GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Five things to watch for in the Week 2 Sunday afternoon matchup when the Green Bay Packers (0-1) host the New York Jets (1-0) at Lambeau Field:
1. A balanced, high-scoring Packers offense in need
Very few aspects of Green Bay's offense were performed at anywhere near a high level in its Week 1 loss in Seattle. The defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks certainly had something to do with that, but the Jets have consistently been a very good defense. Since finishing No. 1 in the NFL in total defense in 2009, New York has been no worse than the 11th-ranked defense.
Aaron Rodgers' 5.7 yards per pass attempt against Seattle was among the five-lowest marks of his career in that category. That Week 1 statistic shows that Rodgers didn't go downfield often, and that's something that he often does so well. The Jets' secondary is not of the quality that the Seahawks' is, but the return of No. 1 cornerback Dee Milliner (the ninth overall pick in 2013) will be a big boost for New York.
Rodgers can't do it alone, though. It will help the Packers substantially that they don't have to go into this game without Eddie Lacy, who suffered a concussion last week but has been medically cleared. Aside from a successful first two carries, Lacy struggled getting past Seattle's defense, rushing for a total of only 34 yards on 12 attempts. Running the ball won't be any easier with a Jets defensive line that features reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Sheldon Richardson. New York allowed just 25 total rushing yards last week, which was by far the fewest allowed by any team in the league.
With an air attack likely the path of greater success for Green Bay in this game, Rodgers will need to far surpass his low yards-per-attempt average from Week 1.
"It's a good secondary," Rodgers said of the Jets. "It's a younger one, but they're a talented group. They've got a first-round pick at safety (Calvin Pryor) who made a lot of plays in the preseason and in Week 1. Dawan Landry is a veteran guy who's played in Rex (Ryan's) style of defense for a while and has done a really good job. (Milliner) is a talented guy, and Antonio (Allen) is a converted safety who has very good length and athleticism at the corner, so I think it's a good group. You have Kyle (Wilson) inside who has played a lot of football at nickel, and they tie a lot of their coverages to the fronts and the pressures, and Rex does a good job of mixing things up."
2. Fewer missed tackles against a tough running team
No team had more missed tackles in Week 1 than the Packers, compiling 18 of them. While Marshawn Lynch is always difficult to bring down, the challenge won't be simple with one half of New York's one-two running attack, Chris Ivory. Just by himself, Ivory forced the Oakland Raiders to miss eight tackles last week.
Fixing an issue like tackling can't often be drastically improved from one week to the next, as doing so in a practice setting with thud tackling is nothing like doing it in a live game. However, Green Bay's defensive players were confident this week that effort is the biggest key and insisted that it will be better.
Tackling more effectively will certainly be a key in stopping the run, but the Jets combine Ivory with Chris Johnson and quarterback Geno Smith for a dangerous trio. New York was the only team to rush for more yards in Week 1 than the Seahawks.
"Football is about fundamentals; tackling is one of them," head coach Mike McCarthy said. "You have drills that you do repeatedly and, like all the fundamentals, it comes down to footwork. Our tackling progression of approach, contact and finish, the things we did not do very well, were clearly in the area of approach."
3. The 'big opportunity' for Jamari Lattimore
After being the lowest-rated inside linebacker in Week 1 in the entire NFL by ProFootballFocus, Brad Jones has been ruled out with a quadriceps injury. That means it's a chance for Lattimore to prove that he can become a permanent starter in the Packers' defense, even once Jones is healthy.
"You look at the history of the National Football League, some of the greatest careers were started because of an injury in front of that particular player," McCarthy said. "This is a big opportunity."
This will be Lattimore's fifth start in his four NFL seasons, getting his first four starts in 2013 when Jones was sidelined. Though Lattimore played fairly well in those games, Green Bay went back to Jones in the starting lineup upon his return. The Packers might be ready to move in a new direction at inside linebacker, but it will be up to Lattimore to prove that he's the guy to force the full-time change.
"I'm way better than I was last year, so that's a plus for me," Lattimore said.
It will also help Lattimore that he's no longer dealing with what was an undiagnosed illness that had him on medication and feeling sick throughout the entire 2013 season.
4. Bryan Bulaga's quick return, or Derek Sherrod's redemption
No matter who starts at right tackle for Green Bay, it will be interesting to follow.
If it's Bulaga, it will be rather miraculous. When he went to the ground in Seattle clutching his already surgically repaired left knee, it seemed like Bulaga could once again be in danger of missing another season due to injury. Even when the Packers got the good news that it wasn't a major injury, it was still a relative surprise that Bulaga practiced (even in a limited fashion) on Wednesday and Thursday. McCarthy and the medical staff will have to decide if it's worth putting Bulaga back on the field so soon after the MCL sprain. And, if the team does decide to let Bulaga play, it will have to be monitored whether he's actually performing well.
If it's Sherrod, he'll need to bounce back in a major way after a disastrous opening game when he entered for Bulaga. Sherrod gave up two costly sacks in Seattle, one of which came on fourth down and the other that resulted in a safety. Green Bay stuck with Sherrod as the player who would start if Bulaga's out rather than diving into free agency. It will be up to Sherrod to make that decision pay off.
Bulaga is officially listed as questionable on the injury report.
"If Bryan cannot go, it will be clearly from a medical standpoint that we don't feel it's in his best interest," McCarthy said.
McCarthy added about the possibility of Sherrod starting: "I have confidence in our plan, and he's part of it. He's getting better in practice. He has some distinct things that he needs to continue to work on, and we're doing that. But I have a lot of confidence in Derek."
5. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix vs. Calvin Pryor: Battle for top rookie safety
This was an intriguing storyline already. Then Rex Ryan decided to make it a lot more interesting when assessing why the Jets took Pryor over Clinton-Dix with the No. 18 overall pick in May's draft.
"I took the guy who will knock your face in," Ryan said.
The strengths between the two players were well-defined heading into the draft. Pryor was the big hitter, Clinton-Dix was the better centerfielder in coverage.
Both players had fairly good NFL debuts in Week 1, though Pryor played all 56 defensive snaps while Clinton-Dix played 40 of 70 snaps. ProFootballFocus rated Pryor better through one game, and though both dropped potential interceptions, Clinton-Dix's missed tackle that allowed a Seahawks touchdown is hanging over his head.
It might be Ryan's comment that helps Clinton-Dix bring his "A" game Sunday.
"If that's what they thought, then hey, that's up to them and I'm going to show them," Clinton-Dix said.
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