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Packers offense must find that elusive consistency against high-scoring Lions

Paul Bretl | 11/2/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers have found ways to win these last two weeks on walk-off field goals, but in part, they’ve found themselves in those situations is due to the inconsistent performance on the offensive side of the football.

A repeat performance this week against the high-powered Detroit Lions offense may prove to be too much to overcome.

“Anytime you’ve got a good offense on the other side, you know you’re going to need to put up points,” said Jordan Love on Wednesday. “Definitely just help the defense out. I’ve got faith in them they’re going to be able to get those stops. But definitely the goal on offense is to put up as many points as you can, because we know they can score in a hurry.”

Against the Houston Texans in Week 8, the Packers had six drives with fewer than six plays ran. The following week in Jacksonville, there were seven, which did include some scoring drives as well.

While overall, the Packers still rank sixth in points per game and fifth in yards per game, the up and down performances on offense aren’t new to the team this season either. Going back to the team’s Week 4 matchup with Minnesota, the Packers had 10 drives, whether they resulted in a score, turnover or punt that lasted fewer than five plays. The week after, versus the Rams, six of the Packers’ 10 possessions ended in three plays or fewer.

“I mean there are so many things,” Love said of the offense’s ups and downs. “You could break down every play of the game and find one little thing that we can improve on, so like you said, the consistency, I think, is definitely the most frustrating part. It’s part of the game, though. There’s highs. There’s lows.

“It’s definitely not ever gonna be perfect, but I think when we know there’s mistakes and mental errors that we’re having on our own end that it’s stuff that we can clean up, that’s the frustrating part, so just keep finding that consistency, keep trying to get better, improve on it, but I don’t think we’ve played our best performance yet, so we’re definitely still trying to hunt for that.”

One of the reasons that the Packers’ offense still ranks among the league’s best in several categories is because of the boom-or-bust nature of this unit. We see the dynamic playmaking ability this unit possesses with their ability to score quickly. However, this is a group that have also struggled to overcome setbacks on drives.

Generating explosive plays are great and often lead to points. The Packers will enter Week 9 having created the most explosive plays this season–an element that will be important in Sunday’s game against a Lions’ offense that leads the NFL in scoring. With that said, that can’t be an offenses only way for moving the ball either.

This boom-or-bust approach on offense seems to be stemming from issues on early downs–particularly first down. Whether it be a run play that doesn’t go anywhere, a penalty, or an incomplete pass that’s either off-target or dropped, the Packers are putting themselves in disadvantageous long down-and-distance situations.

The opponent gets paid to make plays too, but oftentimes, it is these self inflicted errors that are putting the Packers behind the sticks, which then gives the defense the upper hand in those long down-and-distances. And through the first half of the season, the Packers aren’t operating at a consistent enough level to overcome those setbacks.

“We need to start taking accountability for what’s going on with our offense early in the half,” said Tucker Kraft after the Jacksonville game. “That’s just not us. Like we need to figure out what it is we need to do to be more successful early on and we’ve got to start holding each other more accountable.

“There’s nothing broken with our offense,” Kraft added, “I want to say that on the record. We can just do better.”

Finding that consistency this week certainly won’t be easy against a Detroit defense that is aggressive and will challenge the Packers’ offense throughout the game, ready to pounce on any sort of miscue. But it will be a must in a game where scoring 28-plus points may be a necessity when it comes to winning.

“When they load the box and play you in tight man coverage like they’ve shown to do, there’s nowhere to run,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich of the Lions’ defense. “You’d better have an answer for that. They do a really good job. Just all in all, I think it’s just a really physical defense that plays very aggressive, downhill. They do a great job of punching at the football and rallying to the football. To me, that usually is the mark of a really good defense.”

Packers navigating injuries in the secondary ahead of matchup vs high-powered Lions’ passing game

Paul Bretl | 11/1/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Up next for the Packers is a pivotal divisional matchup against the high-powered Detroit Lions’ offense, and Green Bay may find themselves short-handed in the secondary for this game.

Cornerback Jaire Alexander would sustain a knee injury late against Jacksonville, while safety Evan Williams exited the game with a hamstring injury. Based on reports, neither injury appears to be long-term, but as of Friday morning, neither player has practiced yet this week.

“It is what it is, said Matt LaFleur about game-planning with uncertainty in the secondary. “No different than what happened the other day. When you have installed a game plan, you’ve got to be ready to adjust. Bottom line is you’ve got to put in whatever plays or schemes or whatever is you’re trying to attack somebody with, whether it’s on offense or defense, to give you the best chance to win. You’ve got to use your best judgment in terms of the execution and how you’re going to go about that and have successful plays.”

Once Williams exited the Jacksonville game, there was a domino effect to the rest of the Packers’ secondary, setting off a chain reaction–forcing players to move to positions that they haven’t been getting game reps in. Javon Bullard to move back to free safety, a big jump mid-game for any rookie to make, especially without what I’m guessing are practice reps during the week in that role.

Keisean Nixon then went from playing the boundary to the nickel, which then put Eric Stokes and Carrington Valentine on the boundary. Stokes’ playing time has diminished in recent weeks with up-and-down play, while Valentine has been a primary special teams player.

The end result was more pass-catchers were running open, there were breakdowns in communication, and missed tackles, resulting in chunk plays for the Jaguars’ passing game. Bullard, in particular, took his lumps, but a lot was being put on his plate in that situation. For any player, let alone a rookie, asking Bullard mid-game to make a complete position change when he didn’t get any practice reps during the week at free safety is a big ask and put a lot on his plate.

“Last week, Bull had to play both, which is definitely not easy for a young guy,” said defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. “The thing with Bull last week, you give him a lot of credit, I said to Bull last week, I thought he had his best week of practice at the nickel position.

“And then what happens? Then he’s got to go play safety and he hadn’t really practiced at that position. For a rookie, that’s hard. It’s like everybody wants to ask and play the rookie here, play the rookie here, put this guy here. It’s not always the easiest thing to do. So, I give Bull a lot of credit for what we’ve asked him to do.”

