Commanders five-man front could present problems for Green Bay

I am sure it is never easy preparing for an Aaron Rodgers-led team. Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks of his time and, despite what is going on in 2022, is still a lethal competitor who can explode statistically on any given week. But the fact is that the 2022 Green Bay Packers offense is struggling, and Aaron Rodgers has had a share of struggles this year.

These are not damning numbers to which people can suggest Aaron Rodgers fell off of a cliff. However, for all of the obstacles that Aaron Rodgers has had to overcome this year with life without Davonte Adams and poor offensive line play, he has not been playing at an extremely high level in the way that we have all come to know Rodgers.

So one of the best ways to prevent Rodgers from catching fire in Week 7 is, in my opinion, dominating their struggling offensive lineman. The Packers offensive line struggles to pass protect against defensive line games (stunts/twists), and the right side of the offensive line struggles explicitly in 1-on-1 situations. The Packers benched right guard Royce Newman against the New York Jets. However, he didn’t sit for long due to an injury to his replacement, so Newman may be back in the lineup this week. Newman struggles against power rushers, and Washington could find success against him if they can scheme Montez Sweat and Jonathan Allen some 1-on-1 pass rush reps against Newman.

Elgton Jenkins is best suited for the interior, but he is playing right tackle right now. In addition, Jenkins struggles with speed rushers or quick-twitch players, which would have been a perfect matchup for edge rusher Chase Young. Jenkins also appears inconsistent in his pass set points, over-setting and creating an opportunity for defenders to set up rush plans to win to his inside.

This matchup against the Packers offensive line provides an excellent opportunity for the Commanders defensive line to cause havoc; the defense has one of the best pressure and sack rates in the NFL and has the fourth most sacks in the league. Insert the Cinco package, where the Commanders are forcing the Packers offensive line into many 1-on-1 blocking situations. Unless Green Bay decides to keep an extra blocker or two in, Jenkins and Newman will be on an island on the right side but will also have to be even more disciplined and aware of the line games that Washington will play.

Washington has been very effective to this point of the year in their five-man front; it is not just how they could create problems as pass rushers, but they are also solid against the run, allowing just 2.5 yards per carry over 29 rushing attempts against this front. So, in turn, while it has not been a heavy emphasis in one particular game, I can expect the Commanders to use it much more than they have in their previous games.