5 things: Packers need Tolzien, Lacy, defense to step up at Giants
Five things to watch for in the Week 11 Sunday afternoon matchup between the Green Bay Packers (5-4) and New York Giants (3-6) at MetLife Stadium:
1. Scott Tolzien's first NFL start
Coach Mike McCarthy was so impressed with Tolzien last weekend -- even though the Packers lost -- that he immediately named him the starting quarterback for this game. Aside from his costly interception in the end zone, Tolzien's performance in relief of Seneca Wallace went about as well as could have been expected under the circumstances.
Now, Tolzien is the Packers' third starter in the past three games and amazingly just the franchise's fifth starting QB in the past two decades. Like Wallace a week ago, Tolzien should benefit from having a full week of taking the majority of reps in practice with the No. 1 offense.
Tolzien showed poise and confidence when he stepped in against the Eagles, but this game presents the challenge of playing on the road. A good performance from Tolzien would not only be incredibly beneficial for Green Bay's playoff chances this season, but it would go a long way in locking him in as the team's long-term No. 2 quarterback.
The Giants haven't been giving up a lot of passing yards this season (11th in the NFL), but New York is ranked second-to-last in sacks and is tied for 19th in interceptions. All things considered, the Giants are a very average passing defense, so expectations for Tolzien should be placed accordingly.
2. Rushing lanes for Eddie Lacy
Lacy rushed for 73 yards on 24 carries a week ago, finding out that running room comes at a premium when Aaron Rodgers isn't behind center. The effect that Rodgers has on the running game can't be overstated, as the threat of him passing often forces defenses into deep coverage. Just as Philadelphia focused a lot of its defensive attention on stopping Lacy, so too will New York.
Despite Lacy's sub-standard 3.0 yards-per-carry average in that game, he ran hard and took just about every yard available to him. It wasn't quite the Adrian Peterson treatment from the Eagles, but Lacy rarely had space in which to operate. The Giants have obviously studied the film from that game and clearly saw that shutting down Lacy is a task far easier to accomplish without Rodgers around, as would be expected.
The Packers' offensive line will have to do a better job in this game in front of Lacy, but New York has been a good run defense this season. The Giants are ranked 11th in rushing yards allowed and have several players who have been performing well against the run, especially defensive linemen Justin Tuck and Linval Joseph.
3. Packers' overall defense, especially tackling and fourth-quarter performance
McCarthy kept it vague after the loss to Philadelphia as to what he meant by "reoccurring issues," but a day he later revealed how upset he's been with his team's play in the final 15 minutes of each game this season. Green Bay has been outscored 85-46 in the fourth quarter, so yeah, it's been bad. Both the Eagles and Chicago Bears put together drives of longer than eight minutes to close out the Packers' past two losses. This will be the first chance for players to respond to McCarthy's recent harsh words, words that even led to speculation as to whether defensive coordinator Dom Capers would remain on the job throughout the rest of this season.
Tackling has been another issue for Green Bay, and Capers knows it, saying his defense has "worked hard" on it this week because he's seen that problem "show up in critical times in the last couple games."
The Packers' run defense has fallen off so much that they went from being on pace to be the franchise's all-time best to now ranking 13th in in the NFL this season. Fortunately for Green Bay, the Giants don't have a running back like Matt Forte or LeSean McCoy. Even after Andre Brown's 115-yard performance last weekend, New York still is ranked 29th in the league in rushing yards.
4. Which Clay Matthews is able to show up?
Matthews said it wasn't the worst coaching grades he's received in his NFL career, but he admitted that he struggled while playing with a giant club over his right hand. Against the Giants, Matthews is expected to play with a small cast on his right hand, one that allows his fingers to move freely.
The Packers desperately need Matthews to play like the guy they signed to a five-year, $66 million extension this offseason. He's not healthy enough yet for that to be a realistic expectation, but with Rodgers unavailable, Green Bay's defense might have to carry the team for a while, and Matthews is the best player on that defense. The fact that Matthews is playing at all right now is impressive, because it's about two weeks ahead of schedule after the Bennett's fracture he suffered in his right thumb.
As if Matthews wasn't already extremely important to the success of the Packers' defense, the team is short on outside linebackers. Nick Perry is doubtful, and though Mike Neal is probable, he didn't even practice this week until Friday, and that was on a limited schedule. Andy Mulumba is questionable, leaving just Nate Palmer as the other option.
5. Forcing Eli Manning into interceptions
Winning a football game comes down to more than just quarterback play, but Manning's statistics this season have provided such a stark contrast that it has almost simplified what constitutes a Giants win and a Giants loss.
New York began the season with a 0-6 record. In those six games, Manning threw 15 interceptions. For comparative purposes, Rodgers threw 14 interceptions ... in the 2011 and 2012 seasons combined.
The Giants have now won three games in a row, and during that stretch Manning has thrown just one interception. It's hardly a coincidence.
"Early on, they had a tremendous problem with turnovers," Capers said. "The teams that were beating them were taking the ball away and either scoring on defense or giving the offense really good field position."
Well, Packers haven't been taking the ball away enough this season and are ranked last in the NFL in interceptions. If Manning's recent trend continues, Green Bay will have a difficult time winning this game if its defense can't force a couple turnovers.
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