Packers vs. Giants: 5 Packers To Watch

The Packers and the Giants have been two teams moving in opposite directions. At the beginning of the year the Packers struggled out of the gates, continuing with the same sloppy play from these two teams previous meeting…meanwhile the Giants came out fast and furious wanting to show the world their Super Bowl win was no fluke. Then the midpoint of the season came around and October started to move toward November, the Packers started winning games and picking up steam while the Giants fell apart.

Now the team meet. The Giants hope to turn around their fortunes and start a playoff push. The Packers trying to get healthy and continue their rise to the top of the NFC North. In order for the Packers to keep that ball rolling they are going to need big games out of the these five players….

RT T.J. Lang – Lang struggled with Cliff Avril last week in Detroit and this week pulls a much tougher task with Justin Tuck. Worse yet, with Jason Pierre-Paul on the other side facing off against Marshall Newhouse, Lang won’t be getting much help. If Lang can hold his own though then Aaron Rodgers should be able to exploit a struggling Giants’ secondary.

OLB Dezman Moses – Moses is probably the Packers last, best hope for an outside pass rush on Sunday. Forget about Erik Walden and Vic So’oto. Be be skeptical of Frank Zombo. But don’t sleep on Moses. He’s undisciplined. He’s raw. He’s better than most would expect out of an UDFA rookie and has shown an ability to make plays. If he can help bring pressure on Eli Manning then the Packers should be in good shape.

RB Alex Green – The battle lines are being drawn in Packer nation on who is the better back to trust right now between James Starks and Alex Green. Unfortunately this indicates that neither has really shown much and it’s a coin toss as to which one is actually better. This week should fit into Green’s strengths a bit more with the Packers needing to run screens, draws, and swing passes to slow down an aggressive Giants’ pass rush.

FB John Kuhn – Kuhn is the best pass blocker and safety valve for the Packers pass offense. They are going to need that this week, and Kuhn’s ability to get tough yards on the ground and through the air. The problem is that he is still nursing a hamstring injury that seemed to limit him last week.

DE Mike Neal – The Giants have been struggling along the offensive line about as badly as the Packers have….and that goes double for their interior line. Enter Mike Neal. Neal has been a pleasant surprise since coming back from suspension and has been able to show the push that the Packers have been waiting for since drafting him in the second round. If Neal can flush Manning out of the pocket, or rack a sack or two, then an opportunistic Packer defense should be able to take care of things from there.