After a disappointing start to the year, the Washington Commanders will now be without their starting quarterback Carson Wentz after he was placed on injured reserve ahead of their Week 7 game against the Green Bay Packers. We chose to release our Commanders Week 7 predictions for their next game since the Commanders still have some momentum after their Week 6 victory.
There could be worse backup quarterback options for the Commanders at this moment than Taylor Heinicke, who will now take over at the centre for Washington. Although Wentz may ultimately prove to be a superior quarterback, the organisation brought in Wentz to take Heinicke’s place this offseason for a purpose.
In either case, Heinicke will face a difficult challenge if he wants to defeat the Packers, though to be fair, they have recently displayed a lot of vulnerability. Can Green Bay be defeated by the Commanders and suffer their third straight defeat? Let’s examine our forecasts to determine the likelihood that this will occur this weekend.
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3. Commanders DE Montez Sweat will sack Aaron Rodgers three times
After a sluggish start to the season, Montez Sweat has started to find his stride. Sweat has recorded three sacks in his last two games and is starting to resemble the Sweat of 2020, when he recorded nine sacks while teaming up with Chase Young. Young is expected to make a comeback later in the season, but for now Sweat is keeping things running on his own.
Recently, it hasn’t mattered to Sweat, and right now is the ideal time for him to play the faltering Packers offensive. Last weekend against the New York Jets, Green Bay’s offensive line allowed Aaron Rodgers to be sacked four times, and the ongoing pressure left him uneasy in the pocket all day.
Sweat will be the only person who can actually get to Rodgers despite the Commanders’ prowess in applying pressure to Rodgers. The good news for Washington is that Sweat will sack Rodgers three times throughout the contest, which significantly contributes to Rodgers’ inconsistent play throughout this contest. Sweat will give a stellar effort against the Packers in this game to demonstrate that he is fully recovered.
2. Commanders WR Terry McLaurin will score two touchdowns
The Commanders offence may suffer as a result of Heinicke’s return to the field, but standout wide receiver Terry McLaurin should gain significantly from it. With Wentz at the helm, McLaurin hasn’t exactly received the amount or targets he was used to receiving early in his career, but that might alter significantly against Green Bay.
Although it wasn’t really the expectation going into the season, McLaurin has seen Curtis Samuel and Jahan Dotson play roles in the offence equally as significant as his own. Early season stats for McLaurin (22 REC, 367 YDS, 1 TD) aren’t exactly promising, so maybe Heinicke can help him become better.
Since McLaurin was Heinicke’s favourite target throughout the 2021 season, it is likely that Heinicke will be aiming his way early and frequently. Samuel and Dotson are less well-known to Heinicke, and starter tight end Logan Thomas has already been ruled out of this game. McLaurin will score twice to help Washington keep this game closer than anticipated thanks to his improved target share.
1. The Commanders will come up just short against the Packers, losing 23-20
The Commanders would often have no chance of defeating Green Bay. But more crucially, they have been poor when Rodgers has been on the field, making this the Packers’ worst start in a long time. That at least provides Washington with the opportunity to make this game competitive.
A weak Packers defence won’t benefit much from Heinicke taking the field because they have no video of him this year. On the game’s first drive, he will pass his first touchdown to McLaurin, giving Washington an unexpected early lead. On the following drive, however, Rodgers repeats the action, connecting with his top target Allen Lazard on a brief two-yard pass.
A game-winning field goal drive with less than two minutes remaining is led by Aaron Rodgers to give Green Bay the victory after the Commanders and Packers trade blows throughout the course of the contest. The Commanders will have a fairly positive performance, but they will be left wondering if they should have actually upset the Packers in this game.
Washington Commanders: 3 audacious picks for Week 7 matchup vs. Packers first appeared on ClutchPoints.
