Jamari Lattimore
After Brad Jones struggled at Seattle, it’s Jamari Lattimore’s chance at inside linebacker for the Green Bay Packers today when they host the New York Jets (3:25pm kick) at Lambeau Field today.
Jones has a quadriceps injury that may have contributed to his poor performance against the Seahawks and will sideline him today. Given Jones’ play at times, if Lattimore performs at a high level, there’s a chance he could keep the job.
Lattimore started four games last season while Jones dealt with injuries. He had a career high 14 tackles and a sack against the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 20th.
The Packers tendered Lattimore as a restricted free agent at the lowest rate ($1.431 million) during the offseason. There was no guarantee of anything heading into training camp. But one week into the season, Lattimore will start against the New York Jets today. The Packers are looking for Lattimore to grab the bull by the horns and help a defense that has struggled to stop the run.
Packers vs. Jets
Last week, the Packers dropped their season opener to the Seattle Seahawks 36-16. They missed 18 tackles , second most in the NFL. Several of those misses took place when the Packers were trying to bring down Marshawn Lynch.
Expect the Packers to get a steady diet of New York running backs Chris Ivory and Chris Johnson today.
For the Packers, there’s Aaron Rodgers who historically doesn’t lose back-to-back games. Last week, the Packers failed to pick up explosive games in the passing game. Expect that to happen a little more against the tough Jets defense this week, in front of the home fans at Lambeau Field.
My prediction
Green Bay Packers 26, New York Jets 20