Green Bay Packers: Handling a healthy Alshon Jeffery

The one wild card facing the Green Bay Packers entering Week 1 in Chicago is the health of Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery. Set to inherit the lion’s share of targets left by the departure of Brandon Marshall, Jeffery has practiced on a limited basis for three straight days and remains questionable with a calf injury.

Jeffery’s status will not be updated again until Sunday morning, leaving the Green Bay Packers to prepare under the assumption that he’ll be suiting up. Bears headc coach John Fox has been tight-lipped about his star receiver over the past two weeks, and admitted to Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune on Friday that the team has been operating under extreme caution with his recovery.

Trending on Spin Zone: Revealing each NFL team’s X-factor in 2015

“Today was a little slippery,” Fox said. “We were probably a little extra cautious just because of the wet grass. … But he looked pretty good at what he did.”

Opportunities may come more generously to a healthy Jeffery, but Dom Capers and the Packers defense have enjoyed success against him in his young career. Through six games against Green Bay, Jeffery has caught 19 passes on 41 targets for 249 yards and two touchdowns. That’s an average game of 3.2 receptions for 41.5 yards. Jeffery caught four balls for 39 yards and a score in week four last season, then six passes for 63 yards in week 10.

Jay Cutler has a long history of feeding his number one with Brandon Marshall, both in Denver and Chicago. If Jeffery can establish himself as Marshall’s true replacement, he’ll see a steady dose of passes that include balls thrown into very tight coverage. That’s an area where Marshall excelled in out-muscling smaller cornerbacks, which will put Sam Shields under the microscope on Sunday.

Few receivers in the NFL have the pure speed to get behind Shields, but savvy route-runners can take advantage of his aggressive eyes. With Cutler steering the ship, however, I’d suggest that Shield does not need to gamble on undercutting or jumping routes.

If Shields is able to mirror Jeffery, he’ll consistently put himself in a position to make a play on the ball due to the nature of Cutler’s play alone. This will become especially valuable considering the significant size advantage that Jeffery holds, which would make it more difficult on Shields to recover if he’s caught looking for the big play. Martellus Bennett may actually be a more worrying matchup for the Packers, but if Shields is simply able to keep a cap on Jeffery, thats a green check mark. Another day of six catches for 63 yards and zero touchdowns is more than enough.

Dom Capers’ coverage schemes will be interesting to see on the first series, as Green Bay’s confidence in Shields could leave him on an island until it’s evident he needs help. Ideally, the Packers would be able to keep one safety closer to the line of scrimmage, where Matt Forte is a strong bet to eclipse a combined 25 touches running and receiving. A healthy Jeffery adds a degree of difficulty for the Packers, but they’ll be continue to be well-suited in the matchup.

Next: Which Packers run defense will show up in 2015?

More from NFL Spin Zone

Home/Green Bay Packers