Green Bay Packers head to Houston for their sixth game of the year in a matchup with the Texans. This is being billed as Aaron Rodgers vs. Deshaun Watson and for good reason. They’re both two of the best quarterbacks in football, and they’re meeting for the first time. Green Bay is trying to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time since Mike McCarthy lost his job. Packers are known to bounce back. Houston is trying to save their season, and a win would do just that.

FIVE STORYLINES TO WATCH
1. If Bak can’t go, who will replace him? – The answer is likely Egleton Jenkins. He will push over to left tackle and Green Bay will likely have Jon Runyan at left guard. That feels like the correct answer to me. Ricky Wagner is too slow for the left tackle position. If Jenkins shows out in this game against two top tier defenders, it could pave the way for Green Bay to reconsider David Bakhtiari’s future as a Packer. Per Matt LaFleur, the left tackle is trying his best to play this weekend.

2. Stopping all of Houston’s options – David Johnson is beyond washed, but Houston is jam-packed with wide receiving and tight end options. Brandin Cooks, Randall Cobb, Will Fuller, Darren Fells are all factors on this Houston team. If Green Bay is missing some of their guys such as Darnell Savage and/or Kevin King, that’s a big deal against these receivers. Watson would have a field day. Josh Jackson had some positive moments last week but also some negative ones too. They would go after him.

3. Can Aaron Rodgers find himself again? – After a rough outing where many feel Aaron Rodgers knocked himself out of the MVP race, he gets a Houston defense that has been a complete sieve. Texans gave up 362 yards against Ryan Tanehill last week. What can they give up to Rodgers? Rodgers gets another week of working with Davante Adams. And adding Equanamious St. Brown will only add to the receiving core. If they do not have Robert Tonyan, that is an obvious loss for Green Bay’s offensive attack.

4. Getting the pass rush going matters but keeping Watson contained matters too – Green Bay needs to get their pass rush going. It was a huge discussion topic all week. But Deshaun Watson can kill you with his feet. The shots at Watson will be available. Houston’s offensive line isn’t very good. But it is important for Green Bay to stay in their lanes and not give Watson room to operate. If they get to the quarterback but lose contain, that is just as bad as what went on the last few weeks.

5. Jace Sternberger revenge game? – People might have forgot but last year, these two teams had joint practices in training camp. When those happened, Lonnie Johnson, the Texans cornerback, clocked Jace Sternberger in a dirty hit epsically in training camp. It caused a concussion for Sternberger that caused him to miss part of last season. Trust me, the Packers remember that and will try to go after Johnson in this game. Whether it’s with Sternberger or someone else, they’ll try to dunk on him at some point.

PREDICTION
The spread of this game is 3.5 for the Packers that feels a little low which makes me think it’s a trap. But regardless, I like Green Bay in this one. It might come down to who has the ball last pending on the Packers’ defensive injuries, but I like Green Bay to bounce back. Packers 38 Texans 25

Charlie.