ESPN La Crosse 105.5

Packers big play passing game searching for consistency vs Jaguars

Paul Bretl | 10/26/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The run game is always going to be an integral part of the Packers offense. It can’t be forgotten about. However, each week the matchup will dictate how large of role that part of the game plays, and this week against the Jacksonville Jaguars says that the Packers should come out throwing the ball.

As a team, the Jaguars are allowing just 4.2 yards per rush this season, the seventh-lowest mark in football through seven weeks. Individually, defensive tackles Jeremiah Ledbetter and DaVon Hamilton each rank in the top-15 among their position group in PFF’s run-stop rate metric. Defensive end Arik Amrstead ranks 11th in that category, along with Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker both being in the top 30 in run defense grade.

“They’re in the top 10 against the run,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich. “They’re very physical inside. They do a good job compressing the edges and keeping the ball inside. So their interior guys do a good job. Their linebackers are very aggressive and physical, I think they make a lot of plays on the ball, just filling gaps and things like that so they’re pretty physical up front.”

Against the pass, however, the Jaguars are giving up 7.6 yards per pass attempt–the third-lowest mark in the NFL. The 31 explosive passing plays surrendered are also the second-most. Entering Week 8, no Jacksonville defender has more than three pass breakups and the entire defense has forced only one interception.

In terms of matchups on paper, this is where the biggest opportunity lies for the Packers’ offense.

Being able to fully exploit that Jaguars pass defense will start in the trenches with the Packers’ offensive line holding up against the Jacksonville pass rush. The aforementioned Hines-Allen and Walker both rank in the top 13 among edge rushers in pressures this season.

“From their defense, I think the first thing I see is their d-line, I think they have a really solid pass rush,” said Jordan Love on Wednesday. “Obviously their two edge guys, they’re both really good players. I think right away those guys stand out and do some good things.”

The Packers will enter this game with one of the more dynamic passing offenses this season. Of course, there is plenty of individual talent at the tight end and receiver positions, but the true strength is in the depth at the skill positions that Green Bay has.

As we saw against Arizona, where 10 different players had a target in that game, the ability to spread the ball around adds more pressure for the defense. Opponents are unable to key in on one or even two players pre-snap, almost regardless of the situation. This then forces them to defend the entire field, creating better spacing for the Packers’ offense to operate within, along with one-on-one matchups to take advantage of.

With a number of options in the passing game comes a variety of skill sets as well. Matt LaFleur can take an a la carte-like approach as he builds out the weekly game plan, mixing and matching formations and play designs that can very specifically attack an opponent’s weaknesses and create mismatches. This element can also make game-planning for this Packers offense quite difficult because they can hurt you in a number of ways.

However, a trickle-down effect of having all those options is that it can result in consistent targets. Week to week, how the workload shakes out is all really dependent upon the gameplan and how the defense defends each play, specifically who they want to take away.

Christian Watson will enter Sunday’s game with only 14 targets this season. He’s caught nine of those passes at 17.4 yards per catch with two scores. Watson’s impact in this offense goes beyond the stat sheet. As Jayden Reed has described before, defenses defend the Packers differently when his speed and downfield ability are on the field. Watson has a gravity about him. This can then open up opportunities for other pass-catchers underneath or over the middle with the attention that he draws.

Even without Watson getting regular touches, this is obviously still a very explosive offense, but he brings a different element to the equation that the other receivers don’t. And while the deep ball may be his bread and butter, it’s not as if that’s all he can do–Watson can make plays at all levels of the field.

“We do,” said Stenavich when asked about getting Watson involved more. “It’s as simple as that.”

Stenavich would add, that in part, circumstances and the situations faced in a game can impact the game-flow and targets. For example, against Houston, Stenavich noted that the Packers had 11 possessions, five of which went three-and-out and two others ended in interceptions. So it’s not as if there was an abundance of opportunities on offense in that game. But with that said, given Watson’s play-making ability, as Stenavich bluntly stated, the coaches have to do a better job of getting him involved.

“I see myself as a guy who can be successful on the deep stuff but I never see myself as a guy who should just be running deep routes,” said Watson. “I think I can be successful on short, intermediate and deep routes. So that’s definitely my mindset. But at the end of the day, it’s hard to have any complaints when you’re winning football games. But I think that’s just something that will continue to grow as I continue to go out there and play.”

Love will enter this game tied for the league lead in interceptions. His 15 touchdown passes are also the second-most as well and he’s among the league leaders in touchdown passes and yards per pass attempt–a good measurement of efficiency.

Love has the ability to make all of the throws on the field, so what the Packers don’t want to do is put the governor on his ability to utilize that strength. As LaFleur described last week, when it comes to downfield throws versus the checkdown, a lot of it has to do with the situation and point the offense is at in the game that should determine the aggressiveness on a given play.

With that said, at the end of the day, Love has a talented arm and if the matchup or coverage dictates that he should take a shot, he’s going to do that. That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement, whether that be in accuracy at times or in the calculus that led him to that decision, but when you have a top-flight passer, you expect him to make top-flight throws, and that’s what Love is attempting to do.