The Packers coaching staff remains confident in the depth that they have in the secondary, including the cornerback position, but the play of Stokes in recent weeks and the lack of defensive snaps for Valentine gives pause to at least those on the outside.

In Week 5, against the Los Angeles Rams, Stokes allowed seven receptions on 10 targets for 65 yards and a touchdown, according to PFF. In Weeks 6 and 7, his playing time was significantly reduced, seeing just 23 total snaps. Then, this past week, Stokes surrendered two receptions on three targets for 43 more yards.

With Valentine, prior to the injury to Williams in Jacksonville, he hadn’t seen any defensive snaps since Week 5 when the team was without Alexander. Between those two games, Valentine played 33 coverage snaps and was not targeted. Despite the wide-ranging outcomes for Valentine and Stokes as of late, from the sounds of it, the game-to-game matchups are dictating playing time right now.

“I know he can handle it,” said Hafley of Valentine. “I have total confidence in him. I know you’ll start to see more and more of him. I think he’s practicing extremely well, I think there’s great competition in that room right now and depending on who plays, what packages we decide to go with, what personnel groupings they send on the field.

“Like last week, we saw again, there’s two weeks in a row we saw a lot of big people. So there’s less DBs on the field but I’m very confident in him and I’m excited as this season progresses to see what he can do and I’m confident. He’s got great energy, he’s competitive, he’ll tackle, so I have total confidence in him.”

Awaiting the Packers’ secondary this week is one of the more explosive passing offenses in football. As a unit, the Lions are averaging a league-best 33.4 points per game and have generated the sixth-most explosive plays. Leading that charge is quarterback Jared Goff, who is playing at an extremely high level, completing over 84 percent of his throws over the last four games while still averaging an impressive 11.4 yards per pass attempt.

“He’s playing the position as well as anybody in the game right now,” said LaFleur of Goff. “That’s, just look at the numbers. They tell you everything. And then you watch the tape and it backs it up. So, I think he’s doing a great job, he’s a guy that if you give him time, he’s going to make you pay.

“He’s going to find the right guys. If you give him a sliver of light to make the pass, he’s going to take advantage of that. So just always been a big fan of his; just won’t be a big fan of his on Sunday.”

Regardless of whether or not Alexander and/or Williams is available, any sort of success for the Packers’ defense is going to begin in the trenches with the pass rush. Disrupting the timing and rhythm of the play will be a must, and different pressures or disguises can help facilitate that, but ultimately, asking any secondary to routinely defend this Lions’ passing offense for 3-4 seconds at a time is a tall task.

“We’ve got a lot of competition,” said Hafley. “If you look right now in the corner room, we’ve played a lot of guys and we’ll continue to do so. There’s guys that have stepped up in practice and had a really good week, just like last week, and we’ll rotate those players as we see fit.”

Josh Myers’ status for Packers vs. Lions up in the air

Paul Bretl | 11/1/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Among those on the injury report this week for the Packers is center Josh Myers, who is again dealing with a wrist injury.

Myers sustained the injury at some point during the Houston game. He would then appear on last week’s injury report and was ultimately listed as questionable before playing through the pain this past Sunday in Jacksonville.

Perhaps things again play out that way this week, but one noticeable difference is Myers practiced on Thursday and Friday of last week after missing Wednesday. So far this week, he has missed both Wednesday and Thursday.

“I’m taking it day by day,” said Myers of the injury. “It’s hard to say. We’re going to do everything I can though, I can guarantee that.”

The injury is to Myers’ left wrist, which was obvious to see as he sat at his locker on Thursday afternoon putting his socks one with his right hand only. The positive, I suppose, is that Myers is right-handed so he can still snap the ball. But how does an offensive lineman go about blocking with only one good arm?

“I mean, it’s hard that’s for sure,” said Myers. “Just have to be great with my feet, have to be great with my right hand and if I play, I’m going to have to throw my left, too, and be able to land it. So just going to have to find a way.”

As Myers noted, technique, quick feet, and a really good right hand will all be crucial to overcoming the injury if he does play on Sunday. But an equally important part of that equation has nothing to do with fundamentals or compensating in another area–in a contact sport, there’s going to be contact no matter what. So to some degree, a seemingly large one, Myers will simply have to fight through it.

“You just gotta gut it out,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich. “It’s one of those things, it’s been done before, guys have played through broken hands or things like that, sprained whatever. You’ve just gotta get it done. There’s really no other explanation than that. Do a better job with your other hand, move your feet better, all those things. He’s one of those guys who will just go out there and prove it.”

Of course, as is the case for any lineman, the ability to hold up as a blocker in both the run game and pass protection is pertinent, but a center’s job begins pre-snap with identifying defensive personnel, alignments, along with any potential blitzers and then communicating that effectively to the rest of the blockers so everyone is on the same page with their responsibilities.

Without being able to be on the practice field, Myers isn’t able to run through those live but simulated looks against the Packers’ scout team defense, who is doing their best to mimic what the Detroit defense does.

“Just have to stay in the book, got to study, got to know the game plan through and through, and just got to stay locked in, engaged mentally on days like that,” said Myers.

If Myers can’t go, we may have already gotten a glimpse earlier in the season of what the Packers’ plan is at backup center. In those brief instances, we saw Elgton Jenkins move to center, Sean Rhyan slide over to left guard in place of Jenkins and then Jordan Morgan taking over at right guard.

Jenkins’ has played 304 career snaps at center in the NFL, and he’s actually spent more time at left guard, left tackle, and right tackle while in the NFL–although center was his primary position in college. The last time Jenkins took legit center snaps was back in 2020, his second year in the league.

“I don’t think so, for real,” said Jenkins when asked if moving to center would be difficult. “You’ve got to go out there and do your job. It’s not like something that I haven’t played before, so being able to go out there, communicate, get everybody on the same page. I’m familiar with the offense, so it’s really just the fundamentals and things like that.”

Myers has rarely missed a snap, let alone a game in his NFL career. That availability is one of the many aspects of his game that makes him such a valuable member of the offense. Whether or not Myers can go will be dependent upon how he’s feeling, specifically, as Myers put it, making sure that he’s not hurting the team by being on the field.

