Five Packers Questions with Acme Packing Company

Through five games, it appears the only mistakes that have been made have been in one game by Aaron Rodgers and those were mostly bad luck. Do the Packers have any flaws?

They absolutely do. Since top wideout Jordy Nelson went down with a torn ACL during the preseason, the Packers have lacked a consistent vertical threat in their passing attack. As a result, the offense moves more methodically than in previous years. At the same time, Aaron Rodgers' ability to generate offside and 12-men penalties against the defense and allows him to take some deep shots. Many of their biggest plays come in those situations.

On defense, the run defense remains a work in progress. It currently ranks 31 in DVOA, though that is somewhat a function of Green Bay's games against Matt Forte (141 rushing yards) and Todd Gurley (159). In their three other matchups, only Colin Kaepernick rushed for more than 50 yards. Still, San Diego could have success in this area.

Who are the impact players on the Packers that Chargers fans may not be aware of and how will the affect Sunday's game?

Though he's starting to garner national attention, Mike Daniels has become a crucial piece of the Packers defense. Long their best defensive lineman, Daniels has become their best pass rusher not named Clay Matthews. Through five games, he has 19 total pressures according to Pro Football Focus, good for second place on the team and putting him on pace for over 60 on the season. He wears down good offensive lineman and feasts on subpar ones. With San Diego's injuries along the line, Daniels could be in for another strong performance.

One of the big stories of the last year is Clay Matthews, who has reinvented himself as a do-everything player that plays multiple positions (an Adalius Thomas, if you will). Is this the best he's every played? Has he found his niche? Why was this move necessary and whose idea was it?

Matthews is certainly playing well. Despite playing the majority of his snaps off the ball with fewer pass rush opportunities, he is on pace to register the most total pressures since 2011. He has also improved the Packers' ability to defend the middle of the field. At the same time, Matthews' 2010 campaign probably remains the high watermark for his play over the course of a season. That year, Matthews finished with 74 pressures, one of the highest totals in the league.

Still, an argument can be made that Matthews has never been more valuable to Green Bay. Not only does he remain the team's best and more efficient pass rusher, but he has improved so many other areas of the defense as well. He even relays the defensive calls from coordinator Dom Capers. He just does it all.

If you were Dom Capers, how would you gameplan to stop this Chargers offense? While they have been inconsistent this season, they certainly have a lot of weapons.

I have too much hair and not enough whiteout to get inside Dom Capers' head, but let's give it a whirl.

Beating San Diego's offense requires getting to Philip Rivers early and often. He's as adept as any quarterback in the league at getting the ball out quickly, but laying hits on him over the course of the game can slow him and the offense down. With the Chargers' offensive line enduring unthinkable attrition for the second year in a row, the Packers have the opportunity to force more missed targets and throwaways than had this game been played earlier.

What is your prediction for Sunday's game between the Packers and Chargers?

I expect the Packers to advance to 6-0 on Sunday. The Chargers' offensive line has become a significant problem again this year, and few teams generate more pressure than Green Bay. Rivers is good enough to negate a lot of problems, and I would never rule out the possibility of him finding a way to slice up a defense through guile and sheer will, but I don't see it happening this week.