.

Through seven weeks, Thomas sits sixth in the NFL in both receiving yards (513) and yards per route run (2.60). He earned a reputation at LSU as a big-play threat and that has carried through to the pros. Thomas has had 11 targets of 20-plus air yards, which is the eighth-most in the league. On those targets, he has 283 yards.

Those explosive plays have been a big part of the Jaguars' offense this season. Lawrence has 21 plays of 20-plus yards, which is tied with Lamar Jackson for the seventh-most in the NFL.

Nullifying Thomas and limiting those explosive plays will be key for the Packers. Fortunately, their cornerbacks have done a good job of this through recent weeks. Jaire Alexander has not allowed a single completion of 20-plus yards since Week 1. Keisean Nixon has also adapted well to his new role as a boundary corner, conceding just one play of 20-plus yards since switching positions in Week 5.

Thomas is sure to test them, but if they can continue this sort of form in Week 8, the Packers should be able to get the better of this Jaguars offense.

The Jaguars' pass-rush plan

In last week's column, I mentioned Jordan Love's performance against the blitz and what that could mean against a Texans defense that loves to send extra rushers. This week, he faces a very different test, with a Jaguars defense that is largely content with rushing four.

Per Next Gen Stats, the Jaguars have blitzed opposing quarterbacks on just 16.9 percent of dropbacks. That figure is comfortably the lowest in the NFL and almost half the rate of last week's opponent, Houston, who sit at 31 percent.

On paper, this suits the Packers. One of Green Bay's biggest problems this year has been handling the blitz. Defenses are blitzing the Packers at the highest rate in the NFL, and Next Gen Stats has the offense ranked 30th on such plays.

READ MORE: Predicting Packers' next 5 games entering toughest stretch of the season

It is a different story when defenses send four or fewer rushers, with Next Gen Stats ranking Green Bay as the best offense in the NFL on those dropbacks. The Jaguars' pass defense is also ranked 32nd when not blitzing.

It remains to be seen as to what the Jaguars do this weekend. Other defenses have been willing to send the house at Love, and it has worked. Do they stick to their philosophy, or are they willing to mix things up and get after Love?

Has the Packers' pass rush turned a corner?

The production (or lack thereof) of this Packers defensive front has been a hot topic through the first half of the season. Things seemed to change for the better last week against Houston, though.

Per PFF, the Packers generated 16 pressures against the Texans. C.J. Stroud was pressured on a whopping 51.7 percent of his dropbacks. For context, this was the seventh-highest pressure rate in a game this season. It was also the Packers' best mark of 2024, comfortably ahead of their 41 percent pressure rate against the Eagles in Week 1.

What was interesting was that Green Bay managed this without sending extra rushers. The Packers blitzed Stroud on 31 percent of his dropbacks. That's almost exactly the same rate as they averaged through Weeks 4-6 (30.7 percent).

The question coming into Week 8 is what to make of that performance in Week 7. Was this the Packers turning a corner and finding their pass-rushing feet? Or was it simply a case of them taking advantage of a dysfunctional Texans offensive line?

We should get a good indication of the answer this weekend. The Jaguars will be a much tougher test than Houston when it comes to generating pressure. Per PFF, Trevor Lawrence has been pressured on 29.2 percent of dropbacks this season, which is good enough for the fifth-lowest rate in the NFL. Another big game from this defensive front would be a really encouraging sign.

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