Packers at Vikings: Two Big Matchups
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers will kick off the 2022 NFL season at the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Here are two critical matchups.
Packers Offense: Mystery Tackles vs. Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter
The weakness of Minnesota’s defense is its secondary. Taking advantage of that weakness will mean handling its strength.
The Vikings have two elite pass rushers in Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter. Smith had a total of 26 sacks for the Packers in 2019 and 2020 before missing almost all of last season with a back injury. Hunter had a total of 29 sacks in 2018 and 2019, missed 2020 with a herniated disc, then had six sacks in seven games before a season-ending pectoral injury in 2021.
Aaron Rodgers is a great quarterback and Matt LaFleur will have some schematic solutions but, for Green Bay’s new-and-unimproved passing game to function, the offensive tackles are going to have to win those matchups.
Who will be those tackles? “As of right now, I do not (know),” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said after Thursday’s practice. In the base-case scenario, it could be David Bakhtiari at left tackle and Elgton Jenkins at right tackle. Or, maybe it will be Yosh Nijman at left tackle and Royce Newman at right tackle. With Bakhtiari not practicing on Friday, perhaps it will be Nijman at left tackle and Jenkins at right tackle. Whoever it is, big challenges await.
For what it’s worth, Hunter in 2021 rushed from the defense’s left side (and against the offensive right tackle) on 84.3 percent of the passing plays. In 2019, he rushed from the defense’s left 95.3 percent of the time. Assuming the Vikings stick with that, the primary matchups would be Hunter vs. Jenkins/Newman and Smith vs. Bakhtiari/Nijman. What a welcome back to the NFL it would be for Bakhtiari to have to face his ticked-off former teammate on a lot of key snaps.
“He’s one of the premier pass-rushers in this league,” LaFleur said. “He’s a challenge because he presents problems on the outside and his versatility as a player where they can kick him inside and match him up over guards or centers or wherever they want to put him.”
Packers Defense: Jaire Alexander vs. Justin Jefferson
The Packers have three premier cornerbacks in Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes in Rasul Douglas. Will defensive coordinator Joe Barry opt for a best vs. best matchup and have Alexander follow Vikings All-Pro Justin Jefferson here, there and everywhere?
It didn’t take long for Jefferson to cement his status as one of the great receivers in the NFL. His 3,016 receiving yards is an NFL record for a player in his first two seasons.
“What makes him special is he has it all – he has size, he has speed,” Barry said. “He can play the X receiver on the single side, he can play the Z receiver on the multiple-receiver side, he can go in and play the slot position or the F position. They move him all over the place. They’ll give him fly sweeps, they’ll put him in the backfield and run option routes like a running back does.
“What makes him special is he’s a do-it-all receiver. He can break you off inside on option routes as a slot receiver, he can like up and run past you on a go ball. There’s some guys that have their niches; this is what he does, and this is what he does really well. He can really do a lot of things really well and that’s what makes him special.”
In Minnesota’s home victory last year, he caught eight passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Alexander wasn’t on the field for that game, though.
“They have some great, great defensive players,” Jefferson said. “We know we’re going to be seeing a whole bunch of difference coverages toward me, Adam (Thielen). We feel confident going into this game.”
