The Green Bay Packers are 0-1 after a disappointing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on the road (far, far away) in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
There’s no shame in the loss. Philly is a good team and the Packers, for much of the game, looked like the better squad. At the end of the day, a loss is a loss, though, and it may sting even worse depending on how much time quarterback Jordan Love misses with the MCL injury he suffered in the final drive of the game.
The show must go on, though. This is the NFL, after all, and the Packers need to bounce back quickly against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2.
These three players need to step up in order for the Packers to get a win.
Malik Willis, Quarterback
This is obvious with Love out, but the Packers really need backup quarterback Malik Willis to at least be serviceable as long as the franchise cornerstone is on the sideline with his knee injury.
With Love, the Packers are a Super Bowl contender. With Willis, though, there are questions as to whether or not Green Bay can even win a game.
Willis simply needs to protect the ball and let head coach Matt LaFleur scheme the talented receivers around him open. Throw in a dash of Josh Jacobs at running back, and if Willis can stay out of his own way, the Pack should be okay.
Brayden Narveson, Kicker
The “Narv Dog” made three kicks in his first official NFL game, which is the good. The bad? He missed a 43-yarder late in the third quarter that could have brought the Packers to within two points.
He was mostly consistent and showed off a good leg, but Narveson can’t be missing kicks if the Willis-led offense is unable to put points on the board via touchdowns.
Quay Walker, Linebacker
Quay Walker was abysmal against the Eagles. Sure, on paper, he led the team in tackles. He was consistently out of position, though, and he single-handedly allowed Saquon Barkley to score on an inside run when he took the wrong route to the gap and didn’t even attempt to make a diving tackle.
Walker has all the physical tools in the world, but if he can’t play in position and make the right reads against the Colts, the Packers could get gashed — especially with a talented and athletic Anthony Richardson playing quarterback on the other side.
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