5 Packers' weaknesses the Broncos can exploit in Week 3

The Denver Broncos are 0-2. Obviously, this team needs to turn things around.

The Broncos have a tough Green Bay Packers team waiting for them in Wisconsin on Sunday, where Denver hasn't ever won. This is a Packers team that has a lot of talent that plays right into the Broncos' weaknesses, but does Green Bay have some weaknesses that Denver can attack?

I dug into the film from the Packers' first two games, and a few weaknesses jumped out, though not many. These are vulnerabilities the Broncos can exploit, but again, there aren't many of them.

If Denver wants to get their first win of the season and first all-time against the Packers in Wisconsin, they need to do whatever they can to attack these weaknesses. Here's what I picked up on from breaking down Packers' tape and where the Broncos can step on their necks.

Take advantage of the cushion given by Packers' CBs

Through two games, the Packers give their opponents receivers an average cushion of 6.1 at the snap. Meaning, pre-snap, they're 6.1 yards off the receiver. That's a big cushion to relinquish to receivers and the Broncos can take advantage of it.

Exploiting that cushion is exactly what the Broncos need to do in order to help negate the pass rush the Packers are bringing. Kevin King and Jaire Alexander are two tough cornerbacks to complete passes against, having relinquished just nine catches on 23 targets between the two of them.

The longer the play goes, King and Alexander get into better position to break up passes, making it even more important for the Broncos to exploit that cushion. The weakest corner for the Packers is Tramon Williams, who has allowed eight of his 13 targets to be caught.

In previous games, the Packers' opponent used pre-snap movement and formations to get a favorable matchup on Williams. There has also been an issue with him tackling, so targeting him with quick passes gives a good chance for yards after the catch.

When it comes to the opponent's top-two receivers, tight end and running back, this Packers secondary has allowed 30 catches for 351 yards. Denver has the pieces to take advantage of that fact, as well as the quick cushion. It has been shown you can move the ball this way against the Packers, and it is the safest way.

Attack the O-line interior

The Broncos have had chances at sacks in the first two games, but a big reason they haven’t is a lack of interior pressure. Without that pressure, quarterbacks have been able to simply step up in the pocket to avoid the edge rushers.

If Denver wants to have that pressure get home, they need their interior guys to keep the quarterback from stepping up. An additional reason interior pressure is paramount is the Broncos need to limit the escape lanes for Aaron Rodgers.

When he is able to get out of the pocket, magic happens. His ability to extend plays and his repertoire wth his receivers leads to explosive results. Interior pressure limits the escape routes and his ability to potentially make a play with his legs. See Week 8, 2015. That's the rush model for Denver.

Play-action fakes

Play-action is supposed to be a big part of this Broncos' offense, so where is it? Through two games, play-action has shown to be a vulnerable spot in the Packers' defense, though to be fair, it's that way for every defense.

The Packers' linebackers have a major tendency to bite on play-action, which opens up the middle of the field behind them and in front of the safeties. Denver needs to use play-action themselves more often.

It helps the run game, and creates opportunity in the passing game. This is a tough Packers defense, with strong pass rushers and a strong secondary. With a dangerous defense, Denver has to take some of the bite away and play-action helps do just that.

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Get after Rodgers, but carefully

This one is a bit tricky, as I mentioned before, Rodgers can be deadly when he escapes the pocket. Denver needs to get after him as Rodgers struggles when he's under pressure, but is kept in the pocket.

Keeping him in the pocket is the key. Most quarterbacks crumble under pressure, and Rodgers is no exception.

The Packers benefit by having probably the best left tackle in the NFL along with one of the best right tackles as well. It makes it very hard to get pressures on Rodgers, but this year he has already taken seven sacks in two games, five of which came against the Chicago Bears.

Rodgers holds the ball for 3.1 seconds before throwing, which will help the Broncos' pass rushers apply the pressure.

Use 11 personnel to attack the middle of the field

The Packers are going to be without Oren Burks, and B.J. Goodson is exploitable, as is Blake Martinez in coverage. Denver needs to force mismatches against these linebackers, and the best way to do that is to spread them out.

For that reason, Denver should go into this game and use a lot of 11 (1 TE, 1 RB, 3 WR) personnel and move Noah Fant out wide to draw a linebacker out there, or pull a safety down. This also gets Tramon Williams on the field, and with his poor tackling, DaeSean Hamilton or Emmanuel Sanders can really exploit him.

Spreading out the defense also helps out the running game. Getting ball-carriers in space is, obviously, vital for a running game and is the goal for offenses. If the Broncos can bait a linebacker out wide with Fant, there is a lot of space that the offense can exploit.

With how badly the Packers' LBs bite on play-action, if the Broncos can get Fant out wide with Martinez in coverage, it'll expose the Packers' vulnerability to play-action even more. Denver can fake it to Phillip Lindsay or Royce Freeman, only to hit Fant for a big gain.

With Denver being an offense that wants to get the running backs involved in the passing game, spreading out the Packers' defense also helps with that. The Broncos can leak a running back through the trenches and get them in space, but that would require them to catch the ball.

For Royce Freeman, that hasn’t been a major concern, but Phillip Lindsay has had trouble hauling in targets consistently. Even still, the Broncos need to spread out the Packers' defense and create space for the offense.

Broncos who must shine

Knowing those weaknesses, the Broncos will have to get key players going to really attack the Packers. Let's touch on the players the Broncos really need to step up in this game, or things can get away quickly.

Courtland Sutton: Sutton vs. Kevin King is going to be tough for the Broncos. King has allowed just three catches on seven targets with one interception. Sutton has shown some good route running, and with the cushion King gives, Denver needs the second-year WR's route running to shine again if they want to get him involved in the offense.

Chris Harris, Jr.:This is going to be a tough matchup and Harris has to step it up. He struggled against the Bears and Allen Robinson, but Davante Adams is an even tougher matchup. Harris tends to play up to his opponents, and Denver needs him to in this game.

Noah Fant: As I highlighted above, the Broncos really need to make Fant a focus in this game. His athleticism is a challenge for the Packers to match, and they need to exploit it. Getting him spread wide would require either a corner or a safety to come down and help, especially if they get him the ball early and he makes some plays.

Justin Simmons: In the two games so far, Simmons has had multiple plays where he was out of position, and in one case, it kept him from a potential interception. Denver can’t have that happen against Rodgers. Mitchell Trubisky and Derek Carr couldn’t make the Broncos' defense pay for Simmons being out of position, but Rodgers can and will. Simmons has to play a nearly flawless game in this one.

Phillip Lindsay: Lindsay has to be involved in the Broncos' offense, and show better hands. Whether Denver spreads the Packers out or not, Lindsay brings some speed that the opponent is lacking at linebacker. Goodson and Martinez are limited athletically, so if the blocking can hold up, Lindsay could gash the defense.

Derek Wolfe: The Packers' interior offensive line has a weak link in Billy Turner at right guard. He signed with Green Bay this past spring after spending a couple of seasons with the Broncos. Through two weeks, he has really struggled to handle defensive linemen, and even stunting edge rushers. Wolfe can really help set up Von Miller for a big game by setting up Turner to be in a bad position to deal with Miller.

Follow Erick on Twitter @ErickTrickel and @MileHighHuddle.