When it comes to making the Packers’ offense go, from an operation standpoint, it all begins with Myers before the snap of the ball.

“Just his availability has been huge for us, the continuity up front,” said Matt LaFleur of Myers. “He’s the guy kind of driving the ship up front, making all the calls. He’s battled through a lot, but I think what’s been so impressive is just, obviously he battled through a lot off the field, but also on the field. And his ability to get ready each week for us and his availability has been pretty impressive. I think he means, to me, he’s one of those guys that’s kind of like the heart and soul of the team.”

Packers’ defensive front needs its best game of season vs. Lions’ potent offense

Paul Bretl | 10/31/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers defense will face its most difficult test of the season up to this point, having to contain a very explosive Detroit Lions offense. While truly stopping that unit may not be feasible, containing the Lions will have to begin with the defensive front having its best performance of the season.

“They’re one of the most explosive offenses in the league,” said Matt LaFleur of the Lions. “I think Ben Johnson does an unbelievable job of putting his guys in position, and when you have really good coaches, they’ve got one of the best offensive lines in all of football.

“I think Jared Goff is playing as good as anybody. And they’ve got weapons all around him…They’ve just got a lot of playmakers on their offense. Good scheme plus players usually equals some pretty good results.”

As LaFleur highlights, behind a Lions’ offense that will enter Week 9 ranked first in points per game at 33.4 and sixth in explosive plays is an offensive line unit that is arguably the best in football. Whether it’s the run game of the pass game, pick a metric, and you’ll see the Lions’ front at the top, or close to the top of the list.

That line play is, of course, the foundation for a potent rushing offense. Led by Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, Detroit’s 5.1 yards per rush is the fifth-best rate in the NFL. Individually, Gibbs ranks second in yards per rush this season with 6.4, and as you can imagine, both backs have been extremely difficult to bring down, but for different reasons.

Gibbs has totaled the fifth-most missed tackles force, resulting in the fifth-most rushes of at least 15 yards, while Montgomery is among the leaders at running back in average yards after contact, bringing an added physical presence to the position.

“I think they’re both really dynamic in what they do. Obviously Gibbs is a guy that can — I mean, he’s a home-run hitter. I also think Montgomery does the same stuff and he’s just a really physical runner and probably one of the most physical backs in the league. You better have a tackling plan when you go approach this guy ’cause he’s gonna try to run you over and in many cases he does that and he makes multiple people miss, but he also is really good out the backfield. He’s got really good hands, so I think they’re a really tough 1-2 punch.”

Overall, the Packers’ run defense has improved this season, allowing just 4.3 yards per carry, the eighth-lowest mark this season, and a key part of that equation is the added emphasis on everyone flying to the football. That swarming to the ball carrier play style will have to be a focal point throughout the week for Green Bay, so they carry that mentality into Sunday’s game.

“I think our run defense is definitely going in the right direction, and it’s going to have to this week,” said Jeff Hafley. “That’s going to be the key to this game.

“So, we’ve got to be on it in the run game, but I think it’s a credit to the guys up front, the backers and then from the safeties and the corner, just the physicality, the tackling, and I think our staff’s done a nice job there, too.”

When the Lions aren’t running the ball, quarterback Jared Goff can often be found picking apart opposing defenses. Pressure or no pressure, Goff has been extremely efficient this season. In fact, over the last four games, Goff has completed a ridiculous 84 percent of his throws.

With steady pressure, a defense can at least give itself somewhat of a fighting chance against this offense. But without it, well, good luck. Goff will enter Sunday’s game ranked top-five in completion rate, yards per attempt, and touchdowns from a clean pocket.

That combination of a potent running game and a lights-out passing game will put opposing defenses in a real bind. Detroit is very good at putting themselves in short down-and-distance situations where the entire playbook is open to them and defenses now have to defend the entire field, preparing for both the run and the pass.

Living ahead of the sticks and marrying the run and passing games together as Detroit does creates play-action opportunities, which this offense is excellent at exploiting. No team has run more play-action passes than the Lions, and when it comes to yardage off of play-action, the second-place team is nearly 200 yards behind Detroit–meaning that they are not only efficient, with Goff completing 80 percent of his throws, but that they are hitting on big plays as well.

The Packers’ four-man rush has struggled to get after the quarterback consistently this season. Where Green Bay has found success is in their designed pressures that defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has drawn up. However, it’s not as if the Packers are a blitz-heavy team, currently ranking 28th in blitz rate.

The Packers are effective with pressures but very calculated on when they send them. And as more weeks go by, opponents will have seen more of these pressures on tape and have built in counters for them. This past Sunday against Jacksonville we may have seen that on display. The Packers still tried to manufacture pressures, but Trevor Lawrence was only under duress on 25 percent of his dropbacks, according to PFF. Or in short, the Jaguars had some answers.

Manufactured pressures won’t guarantee success by any means either against a stout offensive line and a quarterback in Goff who is as prepared as anyone to handle those pressures. What they can help do is cause some confusion, but ultimately, part of making that initial chaos truly effective is Green Bay’s pass rush getting home against the efficient and turnover-averse Goff.

“It’s very important to get pressure on Goff,” added Hafley. “I mean, but I think we’ve got to be calculated with that. We can’t just try to go after him every single play and every single third down. I think in anything, pressure always isn’t just about overwhelming them with numbers, it’s about making them see different things.

“It’s all of a sudden you think six are coming but three are coming, or four are coming. And maybe we speed him up and we force him into a bad throw. Or maybe we drop a guy underneath where he didn’t think the guy was going to drop and now he throws a bad ball. I mean, I think the key for us is to constantly change up the looks and make those guys think.”

To put a bow on all of this, me sitting here saying that the Packers need to win up front isn’t ground-breaking information. While football has changed a lot over the years, if a team can control the line of scrimmage, they have a good chance of controlling the game. But with that said, while the Packers have been able to overcome a so-so run defense and pass rush unit up to this point, that might not be good enough against this Lions offense on Sunday.

