PACKERVILLE, U.S.A.: Packers at Commanders Preview

Rodgers, Packers look to get back on track at Washington

Various Sources

GREEN BAY (3-3) at WASHINGTON (2-4)

DAY/TIME/TV: Sunday, 12:00 p.m. (CT), FOX

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Packers 2-4; Commanders 2-4

SERIES RECORD: Packers lead 22-16-1

LAST MEETING: Packers beat Washington 24-10 on Oct. 24, 2021, at Green Bay.

LAST WEEK: Packers lost to Jets 27-10 on Sunday; Commanders beat Bears 12-7 on Oct. 13.

PACKERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (15), RUSH (13), PASS (17), SCORING (24)

PACKERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (5), RUSH (27), PASS (1), SCORING (15)

COMMANDERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (24), RUSH (24), PASS (18), SCORING (29)

COMMANDERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (19), RUSH (25), PASS (15), SCORING (18)

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Packers minus-4; Commanders minus-5

Aaron Rodgers walked into the locker room after a practice this week and felt a lively vibe that belied a rare Green Bay Packers losing streak.

They've lost two in a row during the same regular season for the first time since Matt LaFleur took over as coach in 2019. Green Bay has the chance to end the skid at the Washington Commanders on Sunday.

"We just want to get back out there," Rodgers said. "The beauty of this league is you get another chance. The tough part is we got to deal with all the feelings for a week after a bad performance."

He was referring to a 27-10 home loss to the New York Jets, which came in the aftermath of a closer defeat against the Giants in London. But there's reason for optimism: The Packers are favored to win, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, and at 3-3 they could sure use that to keep pace in the playoff race.

Even after ending their losing streak at four, the Commanders at 2-4 and last place in the stout NFC East would need to go on a run to catch up with their division rivals. While Rodgers nurses a thumb injury on his throwing hand that is not expected to sideline the four-time MVP, Washington is turning to Taylor Heinicke at quarterback after starter Carson Wentz had surgery to repair a broken right ring finger.

Heinicke, who started almost every game last season following his surprise breakout performance in the playoffs the previous January, gets another chance against the team he grew up cheering for as a big fan of Brett Favre. He had an interception and a fumble in Washington's 24-10 loss at Lambeau Field last year.

"Starting 15 games last year, I feel a lot more comfortable, a lot more confident in what I need to do to win and what not to do to lose," Heinicke said. "Against these guys, move the ball, get down in the red zone and score this time, I like our chances."

Chances are the Packers will find their groove at some point after blowing a 14-point lead to the Giants and getting blown out by the Jets. They certainly think so.

"We just haven't put it all together," running back Aaron Jones said. "We have all the weapons and we have the talent we need in this locker room. We've just got to put it all together, and we know that's coming because we've done it. We've shown that we can do it and now we just have to do it for a whole game."

AWAY FROM FOOTBALL

Washington coach Ron Rivera has no interest in weighing in on Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay's comments that there's "merit" to removing Dan Snyder as Commanders owner. He also would like to shield his players from the entire situation, which has been part of Rivera's job since joining Washington.

"We're focusing in on playing football," Rivera said. "That's my big thing is I'm just gonna look at what we're doing on the football field and stay focused on that."

Rodgers, asked about Snyder on Wednesday, wasn't sure if he thought the drama harms the NFL.

"It's obviously been some incidents that reflect poorly on certain organizations, which isn't great for the league, but as you guys all know, the league is going to protect itself and I'm sure they'll make the right decisions," Rodgers said.

PACKERS' INJURED RECEIVERS

The Packers won't have their receiving unit at close to full strength.

Randall Cobb injured an ankle in the Packers' 27-10 loss to the New York Jets and is expected to miss multiple games. Rookie second-round pick Christian Watson missed the Jets game with a hamstring injury and didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday.

Sammy Watkins returned to practice this week after missing four games with a hamstring injury, but that doesn't necessarily mean he will be playing Sunday.

COMMANDERS “D”

Washington's biggest strength this season has been its defensive line, led by Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne inside and Montez Sweat off the edge. The Commanders have 19 sacks, tied for fourth in the league, and Rivera thinks the defense has the chance to be better than 2020 when it ranked second.

"They've done some really good things, and we just got to continue to work on being disciplined," Rivera said.

TURNOVER ISSUES

During LaFleur's tenure, the Packers are 37-1 when they force at least one turnover. But the defense hasn't produced any takeaways during this skid, and they've forced just four turnovers all season.

Green Bay has a minus-4 turnover margin. The Packers had an NFL-leading plus-32 margin from 2019-21.

PACKERS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Aaron Rodgers will need to play at something closer to the MVP form he showed the past two seasons for the Packers to start winning again. Rodgers was sacked four times and pressured throughout the game in the loss to the Jets. He’s playing through an injured right thumb.

COMMANDERS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Terry McLaurin is usually the focus of opposing defenses. With Taylor Heinicke replacing Carson Wentz at quarterback against the NFL’s top passing defense and the possibility of Washington missing two other receivers, there’s even more of an onus on McLaurin to make an impact.

