After showing signs of encouragement, but also ineptitude, on offense, the Green Bay Packers are home against the Denver Broncos that should provide opportunities for their young playmakers to find their rhythm. Starting with the run game, the Green Bay Packers must get their offense on track if they’re going to figure out how to beat the Denver Broncos in Lambeau.
How the Packers Can Beat the Broncos in Week 7:
1) Establish the Run, and Stick to it
Through six games, the Denver Broncos (1-5) have struggled on defense, against both the run and the pass. After fielding an incompetent offense in 2022, this Denver team has been held back by the surprisingly poor play of their defense, despite the unit possessing talent at all levels. Saving the Broncos from being a true cellar dweller in 2023 has been an offense that has shown flashes of explosiveness and efficiency at various times. While a Week 6 tilt against Kansas City was littered with a handful of encouraging plays by the Broncos’ defense, the unit has been prone to giving up the big play and this has largely been a factor for their overall struggles as a team.
For Green Bay, their struggles in one department have also had rippling effects on the rest of the team, especially for the offense. Coming off of a much-needed bye week, the Packers should have had time to figure out ways to generate more production out of their struggling run game. Having played much of their season without Aaron Jones, the Packers’ offense has been limited considerably. Jones not only offers consistency as a runner, but the effectiveness of the run game is a huge part of Matt Lafleur’s offensive scheme; players like Christian Watson and Luke Musgrave can benefit tremendously from a more effective rushing attack, as they have the speed to generate space on routes that come off of play-action.
2) Exploiting Mismatches
A respectable rushing attack should, in theory, lead to more opportunities to connect on deep throws that come off play-action; for Denver, the Broncos have allowed the highest yards per attempt by opposing quarterbacks in the league through six games (per pro-football-reference), which means that the Packers have a strong chance of exploiting what has been a porous secondary.
The Broncos field one of the league’s top cover corners in Patrick Surtain II, but Green Bay also possesses a stable of young, shifty receivers who should find enough favorable matchups to keep this Broncos defense on their toes. Opposite Surtain II, Denver is relying on second-year corner Damarri Mathis, who has struggled after putting out a respectable rookie season. The safeties in Denver are solid, but the young corners have been tested far too often, and Green Bay should continue that trend.
Finding players like Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs in the red zone will likely be an emphasis for Jordan Love, as both Reed and Doubs rank in the top ten in the NFL for their respective percentage of targets received inside of the 10-yard line (per pro-football-focus). Doubs and Love have displayed a strong connection so far, especially on back-shoulder routes that come near the corner of the end zone, so Green Bay should be focusing on ways to spark that connection against the Broncos.
3) The Aaron Jones Effect
If Jones can make a return against Denver, the Packers will have back one of their top weapons not only as a runner but also as a receiver; Jones excels in the short, quick game and has shown capable of generating space on routes that come out of the backfield. Relying on A.J. Dillon as a workhorse back has held Green Bay back so far, as the fourth-year back has looked less explosive than in years past and has struggled to generate explosive plays. Patrick Taylor, an undrafted free agent in 2020, was recently elevated to Green Bay’s game-day roster and should provide something of a spark for the offense. As a quarterback, Love has been effective as a runner, particularly on scrambles, but it is far from ideal for him to lead the team in rushing yards like he did against the New Orleans Saints.
4) Controlling the Trenches
Establishing an effective game starts with winning the battle at the line of scrimmage; Denver has recently parted with both Randy Gregory and Frank Clark on the defensive line, which should help the Packers in testing the depth of this Broncos front. Having battled injuries on their offensive line, the Packers should be looking for the unit to find their groove and create holes for the running game.
Consistency across the board is going to be the biggest key for a Packers team that is looking to find a groove after a rocky start to the season. It will start with exploiting a Broncos defense that has given up more than 5.8 yards per carry to opposing offenses (per ESPN stats) and goes as far as generating a handful of explosive plays on play-action. Green Bay has the personnel to make this all happen, it will only come down to how consistent they can be when it comes to executing.