Feeling comfortable and playing confident, Sean Rhyan takes control of Packers’ RG rotation

Paul Bretl | 10/31/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Over the last two games, even with Jordan Morgan healthy and back in the mix at right guard, it has been Sean Rhyan who has taken the bulk of those starting snaps, sparked by his improved play in pass protection.

As an incoming rookie, Morgan missed valuable practice time and preseason reps working his way back from a shoulder injury. As a way to ease him back in early on in the year, Morgan played about one-third of the right guard snaps in Weeks 1 and 2. However, a shoulder injury would force him to miss the next three games.

Upon his return in Week 6 against Arizona, the Packers threw Morgan right back into the mix, with him and Rhyan splitting those snaps nearly 50-50. But in the last two games, that pendulum has swung in Rhyan’s favor, with him playing roughly every two series to Morgan’s one.

“I think Sean definitely is playing better than him right now,” said Adam Stenavich prior to the Jacksonville game. “I think we’re still obviously going to work Jordan in. So it’ll kind of be a fluid situation as far as how many snaps he gets per game.”

Where Rhyan has been at his best is as a run-blocker. With his size and strength, he brought a different element to the Packers’ offensive line as a bit of a mauler and people-mover. Rather than opening up a running lane by being in an advantageous position, Rhyan generates push and moves the defender across from him.

“I’m a bigger guy,” said Rhyan at his locker on Wednesday. “I know that they want me to move guys and I think being able to run the ball as good as you can pass the ball in this league I think is really an advantage.”

“That’s what I would like to be really good at, both run and pass as opposed to better at one than the other because I think running the ball is hugely important, even though you got quarterbacks that could drop dimes 40 yards downfield you still want to be able to run the ball.”

Over what has been about a calendar year now, the Packers have had Rhyan involved at the right guard position in some capacity, whether that be rotating during the second half of last season with Jon Runyan Jr. or this year with Morgan. However, there seemed to be two primary reasons why Rhyan could never quite win the job outright: his conditioning and his consistency in pass protection.

Following the Packers first preseason game this past summer against Cleveland, when Matt LaFleur was asked about Rhyan’s performance, he noted that one of the “biggest things” with him was Rhyan has to make sure he’s in charge of the conditioning component because when he’s fresh he can be “pretty good.”

In the following practices, while most players headed to the locker room, in the muggy August heat, Rhyan would stay back to run gassers–sprinting from sideline to sideline.

“He is one accountable guy,” said LaFleur at the start of the season. “Any time you say something to him, he always takes accountability and I think that’s an important part of this. You’ve got to know yourself and you’ve got to know what you’re good at and where you can improve. And to his credit, he always takes accountability, and he’s putting action behind it. I do think he’s in a much better position than he ever has been, so I’m excited to see what he does this year.”

In Rhyan’s 128 pass-blocking snaps in 2023, he allowed eight pressures and ranked 52nd in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency metric out of 84 eligible guards. This year, however, with already 228 pass-blocking snaps under his belt, Rhyan has allowed only nine pressures. His pass-blocking efficiency percentage has increased nearly a full percent compared to last season, and he ranks in the top one-third of guards in that category, rather than the bottom half.

In part, the reps and in-game experience have perhaps been the biggest catalyst towards improved play for Rhyan in this regard. He’s also improved his technique and footwork, finding what works best for him to put himself in a successful position.

“(I’m) just a little bit more comfortable dropping back at that guard position,” said Rhyan about his improved play in pass protection. “I think just my confidence–just each game that goes by I just keep feeling like, ‘okay, that’s what I need to do for me.’ I just get a little, a few things here or there that helps me. It might not necessarily help anybody else, but I just keep kind of finding these little techniques that work for me and help me just do better.”

Morgan is going to continue to be worked into the right guard rotation. As Stenavich said upon Morgan’s return in Week 6, his potential is “extremely high,” and the best way to tap into that is with live reps.

But for the time being at least, it would appear that Rhyan is going to continue to take the majority of those right guard snaps. In short, he’s the better of the two right now, and based on playing time, I’m not sure it’s all that close.

Following the Tennessee game, when asked about Rhyan, Stenavich said that game was his best performance to date. A week later, when Stenavich was again asked about Rhyan, he one-upped himself, putting on film a new best performance. Rhyan is an ascending player right now and with every passing game, his confidence continues to grow.

“I think I am constantly improving,” added Rhyan. “I don’t want to say I’m playing the best ball or my best ball but I think getting better each week.”

Love, Alexander, Williams among several Packers starters not practicing on Wednesday

Paul Bretl | 10/30/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — As the Packers begin their on-field preparation for a pivotal Week 9 divisional matchup with Detroit, they were without several key players on both sides of the football during Wednesday’s practice.

Not seen going through warmups at the start of practice were Jordan Love (groin), Josh Jacobs (ankle), Josh Myers (wrist), Rasheed Walker (knee), Elgton Jenkins (glute), Evan Williams (hamstring), and Jaire Alexander (knee). All were off to the side riding an exercise bike or working with a trainer in Williams’ case.

Love would exit Sunday’s game in Jacksonville with a groin injury that he sustained early on. According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, the MRI Love underwent earlier in the week showed “no significant damage.” As Matt LaFleur often says in these situations, the team will give Love up until kickoff to see where he’s at before making a final decision on his status.

“I’m going to take it one day at a time, do the best I can to be in here, do rehab, get with the trainers and try and get back as fast as possible,” said Love at this locker.

Love added that he is making progress, feeling better, and that every day, there are some improvements. Practicing at some point this week before the game would be ideal, but it’s not an absolute necessity either. As far as playing on Sunday, Love thinks it is “realistic.”

The fact that the Packers have their bye week following this game will not impact whether or not Love plays on Sunday.

“If he can go, he’ll go,” LaFleur said on Monday. “So, we’ll see where he’s at by the end of the week. But if we feel like he can’t protect himself, then we certainly wouldn’t put him in that position.”

