more than 200 miles away in the first month — sets up well f

Packers Week 4 Snap Counts: Whitehead is becoming a key player Za'Darius Smith Jersey White , MVS fills in for Cobb The Green Bay Packers’ offense did not look particularly sharp in their 22-0 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, but there are reasons for optimism moving forward. It appears that the unit has found its #4 wide receiver, as rookie Marquez Valdes-Scantling stepped up his snap count with Randall Cobb inactive for the game. He may have only caught one pass, but it was indicative of his impressive skill set and will hopefully earn him some more opportunities in the future.Meanwhile, with a bit of a banged-up cornerback group, the Packers turned to defensive back Jermaine Whitehead for a hefty number of snaps on Sunday, particularly with him lined up as a slot corner. Whitehead has continually increased his role on this defense and is starting to play a role similar to the one Micah Hyde had in Green Bay — part safety, part slot corner, and occasional dime linebacker. That versatility should continue to get him on the field even as Josh Jones has returned from injury.Here’s a look at the playing time from Sunday.OFFENSE (76 plays)QuarterbackAaron Rodgers 76Once again, Rodgers looked a bit improved over the previous week in terms of his mobility. He ended up finishing the game with five rushes for 31 yards, including a long of 15. He appears to be feeling better with the knee, or at least it is not giving him too much trouble when he moves around in and out of the pocket.As far as his passing numbers, Rodgers was pedestrian by his standards, missing a few throws that he typically makes in his sleep. He finished the game just 22 for 40, with 298 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. That was good for a passer rating of just 76.9.Running BacksAaron Jones 29, Jamaal Williams 28, Ty Montgomery 20Sure, Jones got the plurality of the snaps among the three backs, but Packers fans continue to clamor for more snaps and carries for the Packers’ most elusive runner. Jones carried the ball 11 times for 65 yards and a score, adding one catch for 17 yards on a screen pass. By contrast, Williams also had 11 carries, but had less than half of Jones’ yardage with 27. Montgomery’s big play was in the passing game on a wheel route that went for 43 yards.Wide ReceiversDavante Adams 76, Geronimo Allison 56, Marquez Valdes-Scantling 54 Kyler Fackrell Jersey , J’Mon Moore 11With Randall Cobb out, MVS got the start and clearly demonstrated that he is the #4 receiver at this point. The Packers used Adams in the slot a lot, and he finished the game with eight grabs on 14 targets for 81 yards. Allison fought through a couple of ugly drops but racked up 80 yards on six catches. MVS’ only catch was a gorgeous out-and-up route for a 38-yard gain. However, he drew Rodgers’ ire when failing to come back and attack the football on a short route that was a dropped pick-six. Meanwhile, Moore played sparingly, only seeing the field for a snap or two prior to Allison leaving the field with a possible concussion.Tight EndsJimmy Graham 54, Lance Kendricks 35, Marcedes Lewis 17With no Cobb, the Packers finally did use a little more 12 personnel, but they largely did so with Kendricks lined up in the backfield as a fullback — or motioning him into that alignment. He had another bad drop on a target that should have gone for a first down, ending the day with one catch for five yards. Graham finally found the end zone on a short pass into the flat, and he caught half of his six targets for 21 yards. Lewis was not targeted all day.Offensive LinemenDavid Bakhtiari 76, Lane Taylor 76, Corey Linsley 76, Byron Bell 76, Bryan Bulaga 76The line did a largely marvelous job against a fearsome Bills pass rush that obliterated the Vikings’ line a week earlier. Bakhtiari in particular shut down Jerry Hughes’ pass rush moves, holding him without a sack and largely without pressuring Rodgers. The rest of the unit held up well also, despite missing starting right guard Justin McCray.DEFENSE (58 plays)Defensive LinemenKenny Clark 47, Dean Lowry 36, Mike Daniels 35, Montravius Adams 5If Clark isn’t a Pro Bowler this year, there’s something wrong with the system. He had another stellar game, including a forced fumble and recovery on a Josh Allen scramble. Lowry was active in the run game, while Daniels was his typical pocket-collapsing force. For one Sunday at least, this unit did not seem to miss Muhammad Wilkerson.Outside LinebackersClay Matthews 37, Nick Perry 33 Davante Adams Jersey White , Kyler Fackrell 26, Reggie Gilbert 25For all the heat that Fackrell takes from Packers fans, he earned one of our game balls this week for a stellar performance. His three sacks on Sunday now give him the team lead ahead of Perry and Gilbert, who each have 1.5. Two of those came in the last three plays of the game with Buffalo