“There’s not always going to be wide-open guys,” Love said. “It’s going to be tight windows. You’ve got to fit the ball in there sometimes and I’m going to keep playing. Learn and grow from the mistakes, the interceptions and just keep playing, keep moving on. That’s not going to ever limit me. I’ve got to keep going out there and being the best player I can for my team. I’m always going to be aggressive, but there’s always going to be those tight window throws.”

As good as the Packers offense has looked during stretches this season, to a degree, it still feels like that one game where it all comes together for four quarters has eluded them. In large part, that has been due to self-inflicted mistakes such as penalties, giveaways, off-target throws, and drops, often resulting in the offense falling behind the sticks and being put in predictable passing situations.

This offense has been very boom-or-bust this season, with either quick scoring drives or short possessions that end in a punt. So, entering Week 8, what is this offense that is loaded with sky-high potential chasing? Consistency. Plain old consistency.

“I think we’re in a good place,” said Love of the offense. “I think the biggest thing we’ve got to clean up as a whole is just consistency. I think when we get more consistent in hitting on every play we have an opportunity to, good things will happen. You see the explosive plays, the big-play kind of mentality we have is to go hunt those explosive plays. We’ve got a lot of playmakers who are making some big-time plays. That’s very exciting to see.

“The biggest thing for us is just finding that consistency, trying to go and not having any drives where it’s those three-and-out drives where you’re out there quickly back on the sideline. Just try and build on every little thing, keep stacking the details will be huge for us.”

Jeff Hafley’s success with Packers defense begins with the relationship he has with players

Paul Bretl | 10/25/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Quite quickly, the Packers’ defense has seen almost immediate results under first-year defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, and as this group gets more experience within the scheme, this also appears to be a unit that is very much still ascending. But getting those on-field results begins with the relationships Hafley has built with his players.

“He’s been great with that,” said Kenny Clark about the communication with Hafley. “He’s been great with that. We ain’t got no problems going up to Hafley and talking to him and being like, ‘I feel like I can beat the center. Let’s put me on the center.’ He’s a mastermind. He’s got everything.”

Whether it be points per game allowed, takeaways, or yards per play surrendered, the Packers’ defense ranks in the top 10 of the NFL in those areas heading into Week 8. Pick out just about any advanced metric that you’d like and there’s probably a good chance that the Packers rank well in that category too.

Of course, a part of that is Hafley’s scheme, the game-plans he draws up, and his willingness to adapt week-to-week based on who the opponent is.

However, there’s an old saying in football that goes, ‘it’s not the Xs and Os, it’s the Jimmys and Joes’ — that’s Jeff Hafley. It’s about the players, communication, the relationships, and that’s where the success for this defense begins.

We heard all offseason about Hafley wanting a fast and physical play-style within his defense. I would imagine that every defensive coordinator desires that, but wanting it and accomplishing it are two very different things. Successfully fostering that play-style starts with the gameplan, specifically one that is digestible for the players.

Now, as we’ve seen, digestible doesn’t mean simple. This Hafley defense is throwing a lot of different blitz and coverage looks, including disguises at opposing offenses. But what digestible means in the context of this conversation is that players aren’t on the field over-thinking, they know their role, the responsibilities of the players next to them, and they are reacting–letting their natural abilities take over.

“The energy was there,” said Jeff Hafley on Thursday. “The execution was there. Guys were taking ownership, because they’re running stuff that they believe and they are good at, and they’re getting confident in it. Right? Like I talk to X all the time, even I’ll get on the headsets and we’ll have conversations, and it’s, ‘Do you feel this? Can I show down here and do this? Yeah, if you’ve got a good feel and a beat on it.’

“Now there’s some times I have to say no because it’s like, ‘Whoa, that doesn’t fit in with what we’re doing and we might give up a big play,’ so it’s not just, ‘Hey, what do we want to do? Go do it.’ It’s like me listening, observing and then making a final decision on what we can do best to win the football game.”

This isn’t a plug-and-play playbook that Hafley has put together where players have to mold to it. In fact, it’s the other way around. The playbook is ever-evolving and is adapting based on the opponent and the skill sets of this Packers’ defense. But being able to maximize that flexibility that the playbook possesses first begins with understanding and knowing the players on that side of the ball.

As Hafley has said previously, the greatest blitz design on the chalkboard means nothing if it can’t be executed at a high level. When putting the gameplan together, yes the Xs and Os matter, but his first thought is about the players and what he’s asking of them.

“I can come up with a great blitz and it might be check it to 3-by-1, 2-by-2, empty, bunch, motion here, and draw it on paper and think I’m the smartest coach alive,” said Hafley during the offseason. “And then I can put it in and, if it doesn’t work, I can blame the players. But that’s not good coaching and it’s not good teaching. What can they handle where they can execute at a high level and succeed at it? That’s so important for us to understand is we put stuff in and that’s why you can’t overload them.”

