It's no secret that the Redskins are a team that wants to run the football, and that isn't going to change against the Packers, according to offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell.

Last week against the Carolina Panthers, the duo of Derrius Guice and Adrian Peterson fueled a 248-yard day on the ground en route to a 29-21 win. The two combined to rush for 229 yards on 23 carries and had three touchdowns.

With quarterback Aaron Rodgers leading the Packers offense, it's going to be important for the Redskins to establish the run game early to keep him off the field.

"We've got to make sure we try to impose our will a little early on in the run game with whatever conditions may be," O'Connell said. "That's a whole other part of it, but it's a tremendous task for us, a difficult task for sure."

Defensive Coordinator Greg Manusky Highlights Nate Orchard

Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky remembers when Nate Orchard was drafted out of Utah and thought he was a good player. Now that he's coaching Orchard, Manusky is still impressed with his new linebacker.

"It's pretty amazing to come off the street and play like [he] did," Manusky said.

Orchard signed with the Redskins five days before last Sunday's game against the Panthers. He ended up being one of the biggest impact players of the game with a sack and a fumble recovery that helped seal the victory.

The biggest thing about Orchard that impressed Manusky is his intelligence, as he was forced to play significant defensive snaps with limited time to prepare.

"Just learning the system, there's a lot of calls," Manusky said. "You get a decent amount of calls from the sub to the base, and I think overall he had 30-plus plays."

Dwayne Haskins Jr. Offers Advice To Stay Warm In Green Bay

Sunday's game against the Packers will be Dwayne Haskins Jr.'s fifth start of the season, and he's excited to travel to Wisconsin and play at Lambeau field.

"It's going to be very cold. They've got a great fan base," Haskins said. "It's going to be a great opportunity."

Haskins isn't too worried about the weather. After spending his college career playing in the Big Ten at Ohio State, he feels like he's well-prepared to play in extreme conditions.

As of Saturday morning, the weather in Green Bay is predicted to be about 40 degrees with a low of 30 degrees. Still, Haskins isn't taking any chances.

"Try to stay as warm as possible," Haskins said. "Hand warmers, turtle necks, soup, chicken broth, all of that."

Amid A Career Year, Preston Smith Prepares To Face His Former Team

Preston Smith was a mainstay of the Redskins defense before signing with the Packers this past offseason.

And through 12 games, Smith has played the best football of his NFL career. He's on pace to set career highs in total tackles and solo tackles and already has 10.5 sacks, which ranks fifth in the league behind T.J. Watt, Chandler Jones, Cameron Jordan and Shaquil Barrett.

However, interim head coach Bill Callahan doesn't see a "new" version of Smith. He's more of the thinking that players can evolve based on their situation.

"You just don't know what can make a spark in a player's career, whether it's a position coach, a coordinator, a system, a new place, whatever it may be," Callahan said. "I'm glad to see he's doing well, but I hope he doesn't do too well on Sunday."

Case Keenum's role has changed dramatically in recent weeks. He went from being the starting quarterback to backing up Haskins after the rookie was named the permanent starter for the rest of the year.

But he still finds ways to help the team, and he has remained one of the team's captains.

"I think when you're handling the role that he's in right now, it just speaks to his character," Callahan said. "He's a competitive guy, players still follow him, so whatever happens, happens."

Keenum has been helping the defense prepare for Rodgers by imitating him and his tendencies. Although it isn't easy to replicate that in practice, Callahan said Keenum has done a good job with that responsibility.

Keenum still prepares as if he could play at any moment, which Callahan said speaks to how he handles himself on and off the field.

"I think he's handled it really well as a pro and prepares just as hard, if not harder," Callahan said. "I think his example has been phenomenal for the quarterbacks and for the offense in general to follow."