With Love not participating in Wednesday’s practice, Malik Willis took the first-team reps and led the offense. Willis stepped in on Sunday, and with the help of Josh Jacobs, helped guide the Packers to victory. With a big matchup on the horizon with Detroit, and uncertainty around who will be starting at quarterback, Willis is just taking things one day at a time–or even moment to moment.

“Just taking it each day at a time,” Willis said. “Whatever they want to install, try to make sure I’m locked in and handle it the best that I can, and make sure I’m going home studying and seeing what they feel like the expectation of the play should be, understanding the outcome they want.”

Jacobs would suffer an ankle injury late on Sunday and hobbled off the field. Although he didn’t practice on Wednesday, at his locker he said he would be “good” come game time. And for what it’s worth, Jenkins hasn’t practiced the last few Wednesdays.

Awaiting the Packers’ offense this week is a Lions’ defense that is allowing 19.1 points per game–the eighth-lowest mark this season. Their pass rush is without Aidan Hutchinson, who is on injured reserve, but the unit still ranks 11th in pressure rate. With the help of that pass rush and an aggressive, relentless play-style, the Lions secondary ranks second in interceptions and ranks top-10 in fewest explosive plays given up.

“I mean obviously losing him, that’s a big loss for anybody,” said LaFleur of Hutchinson, “but I think they got a lot of guys that they all kind of embody that playstyle. When you watch them, I think Aaron Glenn does a great job. They all play really hard. They’ve done a really nice job of, I think they got like 10 interceptions on the year, five fumble recoveries. They’re all punching at the ball. They got a couple out last week vs. Tennessee, so I think they’ve got enough players that they can weather the storm.”

Once Williams exited the Jacksonville game, it felt like there was a domino effect to the rest of the Packers’ secondary. More pass-catchers were running open, there were breakdowns in communication, and missed tackles, resulting in chunk plays for the Jaguars’ passing game.

Williams leaving the game set off a chain reaction–forcing players to move to positions that they haven’t been getting game reps in. Javon Bullard to move back to free safety, a big jump mid-game for any rookie to make, especially without what I’m guessing are practice reps during the week in that role.

Keisean Nixon then went from playing the boundary to the nickel, which then put Eric Stokes on the boundary. Stokes’ playing time has diminished in recent weeks with up-and-down play, while Carrington Valentine has been a primary special teams player.

To make matters worse for the Packers, on the Jaguars’ final offensive play of the game, the touchdown pass to Evan Engram, Jaire Alexander came up limping. Demovsky would again have a scoop earlier in the week, reporting that there were “no significant concerns” following tests on Alexander’s knee. Demovsky then added that the team will monitor his soreness throughout the week.

“It is what it is, said LaFleur about game-planning with uncertainty in the secondary. “No different than what happened the other day. When you have installed a game plan, you’ve got to be ready to adjust. Bottom line is you’ve got to put in whatever plays or schemes or whatever is you’re trying to attack somebody with, whether it’s on offense or defense, to give you the best chance to win. You’ve got to use your best judgment in terms of the execution and how you’re going to go about that and have successful plays.”

Behind what is currently the top-scoring offense in football is one of the NFL’s best offensive line units in both the run and passing game. On the ground, the Lions have generated the fifth-most explosive runs this season and rank fifth as a team in yards per carry at 5.1. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs’ 6.4 yards per rush is currently the second-best mark in football.

Through the air, quarterback Jared Goff has been under pressure on the eighth-fewest snaps this season. When throwing from a clean pocket, he has been nearly unstoppable, completing 76.2 percent of his throws at 8.9 yards per attempt with 11 touchdowns to two interceptions and ranks top-10 in fewest explosive plays given up.

“They’re one of the most explosive offenses in the league,” said LaFleur of the Lions. “I think Ben Johnson does an unbelievable job of putting his guys in position, and when you have really good coaches, they’ve got one of the best offensive lines in all of football. I think Jared Goff is playing as good as anybody. And they’ve got weapons all around him…They’ve just got a lot of playmakers on their offense. Good scheme plus players usually equals some pretty good results.”

Against a team as formidable as Detroit, it’s going to take sound football from the Packers in all phases. But finding a way to at least contain the Detroit offense will begin up front. Green Bay cannot allow them to lean heavily on the run game, which will result in short down-and-distance situations and open up opportunities in the passing game off play-action, where Goff has again been quite good.

And whether it be winning their one-on-one matchups or through manufactured pressures drawn up by Jeff Hafley, the Packers being able to disrupt Goff’s timing and rhythm will be crucial–a task that’s easier said than done. Everything just described is a recipe for a long day for just about any secondary, especially a potentially short-handed one.

“They’re really, really good,” said LaFleur of the Lions. “And we knew that. We knew that going into the year, and it’s not shocking to me. It’s a team we’re obviously very familiar with and we’re going to have to play at our best. And it all starts with the preparation. We’re going to have to have a great week of practice.”

Edgerrin Cooper’s speed, versatility leading to splash plays and flexibility for Packers’ defense

Paul Bretl | 10/30/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — As Packers rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper gets more reps and is more comfortable within Jeff Hafley’s defense,

Through the early portion of the season, there was an easing process for Cooper. For one, making the leap from college to the NFL is going to come with a learning curve for any rookie, but that learning curve can be elongated when there is missed time.

Cooper didn’t play in the preseason due to injury, and even though he was available on Sundays in the regular season, early on, he was frequently a limited participant in practice–again limiting the number of practice reps he got each week. Knowing the playbook is one thing, but being able to execute on your responsibilities during a game when everything is moving at light speed is a completely different task.

However, in recent weeks, Cooper has been healthy, gaining more and more of those valuable reps, while the coaching staff is also getting a better grasp on what he does really well and how they can best leverage those abilities within the game-plan.

“He’s starting to understand what he’s doing,” said Jeff Hafley last Thursday. “He’s practicing more, he’s stayed healthy, he’s practicing better and he’s proving to us and his teammates that he knows what he’s doing and he can execute at a high level. The more he does that and the better he plays, the more he’ll play.”

Cooper would run a 4.51-second 40-yard dash during the pre-draft process this past Spring–an incredibly fast time for a linebacker. With that speed comes versatility and that provides Hafley quite a bit of flexibility when it comes to the game-plan he puts together and what he asks of Cooper.