Confidence in what a player is being asked to do leads to that desired fast and physical play on the field. Having an executable–or digestible–gameplan plays an important role in cultivating that confidence, but the other part of that equation comes from Hafley knowing what his players do well and putting them in positions to be successful.

On the second day of training camp this past summer, defensive end Lukas Van Ness mentioned that Hafley kicked things off by telling the defense that he was going to be more heavily involved as camp got underway and that this unit was going to bring the juice every day.

So why wasn’t Hafley as involved during OTAs and minicamp, you might ask? He was observing. He took a step back in order to learn more about how the defense plays and how each player operates. An important part of Hafley implementing his defensive scheme was him learning what each defender does well, where their strengths lie, and then finding ways to leverage those abilities.

A key element to that relationship building and knowing what roles players are comfortable in and which ones they’re not is communication–and it goes both ways. It’s Hafley constantly checking in with his team about specific plays and how they feel about being able to execute it at a high level on Sundays and also it’s the players knowing that they can approach Hafley with their own suggestions, if they feel there is an opportunity for them to take advantage of a matchup.

“If a really good player like Kenny, like if I go to him and say, ‘Hey, we’re going to run such-and-such game on third down, and I want you to do this and I want your aiming point to be this, and do you think you can succeed at a high level doing that?’ Let’s practice it,” Hafley said.

“And if he says to me, ‘No,’ why would I run it? That doesn’t make sense to me. And the at the end of the week, I put up the third-down inventory that we’ve run, and I look closely at what worked, and we try to get creative and we’re trying to build as we go, but it’s, ‘Hey, what do you feel most comfortable running?’ Because if he feels comfortable, don’t you think the success rate’s going to be higher? And I’ll say, ‘Is there anything that you guys don’t feel comfortable with, tell me now,’ and we’ll either practice it more or I won’t run it. And what you’re starting to see now, even in practice today, there’s this confidence and this energy.

On Sundays we are seeing the results of what Hafley, his coaching staff, and the defenders have built this defense into. Then, throughout the week, many will break down the film to showcase the different looks that Hafley is drawing up and the impressive plays that the defenders are making. Again, that’s all very important, but if you ask me where the success on defense starts, it’s with the relationships that Hafley has built with his players.

“I just want to win and I want each player to have as much success as they can because I want to help them and their futures and I want them to have success,” said Hafley. “Like those are the things that are important to me.”

Receiver-like TE Evan Engram will present a new challenge for Packers’ defense

Paul Bretl | 10/24/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Although the Jacksonville Jaguars sit at 2-5 on the season, the Packers are preparing for a dynamic offense with plenty of playmakers around quarterback Trevor Lawrence, including big-play tight end Evan Engram.

Engram returned from injury in Week 6 against the Chicago Bears. This was his first game since the Jaguars’ season opener against Miami. Immediately in Engram’s first game back, he seemingly picked up where he left off in 2023, as the focal point in the Jaguars passing game, totaling 10 receptions for 102 yards.

“Well, he’s a game changer,” said Matt LaFleur of Engram’s impact on the Jaguars’ offense, “cause you just don’t see too many tight ends with that speed. So, and he’s one of many. I just think it’s a pretty strong roster.”

Since arriving in Jacksonville in 2022, Engram’s production has sky-rocketed. In that first season with the Jaguars, Engram recorded what was then a season-high 890 receiving yards on 85 receptions with five touchdowns. The following season–2023–he set new career highs in receptions with 114 and yards with 963. He also scored four more touchdowns.

Among all tight ends during that 2023 season, Engram was top-three in targets, receptions and top-five in yards at the position.

A big part of what makes Engram such a difficult matchup for opposing defenses is that at 6-3 – 240 pounds, he ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash coming out of Ole Miss in 2017. That is a rare combination of size and speed that you will see at the tight end position–so much so that Packers’ safety Xavier McKinney said Engram is really a receiver and not a tight end.

“He’s a hell of a player,” added McKinney. “He’s one of the most dynamic and special tight ends that I’ve personally went against and I got much respect for his game.”

With Engram’s speed, route running ability, and hands, the Jaguars move him around and will frequently treat him like a receiver to a degree, with only about one-third of his snaps coming as an in-line tight end during his two-plus seasons in Jacksonville. The other roughly 66 percent of his offensive snaps come either in the slot or out wide.

That type of dynamic ability packed into the tight end position can oftentimes prove to be a difficult matchup for offenses. That speed Engram possesses can often be problematic for linebackers, while his size can give him an advantage over cornerbacks.

He’s a receiver,” said McKinney of Engram. “He’s a big receiver. That’s kind of how we have to treat it and it gives them the ability to do different things and you can’t really count that as, like I said, you can’t really count him as a tight end because he doesn’t run like a tight end, he doesn’t run routes like a tight end and he can pretty much do everything a receiver can do. So it’s challenging defensively.”