trying to get on the board.It was really the best performance from this group as a unit all season, though, as every one of these four players recorded at least a half-sack. Matthews led the way with five total tackles.Inside LinebackersBlake Martinez 58, Oren Burks 20, Antonio Morrison 10, Korey Toomer 3, James Crawford 1As usual, Martinez led the team in tackles with nine, including one of the team’s seven sacks plus another tackle for loss against the run and a second hit on Allen. Burks pitched in with three tackles on defense (plus one on special teams). The plan looks to be to continue bringing Burks along gradually, but expect him to continue to get more snaps as the season goes along.SafetiesKentrell Brice 58, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix 58, Jermaine Whitehead 39Notable in his absence from this list is Josh Jones, who played only on special teams (16 snaps) in his season debut. Instead, the Packers used a lot of Whitehead as a slot cornerback, particularly when rookie cornerback Jaire Alexander missed time with a groin issue. Whitehead responded well, with his lone tackle coming on a sack of Allen on a blitz from the slot.Clinton-Dix had an excellent game on Sunday, and he made one of the better plays in his career on his interception. He was aggressive in diagnosing a throw by Allen towards the sideline and attacked the football, coming up with the pick. Brice only had a pair of tackles, but one was a key stop in the run game on a third-and-short on the first drive of the game.CornerbacksTramon Williams 58, Josh Jackson 49, Jaire Alexander 37, Tony Brown 3Alexander left for a period of time late in the game, but he was having a stellar contest and he recorded his first interception (that counts) late in the first half on a desperation heave by Allen. According to Pro Football Focus Clay Matthews Jersey White , Alexander was trageted seven times in coverage but allowed just one reception for a passer rating against of 7.7.When Alexander left the game, Jackson shifted out to the boundary from the slot. He struggled a bit in this contest, getting flagged twice for facemask penalties. Still, he had a pair of pass breakups, including one marvelous play late in the first half along the right sideline. There are tough stretches in this year’s schedule, but are the Packers headed back to the playoffs?"The Green Bay Packers’ schedule is out, and now that fans have had some time to process it, let’s get to some predictions. The early home stretches seem to set up well for this team, which also could surprise and get a jump on early-season opponents if they keep their offense under wraps in the preseason.However, the divisional schedule is clustered tightly this year, as the Packers open and close the regular season with big NFC North matchups. Those stretches may and probably will be the difference between whether the Packers sit at home in January, get in as a Wild Card, or climb back to the top of the division. Despite those games being difficult to predict, it’s worth running through the schedule to predict how it sets up for a possible return to the postseason for the Green and Gold.SeptemberThe Packers travel down the coast of Lake Michigan for week one, opening with the Bears in Chicago to kick off the NFL’s 100th season. Then they come back home for a three-game homestand, featuring three winnable games. The Vikings make it two straight NFC North contests to start the year, then the Packers host the Vic Fangio-led Broncos before welcoming the Eagles to town on Thursday night.Divisional games are always difficult to predict, and week one is particularly tough given the new coaching staff in Green Bay and a new defensive staff (and personnel) in Chicago. Vic Fangio’s departure for Denver (more on that in a moment) and the loss of a few key defensive backs suggest a regression for the Bears’ defense. Meanwhile, the Vikings and Packers have a fascinating 2-2-2 record in their last six games at Lambeau Field. Both of those games look like toss-ups to me at this point, so a 1-1 record two weeks in seems reasonable.Fangio and the Broncos come to Green Bay in week three after what will likely be a tough, emotional game against the Bears in week two. However, Denver’s offense behind Joe Flacco will hardly strike fear in Mike Pettine and company. Finally, the fact that the Packers play at home in week three prior to playing another home game on Thursday night in week four is advantageous. Philly will have to travel on a short week, while the Packers have been comfortable at home for two weeks prior. Edge: Green Bay.Prediction: 3-1OctoberA Sunday afternoon visit to AT&T Stadium, where Aaron Rodgers has never lost a game, awaits the Packers in week five. They’ll follow that up with two more home games Aaron Ripkowski Jersey , against the Lions and Raiders, then head South to play the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football