There is also a positive trickle-down effect of that, with Cooper’s speed and ability to operate in space then impacting what is asked of other position groups, specifically the defensive backs, because he can cover a lot of ground.

“He provides a lot of speed for us, especially on the second level,” said Xavier McKinney after Sunday’s win in Jacksonville. “He can cover. He can rush. It allows us to do a whole lot more on the back end. Just mix in different calls and he’s been a great addition for us. Obviously, he’s still learning and going through bumps here and there, but that’s why guys like me, I’m here, and other leaders on this defense. That’s why we’re here to get him through that. But he’s been good overall.”

That speed and versatility are leading to quite a few splash plays for Cooper. Hafley has utilized Cooper as a blitzer often this season, sending him after the quarterback on nearly 17 percent of his snaps–ranking in the top one-third of linebackers in the NFL.

Cooper has then been effective with those opportunities, with a pass-rush win rate of 15.8 percent–which ranks 14th among all linebackers–generating four pressures, including three sacks, along with a huge forced fumble against the Jaguars that eventually led to a touchdown for the Green Bay offense.

“That was a huge sequence in the game,” said Matt LaFleur of Cooper’s forced fumble. “You’re talking about the forced fumble and I thought Devonte Wyatt did a heck of a job bodying out the offensive linemen to get that ball. Really, when you look at both takeaways, you could argue that might have been the difference in the game – two takeaways for 14 points.”

But it’s not only that the Packers are sending Cooper as a blitzer, but also important is how Hafley is doing it as well. Again, with that speed of his, Cooper is being utilized on stunts, blitzing from different parts of the field, along with Hafley using different looks to disguise where the blitzes are coming from, which can include not even sending Cooper, but dropping him into coverage.

“He’s another guy when you watch his skill-set, I think there’s places where we can put him that are a little bit different, too,” Hafley said, “because I think he has a unique skill-set and there’s some things that can do on different downs and distances that I think he gives us a pretty good chance to have success. Again, you don’t want to rush some of these rookies into having to learn too much because then they’re not going to be good. You’ve got to be careful there, too.”

As McKinney said, Cooper is still learning and going through some ups and downs, that in part, can’t be worked through without more reps and Cooper seeing more looks from opposing offenses. However, Sunday in Jacksonville, we saw one of those ‘you can’t teach that’ moments, when Cooper forced a downfield pass breakup.

The Packers were lined up in Tampa-2, where the responsibility of the middle linebacker is the deep middle. As the ball was being snapped, Cooper was at the line of scrimmage showing blitz, he then made a beeline and 30-plus yards down the field he forced the pass breakup, knocking the ball away from Jaguars’ slot receiver Christian Kirk.

To put it simply, there aren’t many linebackers who are going to make that exact play.

“Coop, he made a lot of splash plays,” LaFleur added. “I think the third-down play where they tried to go to Kirk down the middle was a max pro look and he’s bluffing up in there like he’s gonna blitz and then he has to get out. Not many guys, whether it’s a linebacker, safety, there’s not too many people who can make that play and he made a heck of a play on it.

“Certainly there’s some things he’s gotta get better at. He’s a young player. We’ve seen the splash plays. They’re all over the place. He’s dynamic. He’s super-athletic and I think he’s getting better and better each and every week.”

As should be the case, Cooper’s role is continuing to expand. With the linebacker unit healthy, he’s been the primary third backer on the field when the Packers are in their base 4-3 alignment. He’s also seeing additional nickel opportunities on the more obvious passing downs. Over the last three games, he is averaging almost 38 snaps per game.

But Cooper isn’t focused on how many snaps he’s seeing each week. All that he cares about is that when his number is called, he’s making plays–which he is doing a lot of.

“Whenever I’m out there, my main focus is to not to think about that,” Cooper said in Jacksonville. “When I’m out there, just do what I do and try to make plays.”

Flying under-the-radar, RB Chris Brooks’ late-game contributions crucial for Packers

Paul Bretl | 10/29/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Running back Chris Brooks has been another under-the-radar addition by GM Brian Gutekunst, but one that has proven to be an important pickup over these last few games.

“I think Chris Brooks has been a huge asset to our team, a great pick-up,” said Matt LaFleur after Sunday’s win in Jacksonville. “You’ve got to give Gutey and his group a ton of credit for that one, to be able to identify that guy.

“I know (Anthony) Campanile was super fired up when we brought him in, he was with him last year in Miami and just said a ton of great things about the guy and it’s holding true. He’s starting to get more and more time on offense; he’s obviously contributed on we-fense, and just lucky to have a guy like that.”

Brooks went undrafted in 2023 out of BYU and spent his rookie season with Miami. He would appear in four games that season, playing 36 offensive snaps, and showcasing some big play ability, averaging 5.6 yards per rush with nine missed tackles forced and two rushes of over 15 yards.

However, in a crowded Dolphins’ running back room, Brooks was released during roster cutdowns in late-August. The Packers signed him to the practice squad prior to Week 1, and then promoted him to the 53-man roster after MarShawn Lloyd was placed on injured reserve.

Coming from the Mike McDaniel offense with Miami, there is a lot of overlap in terminology and play-designs with the Packers playbook, which helped Brooks’ transition.

“He’s done a great job since the moment we got him,” said Matt LaFleur after the Texans’ win. “Very intelligent guy. Definitely can contribute on teams, as well. He’s been excellent in understanding the protection scheme. So he was familiar with our version of how we do our six-man protection. He’s reliable, consistent and does a great job. We’ve seen it in practice. That’s why he was in there at the end of the game.”

Brooks’ has seen regular playing time in each of the last three games. He’s carried the ball eight times during that span, averaging 4.6 yards per attempt. However, where he’s made the biggest impact is in pass protection.

During the final four plays of the Packers’ game-winning drive against Houston, it was Brooks who was in at running back. With the Packers in field goal range at the Texans 37-yard line, Brooks picked up Houston blitzers on three consecutive plays. Two of those passes were completed, which made for a shorter field goal attempt.