With an average depth of target of only 5.0 yards in 2023, it’s not as if Engram was often stretching the field, but getting him those quick throws in space or where he has the matchup advantage allowed him to utilize his speed in the open field, where he was one of the best at picking up yards after the catch (YAC).

In recent weeks, tight ends who aren’t as fast as Engram have found some success against this Packers’ defense. The Rams’ Colby Parkinson led the team in receptions with seven against Green Bay and was targeted 13 times, totaling 52 yards. Another playmaking threat in Arizona’s Trey McBride had eight receptions for 96 yards–again leading the team–while Houston’s Dalton Schultz had a 28-yard catch and run versus the Packers.

Even with McBride’s performance, it’s not as if the Cardinals were able to consistently move the ball, and overall, it’s not as if the Packers have been shredded by the tight end position this season by any means. Through seven games, that position group is averaging about six receptions per game for 55 yards at 9.9 yards per catch. Not game-breaking numbers, but noteworthy.

The Packers’ defense has the physicality at cornerback, the speed at linebacker, and the range at safety to help mitigate the impact of the tight end position in the passing game–not to mention the versatility and blitz and coverage disguises utilized by Jeff Hafley haven’t made things easy on opposing quarterbacks. However, Engram and his speed will bring a different kind of challenge when it comes to accounting for the tight end as the game-plan is being constructed.

“They’ve got weapons in every phase of the game,” said LaFleur of the Jaguars offense. “They’ve got receivers that are explosive, the tight end is explosive. They’ve got two runners. They’ve got a franchise quarterback and then I think you look at the defense side of the ball and just their ability to get after the quarterback is, it’s real.”

This is no 2-5 team, Packers preparing for Jaguars’ dynamic offense

Paul Bretl | 10/24/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Jacksonville Jaguars are 2-5 on the season, but that’s not the team that the Packers see. What Green Bay sees is a team that isn’t all that far off from being 5-2, if you ask Matt LaFleur.

“I think when you look at this team they have lost a game by three points, by four points and by five points,” LaFleur said on Wednesday. “And they were in command vs. Houston and vs. Miami and they easily should’ve won, they could be 5-2 sitting the same as us right now. So I think that speaks to who this football team is.”

What the Jaguars 2-5 record doesn’t necessarily show is an explosive offense that can put up yards and points, whether that be through the run game or in the passing game.

An explosive play is categorized as a rush of 10-plus yards or a pass of 20-plus yards. The Jaguars will enter Week 8 ranked 10th in explosive plays generated. This includes totaling the sixth-most explosive plays in the run game and the 11th most through the air.

“They’ve got weapons in every phase of the game,” added LaFleur. “They’ve got receivers that are explosive, the tight end is explosive. They’ve got two runners. They’ve got a franchise quarterback and then I think you look at the defense side of the ball and just their ability to get after the quarterback is, it’s real.”

Led by Trevor Lawrence at quarterback, the Jaguars’ offense is very willing to push the ball downfield. Lawrence leads all quarterbacks in pass attempts of 20-plus yards this season and is first in completions as well. Receivers Brian Thomas Jr. and Christian Kirk both are in the top-15 among all receivers in downfield targets, with Thomas primarily lining up on the boundary and Kirk from the slot.

Thomas currently ranks sixth among all receivers in total receiving yards with 513 and has put up those numbers by averaging an impressive 17.1 yards per catch–which is also the 12th most in football.

“A lot,” said McKinney when asked what Thomas adds to the offense. “He gives them–it’s a vertical threat for them, obviously. He’s a guy that has great hands and he’s got good speed. I think it helps their offense a lot and he’s another playmaker that’s added to what they already have. Like I said, they got a talented offense, man and they got some really good guys.”

Jacksonville also recently got back tight end Evan Engram, who as Xavier McKinney put it, is more receiver than tight end. Last season, Engram caught 114 passes and nearly eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving mark.

At running back, Tank Bigsby has been a big play threat just about every time the ball touches his hands. On 67 rush attempts this season, Bigsby is averaging 6.2 yards per carry–the second-best mark in football. He’s shown to be very difficult to bring down, ranking first in average yards after contact and fourth in missed tackles forced.

“They’ve got a lot of explosive guys,” McKinney said. “Obviously, their record doesn’t really say it all for them. They’ve got a lot of talent on that offensive side and, really, as a team. We talked about it this morning. I think it was three games or four games where the games have been lost within like a matter of seven points or something like that.

“They can easily be on the positive side. Sometimes, things shake out and the games that you’re supposed to win, you don’t win. So, I think that’s kind of the story of their team. They’ve got a really good team where the games that they’ve lost have been within a very small margin.”

One of the issues for the Jaguars has been the overall consistency of the offense. While they’ve been able to generate big plays, they’ve also struggled to sustain drives, ranking near the bottom of the NFL in average time of possession.

While big plays often lead to points, it’s also a tough way to live in the NFL when that home run threat is an offense’s primary source for moving the ball. This boom-or-bust approach on offense for the Jaguars has either resulted in explosive plays or short possessions that end with a quick punt.

