The challenge facing the Green Bay Packers in hosting the Washington Football Team is not dissimilar to the one they overcame a week ago as they put the Chicago Bears to the sword.

Like Chicago, Washington has a defensive front stacked with talent but a questionable back end, a strong number one wide receiver but a struggling and inexperienced quarterback.

Green Bay will justifiably be the heavy favourites to come out on top and go to 6-1 ahead of a formidable stretch of games to come.

Here are five things to watch as the Packers take on the… Football Team.

Will the Washington defense come alive?

The defense of the WFT has been one of the more disappointing and underwhelming units in the entire NFL so far this season, with last year’s stellar group which carried them to the playoffs a distant memory.

It’s difficult to explain these struggles when you look at the defensive line and pass rush of Washington, which boasts a bevy of former first-round draft picks in Chase Young, Montez Sweat (A.K.A. Young & Sweaty), Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, as well as the former fifth-rounder and stalwart Matt Ioannidis.

That group is still rushing the passer well, ranking 2^nd according to PFF, but the problem lies in the defensive backfield, which ranks 31^st for pass coverage. The front has not been able to overcome this, and Washington have allowed the most points in the NFL this year as a result.

If the Packers can hold up along the offensive line and give Aaron Rodgers time to operate, he should have no problem picking apart the Washington defense.

What will the Packers’ inside linebacker rotation look like?

De’Vondre Campbell has been nothing short of a revelation since his summer arrival in Green Bay, giving the Packers a presence at middle linebacker they have not had in years. However, outside of Campbell, the inside ‘backer room is still very much in flux.

It was surprising and somewhat concerning to discover that Oren Burks played more snaps against Chicago than Jaylon Smith, who played more than Krys Barnes. It would probably be a good idea to flip that hierarchy on its head.

There’s every chance that decision was made based on Green Bay’s opponent, with Justin Fields’ scrambling ability no doubt a concern, but it will be interesting to see who gets the most snaps against Washington.

Can Green Bay limit Taylor Heinicke’s off-schedule plays?

Heinicke is far from a great NFL quarterback, but he has shown himself to be frisky at times, staying in a shootout with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for most of their wildcard round playoff game last season.

For a few plays each game, Heinicke morphs into prime Brett Favre, scrambling around to avoid defenders, keeping the play alive until he eventually finds someone open. The Packers must stay disciplined and assignment-sure when rushing the passer, and reduce the opportunities for Heinicke to create weird magic that could allow Washington to stay in the game.

Speaking of the pass rush…

Who will be rushing the passer for Green Bay?

The question of who will be lining up on the edge for the Packers is still to be answered, but the pass rush has received a couple of boosts this week, as Whitney Mercilus followed Randall Cobb in joining the Packers after escaping from the Houston Penitentiary Texans, and Preston Smith gave himself a chance to play by partaking in Green Bay’s final practice of the week.

For Smith personally, being able to play even a small number of snaps versus Washington would be monumental. Smith has never missed a game in his NFL career so far, and he surely won’t want to miss the opportunity to beat up on his former team. Smith also has several financial incentives in his contract that will make missing a game hard to stomach.

Jonathan Garvin growing into a steady contributor at outside linebacker has been a positive development, but getting some snaps out of Mercilus and Smith would be a big boost to a Green Bay pass rush going up against a Washington offensive line which has pass protected well all season.

There’s no such thing as a ‘trap game’

I believe in the statement above, but there is such thing as going into a game in a state of overconfidence, as Packers fans saw to devastating effect in week one.

On paper, this is Green Bay’s second-easiest game of the early season, with only the Detroit Lions representing poorer opposition. The Packers should romp to victory in this game, providing they match the Football Team’s effort and intensity.

There is always a level of concern when your team is supposed to beat their opponent easily, because if something goes wrong, it’s even more embarrassing. Football can be weird at times, and there is of course a possibility Washington could win this game, albeit a slim one.

If Green Bay can avoid any kind of a slow start, it should be a comfortable afternoon for those of a green and gold persuasion, but the Packers will need to give the WFT the same respect they would any other opponent, and crucially, keep their foot on the gas when in a position to put the game away for good.