But surrendering a sack in that situation, could have knocked Green Bay out of field goal range or at the very least, made the attempt much longer than what it was.

“I think we were pretty confident in it,” said LaFleur of Brooks’ ability in pass protection when the team first signed him. “But ultimately again, he’s got to demonstrate that in order for us to have confidence in him to go out there and do it. I mean, he’s been doing that pretty well. I mean, he’s stoning backers as they try to run through the line of scrimmage. That’s been a huge get for us.”

This past Sunday against Jacksonville, with the Packers at the 12 yard line, on a handoff to Brooks the Jaguars defensive line gave way as they wanted Green Bay to score in an effort to get the ball back with some time on the clock.

However, Brooks, who keep in mind, has never scored an NFL touchdown, made a very heads up play and went down on his own at the four-yard line. This then allowed the Packers to run the clock down to a few seconds before another Brandon McManus game-winner left no time remaining.

“He’s a selfless guy,” said LaFleur of that rush. “He does what we ask him to do. We told him in the situation that it was — we call it a ‘Rolex’ situation so no matter what, that you’re going down, the clock’s got to run. Obviously you’re playing for the field goal right there, and he did a good job of executing and not scoring. He’ll get his time. I’m confident of that.”

In addition to Brooks’ emerging contributions on offense, he’s been a core special teams player since joining the active roster in Week 3, playing 41 snaps across three different phases over the last six games.

Back on the offensive side of the ball, in the Arizona game specifically and in addition to the all-important pass protection component, we saw Brooks being utilized next to Josh Jacobs in some two running back sets late in the game. This was something that the Packers were implementing during training camp with AJ Dillon as the second back in those situations.

Following roster cutdowns and after Dillon was placed on season-ending IR, LaFleur mentioned that the team had a “pretty clear vision” for how they wanted to use Dillon this season and it wasn’t only in the run game. With his blocking ability and overall versatility, there was a specific role that Dillon had carved out within the offense.

“It certainly leaves us with a void,” said LaFleur about losing Dillon.

But since then, Brooks has proven to be a very capable blocker. The Packers are also beginning to move him around more in the offensive formation, which includes snaps at fullback, in-line, and from the slot, along with using him in those aforementioned two-back sets, which can help open up the playbook for LaFleur.

It would appear that the void created by Dillon’s absence has been filled by Brooks.

“He’s an intelligent player, so we can use him in a lot of different roles,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich. “Obviously if you get the ball in his hands he can do some good things too. He’s a good blocker, so we used him in different fullback type roles as well.”

It’s a cliché in football, but Brooks’ contributions are the quintessential example of doing your one-eleventh. And while those contributions may not always stand out on the initial viewing of the game or show up on the stat sheet, they’re very important to the overall success of the offense, especailly when you take into account the late-game situations Brooks has been utilized in.

“I’d probably have to go with attitude,” said Brooks when asked about the key to picking up blitzes. “It has to be an attitude and you have to want to do it and then fundamentals and technique. I’d say pad level, staying low and using your hands.”

RB Josh Jacobs provides a stabilizing force to Packers offense in win over Jaguars

Paul Bretl | 10/28/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — When Jordan Love exited Sunday’s game in the third quarter with a groin injury, the Packers turned to Josh Jacobs on offense to help guide them to victory in Jacksonville.

“He’s a stud, isn’t he,” Matt LaFleur said post-game. “He is a pro’s pro. I can’t say enough great things about him. We’re lucky to have a guy like that. the way he comes in and communicates and works and demands it of himself but demands it of others as well.”

On the day, Jacobs finished with 127 rushing yards on 25 attempts–averaging 5.1 yards per carry–with two touchdowns. Of those 127 yards, 74 came after contact, according to ESPN, with Jacobs averaging a season-high 3.0 yards after contact on Sunday.

Without question, it was a good day. However, without Love under center, it was Jacobs’ ability for the offense to lean on him in the second half and some chunk runs that took some of that playmaking burden off of Malik Willis’ shoulders.

“Man, Josh is different,” said Chris Brooks after the game. “We all see what Josh does. What he brings to the table is everything. It’s good for young guys like me and E to look at that and get better looking at him.”

Of Jacobs’ total production mentioned above, 14 of those carries and 88 of those yards came with just over five-minutes remaining in the third quarter when Willis entered the game.

This included multiple rushes of at least five yards, three other carries of eight yards, 11 yards, and 12 yards, and, of course, the 38-yard touchdown run, where Jacobs made a few defenders miss.

“It looked nifty to me, too,” said Willis of Jacobs run. “It was awesome. I love to see him go out there and do his thing. As you see, he’s a great running back. He’s doing a great job for us and glad he got his first receiving touchdown last week.”

That eight-play scoring drive in the third quarter, where Jacobs touched the ball on five of those plays, came at a crucial time with Jacksonville having just scored on their last possession to take a 17-13 lead.

While Jacobs’ touchdown run will be what stands out from that drive, he was instrumental in getting it going as well. Three straight rushes to begin the possession picked up a Packers’ first down. He then had a five yard run on the ensuing first down play to help keep Willis and the offense ahead of the sticks and in a manageable down-and-distance. Willis then picked up the second first down on a completion to Dontayvion Wicks.

“I kept telling them the whole game, I like all of them,” Jacobs said at his locker. “I liked all the runs. Even when they were tackling me, it was like I’m going down but I’m a step away from getting out of it. I just kept telling them – just trust me. It played out how it did.”

Whatever the Packers’ offense has needed from Jacobs in a specific week, he has provided. His workload at times has ebbed and flowed depending on the gameplan as well as the in-game situations at hand, but Jacobs provides the Packers with a workhorse-type back, who like on Sunday, can shoulder the weight of the offense when needed.

In addition to that, his effectiveness as both an outside-zone runner and a gap scheme back creates a deeper playbook for LaFleur to leverage, and only further stresses the opposing defense. Not only do opponents have to account for Jacobs and the run game, but how the Packers’ decide to attack defenses on the ground can vary from play-to-play.