Success this week for the Packers’ defense likely begins with containing Bigsby. Slowing the run game can put the offense behind the sticks and in obvious passing situations, which takes away some of the bite that the big-play passing game has. On the flip side, moving the ball on the ground consistently sets up short down-and-distance situations, opening up the playbook for Jacksonville, and forcing Green Bay to defend both the run and pass on a given play.

Complementary football is always important, but as we saw two weeks ago against Arizona, the Packers’ ability on offense to score early zapped the Cardinals’ ability to get the run game going. Picking up an early lead this week–against a Jaguars defense that has given up a lot of points this season–will make it more challenging for the Jacksonville offense to lean on the run game if they are constantly playing from behind.

From the outside, with the Packers coming off an emotional win over Houston and a matchup with Detroit on the horizon in Week 9, this matchup looks like it could have trap-game potential. However, internally, you won’t catch the Packers looking ahead–they know that they are facing a very talented team this week.

“I don’t think any games, you can overlook,” said Jordan Love. “We always say we take it one week at a time. All of our focus is on this week. We’re not looking forward to games that are coming in the future. I think if everybody has that mindset, we’ll be good.”

Former Jets’ HC Robert Saleh joins Packers in ‘fluid’ role on offensive side of ball

Paul Bretl | 10/23/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers were back on the practice field on Wednesday in preparation for their Week 8 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Spotted along the sidelines was recently fired former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh.

After practice, Matt LaFleur said that Saleh won’t have an official title with the Packers–his time spent working with the team will remain “fluid,” as LaFleur put it–but he will be helping out on the offensive side of the football.

“We’ve been close for a really long time,” said LaFleur after Wednesday’s practice. “Shoot, we were roomates together back at Central Michigan. So, we thought it was a good idea just to bring him here and he’s helping us on the offensive side of the ball. I think that’s always a good deal to have the perspective, that defensive perspective on that side of the ball. So, just taking a look at some of the things we’re doing.”

Saleh helping out isn’t the first time that the Packers have done something like this. In 2022, after the Detroit Lions fired then defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant, LaFleur brought him in as well.

LaFleur also made it clear that Saleh would not be helping out on defense. LaFleur has complete trust in Jeff Hafley, that coaching staff, and how things are operating.

“I don’t want to do that I think Haf and our defensive staff have a great thing going right now,” LaFleur said. “And I totally trust them, so I think it’s Year 1, he’s kind of got to go through it himself. So, I don’t want to do that.”

Following a 2-3 start to the season for the Jets, who very much find themselves in a win-now mode, owner Woody Johnson made the surprising move to move on from Saleh. During Saleh’s tenure as New York’s head coach, the team was just 20-36 with no playoff appearances and frequent issues on the offensive side of the ball–and often at quarterback–persisting throughout his time at the helm.

“Well it’s certainly disappointing,” said Matt LaFleur two weeks ago when asked about the news of Saleh being fired. “Robert, in my eyes, I think he’s one of the best at what he does and it’s disappointing obviously me as his friend, I thought he’s done a lot of good things there. But it is what it is. But I do think when you see the stuff go on and happen in our league, it’s part of our business, but it certainly makes you appreciative of where you’re at right now with the Green Bay Packers.”

LaFleur and Saleh have a long-standing friendship that goes back a number of years. This includes LaFleur being the best-man in Saleh’s wedding. The coaching careers of LaFleur and Saleh have intertwined throughout the years as well, with both on the same coaching staff at Central Michigan in 2004 and then again with the Houston Texans in 2008-2009.

Originally, it was reported by Mike Silver of The Athletic, that Saleh didn’t have any plans of joining another coaching staff during the 2024 season. Instead, he was going to regroup, vacation with his family, and wait for the 2025 hiring cycle, where he would be one of, if not the most sought-after defensive coordinators on the job market.

However, those plans have obviously changed.

Known for his ability as a defensive play-caller, while the Jets struggled on offense during Saleh’s time as the head coach, he regularly fielded top defensive units.

Through the first five games of the season, the Jets’ defense ranked eighth in expected points added per play. By more traditional metrics, such as points allowed per contest, they ranked fifth, and by yards per play surrendered, they ranked first. Looking back at the 2023 season, it was a similar story for this unit, who finished the year 11th in points per game allowed and first in yards per play.

Saleh’s ability as a defensive play designer and game-planner will provide an outside perspective, specifically when it comes to LaFleur self-scouting his Green Bay offense. Saleh can provide LaFleur and the rest of the offensive coaches with insight into how each opponent might go about attacking and game-planning for the Green Bay offense through the eyes of a former defensive play-caller who has proven that he can field one of the top defensive units in football.

“I just think it’s a good opportunity, I mean, for him to learn and also for him to help us and give us perspective on how teams might see us, how they might defend us,” LaFleur added. “Certainly can find holes in, or some vulnerabilities if you will in the defense that we’re playing. So yeah, that’s how we’re going to use him.”