at Arrowhead Stadium.Interestingly, Rodgers-led teams have not only won every time they have suited up at Jerry World; they have scored at least 30 points each time, with the low mark coming in the team’s 31-25 Super Bowl XLV victory. The last two wins have both been nail-biters: a 34-31 playoff win in January 2017 and a 35-31 victory the following fall. Dallas was a different team at home last year, however, and they look like they should field a strong team once again in 2019.Both home games look winnable; Detroit’s shutout victory at Lambeau in week 17 last year came with a concussed Rodgers on the sideline and a checked-out Packers team on the field. The Raiders, meanwhile, should still be a little ways away from contending, even despite having three first-round picks.However, week eight will be one of the biggest tests of the season, particularly for Pettine and the Packers’ defense. Given the Chiefs’ issues on defense last year, this could well be a shootout, with Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes trading points. A Packers upset is hardly impossible, but without seeing the team’s new offense yet, it’s tough to project that as a win.Prediction: 2-2 (5-3 overall)NovemberAfter that game in Kansas City, a tough road week awaits as the Packers head to California for their longest road trip of the year. The Chargers look like a complete team, very good on both sides of the football, and that’s a tough draw after that prime time game in KC. However, the Packers then get a home game against Carolina before a late week-11 bye. That gives them plenty of time to rest up and prepare for another West Coast trip, this time to play the 49ers on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.The Chargers game is a dangerous one, given the travel and the opponent. Following that, however, I see a motivated team coming home to make a statement against Carolina before an off week. With Jimmy Garoppolo and Jerick McKinnon back, San Fran looks to be improved over last year as well, but I like the Packers’ chances against Matt LaFleur’s mentor, Kyle Shanahan.Prediction: 2-1 (7-4 overall)DecemberDespite five games in December Mike Daniels Jersey White , three of them come on the road to help minimize the Packers’ home-field advantage in the cold weather. Furthermore, one is against the Bears, another cold-weather team that appears built for that time of year.First, however, the Packers will fly all the way back across the country after facing the 49ers, as they open up December in New Jersey against the Giants. Will New York have a new quarterback by then? We’ll have a better idea next week in the draft, but I suspect that this Giants team is still going to struggle in 2019. An Alex Smith-less Washington team comes to Lambeau in week 14, followed by the Bears rematch in Green Bay the following week. The Packers then close it out with road dates at Minnesota and Detroit.Prediction: 3-2 (10-6 overall)I wish I felt good enough about the Packers in the division to say they sweep the divisional stretch at the end of the year, but I have a feeling that there’s a slight letdown coming late. I actually feel better about Green Bay’s chances of beating the Bears in week one at Soldier Field than I do about that week 15 game, largely because Chicago will have a tougher time preparing for a LaFleur-Rodgers offense when there’s no tape available. After 13 games, there should be more to work with and Chicago should be better-prepared. Meanwhile, the Packers have yet to win at U.S. Bank Stadium, so I’m not confident in projecting a win there. I will give Green Bay a win in week 17, however, and they’ll need it to clinch a postseason berth.All told, a 10-6 record would almost certainly be enough to get the Packers into the playoffs, but whether that’s enough for a division title should depend on the Bears and Vikings.Overall ObservationsOur Jason B. Hirschhorn discussed this just after the release of the schedule, but it bears mentioning again: getting five of the first seven games at home — and going no more than 200 miles away in the first month — sets up well for a strong start. However, the very beginning and end of the schedule will be critical to determining whether this Packers team can make a run at an NFC North title.The Packers open up with back-to-back division games in 2019, starting with the Bears on the road and then coming home to play the Vikings. They then close the season with back-to-back-to-back division games in the final three weeks of the season. Those periods will likely be a major determining factor in the divisional race, particularly that final stretch at the end of the year. Getting wins in the division early on can help ease the pressure on the team late in the season, but regardless of the rest of the team’s results, the Packers will almost certainly need to win two of their final three games to have a shot at t division title.