Last week, the Green Bay Packers finally got back into the win column with a 23-16 victory over the Chicago Bears. This week, they’ll return home to face the 4-5 Baltimore Ravens as the Packers look to increase their win streak to two in a row and stay alive in the postseason race. Here are three Packers keys to victory to ensure they stay in the win column for the second week in a row.
Week 11 Green Bay Packers Keys To Victory
1- Establish The Hundley/Adams Connection Early
In all three of Brett Hundley’s NFL starts, Davante Adams has by far been Hundley’s favorite target. Last week, Hundley found Adams five times for 90 yards with a touchdown, including a crucial 42 yard play on third and nine late in the game to help seal the win. In three starts by Hundley, Adams has been targeted 23 times. It’s safe to say that the Packers offense has operated at it’s best when Adams and Hundley are both in sync with each other; that connection will be critical to Green Bay’s success not only in this game but in every game from here on out.
The Packers should start out with screens and slants with Adams, which will hopefully open up more downfield opportunities later in the game. Adams, without Aaron Rodgers, is clearly proving himself to be the offense’s go-to-guy, and the Packers need to make sure he gets as many touches as possible.
2- Get Jamaal Williams Going
Without Aaron Jones and most likely without Ty Montgomery, the Packers will turn to Jamaal Williams, their third string running back who filled in for the injured backs against the Bears to rush for 67 yards on 20 carries. He’ll face a 27th-ranked Baltimore defense giving up 125 rushing yards a game. Baltimore may not rank high in rushing defense, but they’re only giving up 182 yards a game through the air and 6.4 yards per pass attempt. Hundley will have his work cut out for him, so the Packers and Williams will need to help him out as much as possible by giving him a strong running game to lean on.
Williams entered this season as the number two back, but quickly fell after Jones impressed on Thursday Night Football against the Bears a month ago. Now, he’ll have his chance to prove himself as he’ll likely get a majority of the workload. He’ll be critical in taking pressure off of Hundley and serving Green Bay well with Jones out.
3- Stay Focused
This Packers team finally got in the win column last week against the Bears and now face a team with a losing record at home. It’s important that the Packers don’t get ahead of themselves and have a let down performance. The Ravens are a team the Packers should beat, even without Rodgers. The last thing Green Bay wants or needs is to come into a game playing sloppy and lazy against a team they know they can beat. If Green Bay can prove that they can stay focused and win this game, then they have a real possibility of setting themselves up to be in a position to make the postseason by the time Rodgers returns later in the season.
Even though the Ravens are favored to win, this is a game the Packers simply can’t afford to lose if they hope to be in contention when Rodgers comes back. If they can build upon what went right last week against the Bears and utilize their assets efficiently in Rodgers’s absence, they’ll be in good shape as they return home to the friendly confines of Lambeau Field.
Main Image:
