What to watch in Packers vs Browns: Who catches number 443?

Who catches number 443?

Unless something goes very, very wrong, Aaron Rodgers will make history on Christmas Day, throwing his 443^rd touchdown pass and breaking Brett Favre’s franchise record. The big question is, who will catch it?

If Davante Adams is the man to receive the historic pass, another record will be broken, as Rodgers to Adams will become the most prolific partnership in terms of touchdowns in franchise history, overtaking the combo of Rodgers and Jordy Nelson, who caught 65 TD passes from number 12.

Personally, I will be absolutely shocked if Matt LaFleur and his play calling brain trust have not cooked up a play for Marcedes Lewis for when the Packers enter the red zone, in an attempt to get Big Dog his first touchdown reception of the season and break the record at the same time.

Whoever is the recipient of number 443, it is sure to be a special moment at Lambeau Field and will further cement Rodgers as one of the greatest players to ever play the game, in Green Bay or anywhere else.

Myles Garrett’s status

Green Bay’s offensive line has held up improbably well throughout the season, with Aaron Rodgers being sacked a respectable 2.1 times per game.

That mark is tied for 14^th best in the NFL, and when you consider some of those sacks have been of the zero-yard variety, much to the ire of Rodgers, their ranking could be even more impressive.

Yosh Nijman, Green Bay’s third-string left tackle, has already faced T.J. Watt, Robert Quinn and Nick Bosa this season, holding his own on each occasion.

It has not seemed to matter who suits up for the Packers up front or who is lining up across from them, they always find a way to get the job done.

The big question this week, however, is whether Myles Garrett will take the field at all for the Browns. Cleveland’s Head Coach, Kevin Stefanski, gave Garrett a “50/50” chance of playing against Green Bay.

While Garrett was bullish on his hopes of playing on Christmas Day, with the Browns needing to win out to have a chance of making the playoffs, the decision is not ultimately his to make.

Even if Garrett is able to go, it is fair to wonder how impactful he will be while playing through a groin injury.

The fearsome pass rusher is capable of taking over any game when healthy, and if Garrett does play on Saturday, the Packers will have to assume he will be at the peak of his powers, and take anything less as a bonus.

Stop Chubb, get the dub

With quarterback Baker Mayfield struggling to find any consistency this season as he plays through a litany of injuries, the Browns have become even more reliant on bruising running back Nick Chubb to carry their offense.

Cleveland’s attack goes as Chubb goes, and stopping him from getting into a groove on Saturday afternoon should be priority number one for the Packers.

If the Browns have a path to victory, it is to shorten the game and keep Rodgers and company on the bench.

If Joe Barry’s defense can force Mayfield (or whoever is playing quarterback for Cleveland) beat them, it should make for a much more comfortable Christmas Day.

Which Baker Mayfield shows up?

Cleveland’s signal-caller missed their delayed matchup with the Raiders, and has still not been cleared from the COVID-19 reserve list as of writing, despite claiming to have no symptoms.

That means Mayfield has not been able to practice since his positive test last Wednesday, a far from ideal situation.

This has not been a banner year for Mayfield, but he is still a potentially dangerous QB, certainly more so than Case Keenum or Nick Mullens who have been made to play in his stead on occasion.

If indeed Mayfield had no symptoms from his bout COVID-19, the time off may have at least allowed his various injuries to heal. Will he return to the lineup rusty or rejuvenated?

Will Green Bay’s defense rebound?

The Packers defense has cooled off a bit of late, giving up at least 28 points in each of the last four games, after shutting out the Seahawks prior to that.

Fortunately, Joe Barry’s unit has still come up with big plays in the form of turnovers to make up for their general struggles to get off the field in recent weeks.

In general, there does not appear to be much reason for concern, especially considering the unique circumstances facing Green Bay in the last two weeks.

Two weeks ago, a desperate Bears team threw the kitchen sink at the Packers from the off and managed to hit some big plays early. Green Bay’s defense was also not helped by the embattled special teams unit consistently putting them in bad spots.

Allowing Tyler Huntley’s Ravens to put up so many points was alarming on the face of it, but ultimately, Baltimore are an uncommon opponent who run an offensive scheme the Packers will not see again unless they meet in the Super Bowl.

As long as the defense is either allowing very few points or producing timely turnovers, there is no reason to worry, but now would be the ideal time for the Packers to round back into shape without the ball, as the playoffs near.