5 Packers players the Vikings should worry about in Week 1

Aaron Rodgers – QB

Many are writing off Aaron Rodgers this season due to his decrease in production in recent years. But if the Vikings do the same, they could be in for a long afternoon on Sunday.

Rodgers hasn’t been lighting up the stat sheet the way he used to, but he’s still one of the best quarterbacks in the game and he’s a wily veteran who knows how and when to attack a young, inexperienced secondary.

Rodgers is a player who does all of the little things right. Whether it is manipulating a corner with his eyes, to using different head nods or movements to bait a player, he has plenty of tricks up his sleeve.

He will probably use these methods on Sunday to try and get one of Minnesota’s inexperienced cornerbacks to believe they are seeing one thing, only to then get burned by a deep pass from Rodgers when they take the bait.

Not only can Rodgers bait these young corners, but he will be able to read what they are doing. Perhaps Vikings rookie corner Cameron Dantzler will creep up to the line too soon on a blitz or fellow rookie Jeff Gladney will get caught looking into the backfield on a play fake. These are the little things that Rodgers can exploit and turn into huge plays for the Packers offense.

The one thing that can neutralize the Rodgers’ experience factor will be Minnesota’s pass rush. If Yannick Ngakoue and Ifeadi Odenigbo can get after the Green Bay quarterback and make him uncomfortable every time he drops back, it will help the young secondary out immensely and Rodgers won’t be able to manipulate them as he’ll be running for his life.