Packers news: Romeo Doubs' redemption, kicking woes continue, Jordan Love levels up

The Packers entered their Week 6 game against the Arizona Cardinals expecting a stiff challenge from Kyler Murray and the Arizona offense. Instead, Green Bay got out to a big lead and never looked back. Unfortunately, it's highly unlikely that Matt LaFleur's team can repeat that feat against the Texans in Week 7.

Houston will ride into Lambeau Field sporting a 5-1 record that has them on top of the AFC South standings. C.J. Stroud conducts an offense that has moved the ball consistently through six games and sprinkled in more than their fair share of explosive plays.

And the Texans' defense is doing its share of hard work as well. The unit ranks 6th in DVOA heading into their game at Green Bay. In particular, the Packers will need to be solid up front to make sure quarterback Jordan Love has the opportunity to throw from a clean pocket.

It's a big news week for the Packers heading into arguably the marquee game of Week 7 in the NFL. Fans in Green Bay should watch the following storylines to make sure they're up to date heading into Sunday afternoon's clash.

Packers news: Romeo Doubs redeems himself

The Packers had every right to discipline Romeo Doubs with a suspension. The good news for officials in Green Bay is that the suspension had just the impact the team hoped. Doubs responded with a two touchdown catch performance against Arizona, which puts him back into the good graces of his teammates.

Now the challenge for Doubs is to follow that performance with a solid outing against a much tougher defense. Derek Stingley Jr. is one of the best cover corners in the game. Jalen Pitre packs a real punch from his nickel spot. Doubs needs to utilize his veteran savvy to find soft spots in the Houston secondary if he's going to be productive on Sunday.

The Packers don't need Doubs to be a star against the Texans, but they do need him to be a productive cast member of the team's wide receiving corps. Catching four passes for a second consecutive week would represent progress even if he doesn't find the end zone again.

Packers news: Brayden Narveson is on thin ice

Most kickers would feel pretty secure in their job after converting six of their seven scoring opportunities. Brayden Narveson isn't most kickers. Missing yet another routine field goal against the Cardinals in Week 6 has him sweating bullets this week to see if he can hang on to his roster spot.

Going 12 of 17 on field goals to start the year isn't advisable for a rookie who wants to maintain his place on a legitiate Super Bowl contender. The Packers haven't made the move to bring in competition for Narveson yet, but it should not surprise anyone if that happens later in the week. Narveson would do well to have a standout week in practice if he wants to kick on Sunday against the Texans.

Packers news: Jordan Love is getting more and more respect

Fans in Green Bay know just how good Jordan Love can be when he's healthy. It seems the rest of the NFL is starting to take notice as well. Texans' head coach DeMeco Ryans has more than a healthy respect for the Packers' franchise quarterback.

Houston's head man makes no secret of his belief that Love will be the best quarterback his team has faced all season. As a reminder, they've already gone up against the Bills and Josh Allen. That's just how good they believe Love can be when he's at his best.

The Packers won't fall into the trap of making Love do everything against the tough Texans' defense. Instead, they will push hard to get their ground going early against Ryans' physical front. Love is at his best when his team can achieve that kind of balanced offense. He has more than enough talent to hurt the Houston secondary on downfield throws when they're not able to sit back in conservative coverage schemes.

Packers news: Xavier McKinney wants to start a new interception streak

Xavier McKinney drew a lot of positive attention for intercepting one pass in each of Green Bay's first five games of the 2024 campaign. That streak came to an end against Arizona last week, which has McKinney anxious to start a brand new streak.

Luckily for the talented safety, his teammates came through by forcing and recovering three fumbles against the Cardinals. Winning the turnover battle was a huge reason the game got out of hand in the Packers' favor. The defense did not manage to pick Kyler Murray off, but they made him uncomfortable every time he dropped back to throw.

Keeping Stroud off balance will be an even sterner test. McKinney and his fellow safeties will need to disguise everything they do in the back end to make sure Houston's receiving corps doesn't get a solid feel of what they're trying to accomplish. That means McKinney will line up all over the field to keep Stroud guessing.

The talented safety's performance when he's lined up near the line of scrimmage will be particularly challenging for the Houston offense to read correctly. He doesn't necessarily need to get another interception to get his team a win on Sunday, but both the Packers and McKinney could really benefit from big interceptions against Stroud. Houston knows that and will try to keep the ball away from him at all costs.