With or without Saleh, this is a process that the Packers and every NFL team goes through, but Saleh’s expertise and experiences can provide a different lens for Green Bay as they go about that weekly exercise. I would imagine that the hope is that Saleh will provide a new perspective on how LaFleur’s play designs and initial game-plans can be attacked. That should–in theory–result in a more well-prepared and robust final product on Sundays.

“I think it helps. Having a defensive mind talking offense and helping us with things he might be able to see, kind of similar scheme stuff, things the defense might be looking for, it helps,” said Jordan Love.

The Packers already boast one of the most explosive and dynamic offenses in football. The variety of versatile playmakers that they have coupled with LaFleur at the helm already makes this a unit that’s difficult to defend and game-plan for.

Watching the games unfold on Sundays you’re not going to know that Saleh is a part of the equation–you’re going to see the same offense. However, in a game where the margin for winning and losing is razor thin, that little extra edge from a game-planning perspective that Saleh can potentially provide could prove valuable when it comes to certain play designs or how the Packers attack certain situations.

“I think he’s got an elite defensive mind,” LaFleur said. “But that’s why I want him on the offensive side, so he can help us attack the defenses.”

Eric Wilson’s impact on Packers defense vs. Texans goes beyond the stat sheet

Paul Bretl | 10/22/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Eric Wilson’s play on Sunday against the Houston Texans was impressive for two reasons. One, there were the impact plays that he made. But two, with Quay Walker out, Wilson–with minimal reps–became the Packers’ Mike linebacker.

“I can’t say enough great things about him,” said Matt LaFleur after the game. “He is the consummate pro in terms of always knowing what to do and then being able to when called upon go out there and deliver. I’m really proud of him. We’re lucky to have a guy like that on our team.”

Wilson’s playing time in recent weeks has been a bit sporadic. After playing 26 snaps in Week 4 against Minnesota, he played just three snaps versus the Rams and then 14 snaps a week ago against Arizona. When Wilson has seen playing time on defense, it’s been as the third linebacker when the Packers are in their 4-3 alignment.

However, with Walker exiting the game early on due to a concussion, Wilson didn’t only see more snaps, playing 56 of Green Bay’s 64 total snaps on defense, but he became the signal caller in the middle of the defense as well–not only delivering the play-call but being a key communicator pre-snap in identifying offensive alignments and adjustments.

“I thought he came in and did a really nice job,” added LaFleur on Monday. “But that is a big loss when you lose your middle linebacker, who calls the defense. Eric did a great job filling in in that role and it’s even more remarkable considering he didn’t even get any reps at the Mike position really all week. So step in and do that, that’s a big-time credit for Eric Wilson.”

Once the ball was snapped, Wilson spent a lot of time in the Houston backfield. In part, this was due to defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley utilizing Wilson as a blitzer, particularly on third downs. But Wilson also did an excellent job fighting through blockers and knifing his way into the backfield to make plays on the ball carrier as well.

By ESPN’s metrics, Wilson finished the game with nine total tackles, six of which were solo and tied for the most on the team. Of those tackles, four came behind the line of scrimmage. As a pass rusher, Wilson logged three pressures, including two sacks. Only four linebackers league-wide in Week 7 finished with more quarterback pressures than Wilson.

“Haf does a helluva job calling a game, and we work all week of just playing together whatever the call is,” said Wilson at his locker. “I think it was a helluva effort up front putting pressure on him, and then in the back covering their guys, which they’ve got some good receivers too, so our DBs did a helluva job.”

While Wilson’s playing time hasn’t been all that consistent at times, this wasn’t the first time that he’s put together a high impact game when called upon this season. In only eight snaps against Indianapolis in Week 2, Wilson recorded an interception, a forced fumble, and a third down run-stop.

“Man, Eric been holding it down all year,” said Kenny Clark of Wilson’s performance. “Whether it’s special teams, him coming in and getting turnovers, punching the ball out, getting sacks or whatever the case may be–picks…He’s always been coming in and doing his job and being great. You need a guy like that on a team.

“Just credit to him and how he prepares. He works hard. I watch him all the time and just for how he performed today. He had two sacks, made a lot of plays in the run game, so it was huge, especially with Quay going out.”

After an offseason where the Packers drafted Edgerrin Cooper and Ty’Ron Hopper in the early rounds, who joined a linebacker unit with Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie–who was ahead of Wilson on the depth chart in 2023–at least from a defensive perspective, Wilson could have been viewed as the odd-man out.

However, as we all know, that isn’t how things played out over the summer. Providing a steady presence at the linebacker position, even with the infusion of competition, Wilson focused on controlling the controllables and as the veteran in the linebacker room, put his arm around the rookies to provide guidance when needed.

“I think we always draft players that can help us win games,” Wilson said during training camp. “Regardless of what’s going on upstairs, I’ve got to control what I can control. Ever since I’ve been in the league, guys are going to get drafted. It’s just a matter of doing what you can do and make sure you handle your business.”

