• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Rodgers plans to continue Lambeau dominance as Packers host Jets

Sep 11, 2014 - 6:31 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The New York Jets unquestionably got passing grades in Week 1.

They held the Oakland Raiders to just 25 rushing yards and ran up a massive edge in total yardage that finished at a lopsided 402-158. But after 11 penalties cost them significantly more yardage and the five-point victory was only locked in after special teams recovered an onside kick with less than 90 seconds left, coach Rex Ryan was looking as much at the near-miss as he was celebrating.

"You're in a great spot," he said, "especially when you're coming off a victory that if we get these things cleared up, how much better it could've been and not leaving ourselves vulnerable like that."

The tightrope gets a lot less forgiving this week, when the Jets travel to Green Bay.

In his first start of his second NFL season, New York quarterback Geno Smith managed the game well enough to complete all but five of 28 passes for 221 yards. It was the third-highest completion rate in franchise history for a passer with at least 20 attempts, but it's also tempered by the fact that the Jets scored once in four red-zone possessions, and Smith fumbled away a chance at the goal line.

He had an interception for the 13th time in 17 career starts, but is nonetheless 4-1 in his last five.

"That's not up to our standards," he said. "We want to do a lot better there. So just picking up everything, concentrating a little extra harder to clean up those penalties. Then, ball security is always the main focus."

The Raiders, who started rookie Derek Carr at quarterback in his NFL debut, managed only 151 passing yards against a depleted Jets secondary that had Darrin Walls and Antonio Allen - making their fifth and 11th career starts, respectively - lining up at cornerback.

Against the Packers and Aaron Rodgers, well, let's just say things could look different.

New York could get at least some contribution from its presumed No. 1 corner, Dee Milliner, who suffered a high ankle sprain in Aug. 10 and missed the remainder of the preseason. He practiced on a limited basis for the first time since the injury on Wednesday, but his Sunday status remains iffy.

Green Bay, meanwhile, saw the practice return of right tackle Bryan Bulaga on Wednesday after he'd exited the opener against Seattle with a knee problem. He'd not played before that game since November 2012, thanks to a hip injury and an ACL tear.

His role will be filled by Derek Sherrod if he's unable to play, though the Packers' more immediate injury concern is the fact that running back Eddie Lacy is sidelined by the concussion he suffered against the Seahawks.

Lacy did not practice Wednesday. He ran for 34 yards on 12 carries before leaving the Week 1 loss, during which the Packers gained 80 rushing yards on 21 carries against the Super Bowl champions.

Seattle was tied for seventh in the league in run defense in 2013, while the Jets were No. 3.

Rodgers completed 23 of his 33 passes for 189 yards and was sacked three times. It was just the third time in 25 games in which he failed to reach 200 aerial yards, and the team's 255 total yards were 29th in the league in Week 1, after they'd finished third in 2013 with a 400.3 per-week average.

Randall Cobb had six catches for 58 yards and a TD from Rodgers.

"We know the offensive power that we have," Cobb said. "We know we can be dominant. It's just about executing the plays that are called."

The Packers lost their Week 1 games in 2012 and 2013 as well, then recovered to pound their Week 2 opponents by a combined 61-30 score while Rodgers' passer rating soared to 121.4 in those games.

Additionally, he's 28-3 in his last 31 starts at Lambeau Field.

"I think the run is going to be as big a helper jump-starting the offense as anything," he said. "If we can run it a little more effectively, then we get the play-action game going."

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Front-Loading the Defense

Unlike years past, when Ryan's defense was predicated on shutdown secondary play that allowed for myriad blitzes, this year's unit is going to need all the bodies it can find in coverage, especially against Rodgers.

That means the guys up front are going to have to make it difficult on the Green Bay offensive line and create pressure on their own without having to sacrifice the backfield.

The Full Nelson

Given the glaring secondary issues that have been mentioned, it's not hard to imagine Rodgers dropping back and firing missiles all day long in the direction of his No. 1 receiver, Jordy Nelson.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Nelson caught nine balls for 83 yards against the Seahawks and is likely to be matched up with Allen, who's a converted safety with a short track record when it comes to guarding premier pass options.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

After opening his coaching career with consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances, Ryan has grown more accustomed in recent years to having to grind out wins with a less-talented group of players.

He's found some success doing that - including defeats of QBs named Ryan, Brady and Brees in 2013 - but it's simply too hard to envision such magic against Rodgers on his home turf.

Sports Network predicted outcome: Packers 27, Jets 14