KEY MATCHUP: Packers offensive line vs. Commanders defensive line. Packers coach Matt LaFleur didn’t rule out the possibility of making changes to his starting offensive line after the Jets’ front four dominated last week. Led by defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne and pass rusher Montez Sweat, the Commanders are tied for fourth in the league in sacks with 19.

KEY INJURIES: Packers WR Sammy Watkins has missed four consecutive games with a hamstring injury, though he is practicing again. ... WR Randall Cobb injured an ankle against the Jets and is expected to miss multiple games. ... WR Christian Watson missed the Jets game with a hamstring injury and didn’t practice Wednesday. ... G Jason Hanson left the Jets game with a biceps injury and didn’t practice Wednesday. ... Rodgers missed Wednesday’s practice with an injured right thumb but expects to play Sunday. ... Wentz had surgery to repair a broken finger on his throwing hand and is out. ... CB William Jackson could miss another game with a back injury. ... WR Dyami Brown missed practice Wednesday with a groin injury. ... Rookie WR Jahan Dotson has missed the past two games with a sore hamstring. ... TEs Logan Thomas (calf) and John Bates (hamstring) missed practice Wednesday.

SERIES NOTES: The Packers have won two in a row against Washington and four of the previous six meetings, including a playoff game in the 2016 season. Five of those six games have been decided by 14-plus points ... Green Bay is beginning a string of three consecutive games on the road. ... LaFleur spent four seasons as Washington’s quarterbacks coach from 2010-13.

STATS AND STUFF: The Packers have lost two consecutive regular-season games within the same season for the first time since LaFleur took over in 2019… Green Bay’s offense has scored a total of 10 points in its past six quarters… Rodgers has thrown 16 touchdown passes and one interception in seven career starts (including the postseason) against Washington… During LaFleur’s coaching tenure, the Packers are 37-1 when they get at least one takeaway. Green Bay’s defense hasn’t forced any turnovers during the Packers’ two-game skid… Packers OLB Rashan Gary has six sacks this season, putting him in a three-way tie for second place among all NFL players. The only player with more sacks is Pittsburgh’s Alex Highsmith with 6½… The Packers have allowed fewer than 100 net passing yards in two of six games this season… Green Bay leads the NFL in third down defense. The Packers are allowing opponents to convert on just 26.6% of third down situations… The Commanders’ victory at Chicago snapped a four-game losing streak… They rank last in the league in starting field position… Heinicke is expected to make his 17th pro start and 16th with Washington since debuting for the team in the 2020 wild-card round against eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay… Heinicke threw for 3,419 yards with 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions as the starter last season after replacing Ryan Fitzpatrick in the first half of the opener… Rookie RB Brian Robinson Jr. ran for his first career touchdown in the Bears game, less than seven weeks since being shot twice in the right leg in an attempted robbery… WR Curtis Samuel has had 60-plus yards from scrimmage in each of the past three games… Allen had his first career forced fumble and interception against Chicago… LB Cole Holcomb led the team with 12 tackles last week.

OFFICIAL INJURY REPORT: GREEN BAY: OUT: WR Randall Cobb (ankle), C Jake Hanson (biceps), WR Christian Watson (hamstring). DNP: G Elgton Jenkins (knee). LIMITED: T David Bakhtiari (knee), QB Aaron Rodgers (right thumb). FULL: LB Rashan Gary (toe), TE Marcedes Lewis (NIR--resting player). WASHINGTON: OUT: WR Dyami Brown (groin), CB William Jackson (back), TE Logan Thomas (calf), QB Carson Wentz (right finger), RB Jonathan Williams (knee). QUESTIONABLE: TE John Bates (hamstring), T Samuel Cosmi (finger), WR Jahan Dotson (hamstring). FULL: S Percy Butler (quadricep).

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Green Bay beat Washington at home, 24-10, last season in Week 7. However, the Packers are 2-8 in their last 10 road games at Washington, with wins coming in 1968 and 2004. The Commanders are the only NFC team Aaron Rodgers does not have a road win against (0-3).

• The Packers fell to the Jets, 27-10, at home last week, and have now equaled their loss total from the 2019 and 2020 seasons and are one away from equaling their loss total from 2021. It is the first time they have started 3-3 since 2012.

• There have been three home games in Aaron Rodgers' career in which he has attempted more than five passes and the Packers have scored 10 or fewer points -- a 35-0 loss to New England in Week 11, 2006 as a backup to Brett Favre, a 10-3 win over Chicago in Week 17, 2010 and last week against the Jets.

• The Commanders won in Chicago, 12-7, last Thursday, snapping a four-game losing streak. It was their first win when scoring 12 or fewer points since Week 2, 2009 against the Rams (9-7) and their first such road win since Week 10, 1989 in Philadelphia (10-3).

• Including postseason, last week was the fourth time in Carson Wentz' career that he failed to throw for 100 yards (99). He is 2-2 in those games, losing in the 2019 Wild Card round and Week 13, 2020, and posting a win last week and in Week 15, 2021 against New England.

• The Commanders have gotten 15.0 sacks from defensive linemen this season, second most in the NFL (San Francisco, 18.5). Green Bay has just 3.5 sacks from linemen, but has 10.5 sacks among its linebackers, fourth most in the league.