On Sunday, as Wilson was flying around the line of scrimmage, we saw the end result but what we don’t always see or hear about is what it took behind the scenes to get to that point. Wilson’s ability to be thrown into the fire as the defense’s Mike linebacker on short notice–and to not skip a beat–is a credit to his preparation and always being ready.

“He’s a pro,” said Hafley during training camp. “The way he sits in meeting rooms, takes notes, helps the younger guys, stays after, takes care of his body. He can play multiple positions because he’s a very smart player and he’s reliable and he’s a guy that you can trust that’s gonna go 100 miles an hour and know exactly what to do and he’s gonna try to finish, so I’m very pleased with him. I’m a big fan.”

Adapt and evolve: Packers DC Jeff Hafley finding new ways to cause chaos for offenses

Paul Bretl | 10/22/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers’ defense had the difficult task this past Sunday of having to contain CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans’ passing game. It was a challenge that they met with an aggressive and ever-evolving play-style.

“I thought overall,” Matt LaFleur said on Monday, “I thought our defense for the most part – there were a couple of plays where Mixon got loose on us and then there was one play where we didn’t carry the special, the deep over route that was an explosive play – but I thought for the most part our defense played as well as they had all season long.”

Stroud would finish the game completing just 10-of-21 passes for 86 yards with no touchdowns and just 4.1 yards per pass attempt. The number of completions, the completion rate, passing yards, and yards per attempt were all season-lows for Stroud–and it wasn’t particularly close.

Green Bay’s success on defense began with getting pressure on the quarterback. The Packers were able to pressure Stroud on a hefty 51.7 percent of his dropbacks in Sunday’s win, according to The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman. For some context, the highest team pressure rate in the NFL this season is 42.6 percent.

Obviously, pressure is a good thing. It disrupts the timing and rhythm of the play and can lead to off-target throws and mistakes. But the Packers’ success didn’t lie only in the fact that they were able to disrupt Stroud. Equally as important was how they did it.

Throughout the season, the Packers have struggled to generate consistent pressure with just a four man rush. To combat this, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley would send blitzes in key moments, such as on third downs. On Houston’s 15 third down attempts in this game, the Packers blitzed on a whopping 10 of them.

What we are seeing is a defense that’s doing the dictating. Of course, that aggressive approach isn’t always going to workout, but when there is the opportunity to get off the field on third down, Hafley isn’t sitting back–he’s forcing the issue with an attacking play-style.

“Little splash here, little splash there, mixing it up,” said Rashan Gary at his locker after the game. “Understanding our personnel, understanding how people want to block our personnel and just keep adding to the packages and things like that.”

The Packers will enter Week 8 ranked 25th in blitz rate this season–so it’s not as if Hafley is sending pressure on every dropback. However, what Hafley does have is an extremely good intuition of when to rush four and when to send some extra help based on the situation and the game-flow.

Contributing to the chaos is Hafley’s ability to disguise where these blitzes are coming from. He will also send multiple blitzers and ask them to run stunts, as we saw on Sunday, along with some truly diabolical play-calls where the Packers end up rushing only four, which includes still sending a linebacker but dropping a defensive lineman into the middle of the field.

“A lot of what we call replacement fire zones,” said Matt LaFleur on Monday. “Yeah, he did a nice job of mixing up the coverage behind those pressures and I mean, shoot, we had multiple times we had free runners at the quarterback.”

It’s been a relatively quiet start to the season for Packers’ defensive end Rashan Gary, who entered Sunday’s game with only nine pressures in six games. His pass rush win rate coming into Week 7 was at only 2.9 percent, according to PFF. Last season it was at 16.0 percent.

Not helping matters is how often Gary is chipped but at the end of the day, the Packers need their top pass rusher to produce as such. To help, Hafley moved Gary around often in Sunday’s game against Houston. One example came with the Texans in the red zone on their opening offensive possession. Rather than bull-rushing off the edge as he often does, Gary was standing up over the center and rushed from the middle of the field, able to pressure Stroud.

Gary would end up finishing the day with a season-high six pressures–his previous best was three-and came away with his first sack since Week 1.

“Well it presents a lot of challenges in regards to just who are you gonna put on him and how do you get him blocked,” said LaFleur on Monday. “And what are the — typically what happens when you have somebody that’s hovering around in there, there’s gonna be some sort of pick game or something coming off of that. It’s not just gonna be usually just a straight rush, so it just depends on what people are doing in those situations.”

We’ve often discussed the illusion of complexity on the offensive side of the football. This is a phrase that LaFleur brought to Green Bay and references the offense’s ability to disguise looks and run similar concepts that build off of each other over the course of the game.

In short, this can cause havoc for a defense. When there are a variety of plays that can be run from just a few personnel groupings or plays that look the same but end up quite different, it causes confusion. Well, right now, we are seeing that same effect take place on the defensive side of the ball with Hafley at the helm.