“Josh is a very consistent piece to the offense,” said offensive coordiantor Adam Stenavich. “As far as just getting him the ball and if you see, as games go on, just how much better his production gets throughout the game and I think he’s a physical kind of runner.

“He’s very instinctive, really good vision and he does a good job breaking tackles and I think that run style, as a game goes on, wears on defenses. So yeah, he’s everything I thought we were getting. He’s a very big piece of our offense for sure.”

On and off the field, Jacobs is the player–and person–that the Packers thought they were getting. He’s a physical runner, who is also able make defenders miss with his rare ability to change directions at the flip of a switch. Through eight games, he is among the most productive ball carriers in football this season.

Off the field, as passing game coordinator Jason Vrable spoke about recently, Jacobs is a leader and a tone-setter at practice, with every rep at all positions having to be game-like. He’s competitive, “says the right words at the right time,” sets an example through his work ethic and approach each week.

“My goal coming into this game was to inspire the playcaller, inspire the team,” Jacobs said. “Whatever that looks like, I just wanted to come in and run hard. Have the guys trust in me. It just played out that way. Unfortunately, Jordan got hurt. I just wanted to come in and make a statement that we could still win games running the ball. We can still win games however we want if we lock into the details and things like that.”

Packers backup QB Malik Willis comes up big once again

Paul Bretl | 10/27/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — With Jordan Love exiting the game, the Packers had to call on Malik Willis to step in and as he had done in the previous two games, he delivered.

Early on in the game, following a scramble to his right and then a throw, Love appeared to come down awkwardly and came up limping. Love would finish out the first half but early in the third quarter, he would leave the game with what the team called a groin injury.

“No idea,” said Matt LaFleur on the severity of Love’s injury. “But obviously high level of concern any time a guy’s in there, and he did it early in that first drive and I think you guys, I think everybody could see him struggling to move around. And it got to a point where we didn’t feel like, and he didn’t feel like he could protect himself.”

As we saw in his first two appearances this season, the always calm and cool Willis was seemingly unfazed by the moment–even with the game tied with under two-minutes to go and the Packers with the football.

After a first down run by Josh Jacobs for four yards and the clock nearing the 1:00 mark, it looked like the Packers were willing to head to overtime. However, on the very next play, Willis would connect with Jayden Reed for a 51-yard catch-and-run that immediately put the Packers in the Jacksonville red zone.

That specific play was not one that was put in the gameplan during the week. The coaching staff discussed it, but it didn’t make the final cut and so it was not practiced at all. However, earlier in the game, following a quarterback keeper, passing game coordinator Jason Vrable made the suggestion to run with it anyways because of a look that the Jacksonville defense was giving them.

“We talked about it on Tuesday,” said LaFleur of the play-call on the throw from Willis to Reed. “We thought that there might be something there, decided against it, and then we ran the keeper earlier in the gamer and Vrabel suggested it. He’s like, ‘Hey, it looks like the play is there.” And so we put it in on the sideline. So, no reps in practice.”

In order to have the opportunity to connect with Reed on that throw, the Packers needed the Jaguars’ defense to be in a specific coverage. On two occasions prior to Willis’ 51-yard completion, the Packers came out in an alignment that they thought might get Jacksonville to bite, but it didn’t happen.

Then on the big pass to Reed, Willis went under center with two plays called and once the secondary rotated to that look the Packers were waiting for, Willis canned to the play, and as LaFleur said, the rest is history.

“I was just looking for the rotation,” LaFleur said. “The rotation came down, we ran the, it was the exact same play essentially two plays in a row where we didn’t get the look. They brought a nickel pressure on the first play, didn’t get the look for it. And then on the second play they showed strong rotation, got the look and the rest is history.”

Willis finished the game 4-of-5 passing for 56 yards and one passing touchdown at an impressive 11.2 yards per catch. He also had 23 rushing yards as well, including a scramble for 20 yards. Adding to this performance was that Willis didn’t take any snaps with the starting offense during the week in practices.

“It’s none,” said Willis. “The starter, he needs all the reps. You get your reps on scout, you get your reps in indy, and you just do as you can to use those mental reps and do whatever you can to be ready if called upon.”

While Willis was, of course, instrumental in the outcome of this game, he had help along the way. On his first full possession in the game, the Packers were trailing 13-17 following a Jaguars’ touchdown. On that possession, the Packers leaned heavily on Jacobs and the run game, with the scoring drive capped off by a 38-yard run from Jacobs.

When it was all said and done, Jacobs finished the game carrying the ball 25 times for 127 yards at 5.1 yards per attempt with two rushing touchdowns.

“My goal coming into this game was to inspire the playcaller, inspire the team,” said Jacobs after the game. “Whatever that looks like, I just wanted to come in and run hard. Have the guys trust in me. It just played out that way. Unfortunately, Jordan got hurt. I just wanted to come in and make a statement that we could still win games running the ball. We can still win games however we want if we lock into the details and things like that.”

On the ensuing defensive possession for the Packers, with Jacksonville backed up in their own territory, linebacker Edgerrin Cooper came through on a blitz and forced a fumble while bringing down Trevor Lawrence for a sack. Devonte Wyatt would then jump on the ball, setting up the Packers’ offense with first and goal from the five yard line.

“My main focus was just staying in that gap, keep pushing through,” said Cooper of the fumble. “I just kept pushing through and came out and clamped on the quarterback and it came out.”

In a game where the Packers were dealing with injuries and weren’t at their best on either side of the ball, it took a team effort to come away with the victory.

But with that said, in an eight-game season up to this point, the Packers have had to rely on Willis in 2.5 of those games, and he has helped usher Green Bay to victories in all three contests. In a game where finding a capable starting quarterback can be a tall task, off the bench Willis has provided a steady presence for the Packers.

“I mean we’ve been blessed with having a backup that can come in and really be the guy in there, really be able to create things like that,” said Jacobs of Willis. “It makes it a lot easier for us on offense because the moment it happened, we all said in the huddle – Tuck was like, ‘Man, we’ve been here before,’ and we all know what it felt like. We just had the confidence in him and he came out there and did what he always do. He balled.”