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5 things to watch in the Green Bay Packers' Week 6 game against the Arizona Cardinals

Posted on by Vanessa
5 things to watch in the Green Bay Packers' Week 6 game against the Arizona Cardinals

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GREEN BAY – Here are five things to keep an eye on when the Green Bay Packers take on the Arizona Cardinals at Lambeau Field on Sunday.

Will the receiver rotation return to normal or will Romeo Doubs have to work his way back into good shape?

Receiver Romeo Doubs returned to practice following a one-game suspension after missing practice on Thursday and Friday and appears to be on track to play against Arizona on Sunday. But what will his role be? The coaches still seem keen on getting Dontayvion Wicks involved in the offense, and Christian Watson's possible return from an ankle sprain could create shortages at the receiver position. Jayden Reed is the guy coaches want to expose the most, and so Doubs' role may not be as big as he hopes. Doubs apparently went back to work with no sign of dissatisfaction. “He was a professional,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said. “There were no warning signs or anything like that. He went out and had a good two days of training so far. We'll just keep going from there.” The big question is whether he stays focused when he doesn't get the ball.

More: Our Packers beat reporters answer a burning question about Romeo Doubs

Penalties hurt the offense more than the defense

The Packers rank sixth in most penalties this season with 40. They committed 25 of those on offense, 11 on defense and six on special teams. They lost 189 yards to their offensive penalties, which caused their offense to be disjointed at times. They reduced their flags last week against the Los Angeles Rams (six for 34 yards), but they had a false start that pushed them back inside their own 10-yard line and two false starts during a fourth-quarter drive that consumed them 8 minutes, but stopped at the 50 yard line. “We have penalties and that puts us behind,” Stenavich said. “I would say penalties and drops are two big things that we really need to clean up so we can certainly be the best offense we can be.”

What role will Keisean Nixon play on defense?

Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has been open about his desire to put rookie safety Javon Bullard in a position where he can utilize his physical abilities near the offensive line. Against the Rams, he used Bullard as the nickel slot corner in place of Keisean Nixon, who was moved outside to replace the injured Jaire Alexander. When Alexander returns this week, Hafley will have to decide whether to bring Nixon back on the court, stick with Bullard or switch the two. Another option would be to put Nixon in the spot where Eric Stokes and Carrington Valentine share their snaps. Stokes and Valentine didn't tackle well, and while Nixon isn't as good in coverage as the other two, he's not afraid to jump into the fray and likes to challenge opposing receivers. “Look what he’s done,” Hafley said. “His coverage was tight. He was with the Blitz. He was aggressive against the run. When you watch the film, you start to realize that he's starting to get really good at playing human beings, which is huge from both the outside and the inside. And he brings physicality from the corner position.”

Hafley wasn't worried about opponents blocking his pass rushers

The Packers have seen opposing teams attempt to slow their pass rush through chip blocking from behind and tight ends. Hafley said he used some maneuvers to prevent his best rushers from having to face additional blockers, but there were still instances where the Rams were able to slow the rush with their backs. One way to eliminate the double teams is to rush more than four teams, but Hafley said he's okay with his linemen getting extra attention because it detracts from the strength of the offense. “There are certainly ways we can help,” Hafley said. “You can’t always do it, but there are definitely things we can do. When we talk about presses and sacks, when teams want to chip us here and there and use the backs in a seven-man defense and we only have to cover three wide receivers, then our win rate is going to go up. ”

Tom Silverstein: This is Jeff Hafley's show and Matt LaFleur doesn't need to bring in Robert Saleh to make it work

First-round pick Jordan Morgan could be back in the mix this week

After missing three games from training camp with a shoulder injury, Jordan Morgan appears to be healthy and ready to return to action. He was arguing with security guard Sean Rhyan when he was injured. Since Morgan has been out, Rhyan has all the key spots on the right and is doing a good job. However, Rhyan's consistency isn't where it should be and Morgan has too much potential to be stuck on the bench. So Morgan will be worked back into the rotation. “I think his potential is extremely high,” Stenavich said. “I think he will be a very good player. So it would be foolish of us not to push this forward as quickly as possible. The only way to really accomplish that is to take him outside to play. I fully expect that when he’s ready to go, we’ll put him out there in whatever role we can give him.”

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