Whether it be through timely blitzes, disguising coverages, or moving players around, everything from the defensive front to the back end is married up and working in unison. The pass rush, gap assignments, coverage–it all works as one cohesive unit. Making matters more challenging for opposing offenses is the number of players that this defense relies on and the versatility they have across the field, giving Hafley the ultimate flexibility when it comes to game-planning.

“I just thought he’s done a hell of a job, I really do,” LaFleur said. “I think it’s not just him, it’s everybody, right, our whole defensive staff but ultimately somebody’s got to put the plan together and call it. I thought considering all the circumstances – a really explosive offense, you had two drives start on the 11-yard line, another drive start on the 45-yard line – there’s just a lot of short fields in there. To be able to hold somebody to 22 points considering all those circumstances, I thought he was deserving of the game ball.”

Adapt and evolve. Those are words or themes that often come up on Thursdays when we get the opportunity to speak with Hafley. Like any defense, there are core principles that make up what Hafley’s system is, but how those concepts are going to be leveraged each week is extremely fluid with a number of variables dictating the game-plan and in-game play-calls.

As Hafley told us recently, this isn’t a plug-and-play playbook; it is always evolving.

“I also think that as we go and we evolve within our scheme, I think we’re starting to get a really good feel for that,” said Hafley last Thursday. “I think it’s about adapting. I’ve said this since I got here, it’s not like, ‘Hey, here’s the playbook. This is in. Go run the defense.’ It’s each week, what did we look like? What do we look like when they watch us on tape? What can we do a little bit different to counter that? What do we do really well? Let’s do more of it, make it look different.

“And then as we start to see certain players do certain things, how can we best use them to improve? We have to keep getting better. That’s the whole key to this whole entire thing as we go. Any way that we can adapt and get better, both coaching, playing, scheme, personnel, it’s not just like plug and play. Let’s evolve. I think that’s very important.”

Packers QB Jordan Love showcases his ‘superpower’ on two-minute scoring drive

Paul Bretl | 10/21/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. –Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans was an up-and-down performance for Packers’ quarterback Jordan Love, to say the least. However, trailing by one point with less than two minutes on the clock, Love showcased his superpower, as Matt LaFleur put it–his resiliency.

“That’s his superpower,” said Matt LaFleur after the game. “No matter what’s happened, whether it’s good or bad, he continues to fight and be resilient. The moment’s never too big for him. I thought that was huge for him to be able to take us all the way down the field and get an opportunity right there to kick a field goal. Hat’s off to him.”

Beginning at their own 30-yard line with 1:44 left on the clock, Love orchestrated an eight-play drive that took the Packers offense down to the Houston 26-yard line. While there were some instances where Love tried to push the ball downfield–both of which fell incomplete–that calm, cool demeanor that Love possesses was on display in how he took what was available and moved the offense down the field roughly 10 yards at a time.

Love was 5-for-8 passing on that drive with completions of eight yards, 13 yards, 12 yards, no gain, and six yards.

“My mind-set is just take it and just make it another drive,” said Love after the game. “Obviously there’s a lot of pressure, the game on the line, so I think if you let the moment get too big you’re not going to be able to go out there and execute the way you want to.

“So I definitely just tried to focus on breathing and slowing the heart rate down and things like that, but just trying to focus on the details of plays and make the most of that situation. Definitely just trying to make it as normal another drive as possible.”

Love finished the game 24-of-33 passing for 220 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Those two giveaways will be what subtracts from Love’s overall performance, but against a stingy Houston defense, there were some brilliant throws from Love as well prior to that two-minute drive, including a tight window throw in the red zone to Tucker Kraft for a score and 30-yard touchdown pass to Dontayvion Wicks–a throw that was dropped in a bucket between the cornerback and the safety who was closing in.

“I think it was all right,” said Love of his play. “I definitely want to be able to limit those mistakes, the interceptions, just do better taking care of the ball. Definitely got to clean that up. I think if I clean that up it would be a better game. That definitely hurt me. But you know, gotta bounce back and respond to them. Game’s not going to be perfect, but definitely moving forward want to be better with the ball.”

This wasn’t the first time that Love’s ability to bounce back and seemingly ignore what’s happened previously in the game has been on display. In fact, this is a trait of his that LaFleur has complemented and commented on fairly often.

However, another sign of growth for Love–who is still a relatively young player when it comes to starting experience–was not only that he led the Packers’ offense into field goal range but the manner in which he did it. In some past two-minute situations, we saw Love try to force the ball downfield and make the big play happen rather than letting it come to him based on what the defense was doing.

But on Sunday, Love took what the defense was giving him. Knowing there was enough time on the clock and a timeout remaining, there was no panic as he and the offense plotted their way down the field.

“We knew, we had a good amount of time there, so just trying to move the ball, and I think we did that,” added Love. “Threw a couple slants right there. Rome had some big-time plays, Tuck made a guy miss and got a couple extra yards. Just trying to get those yards and chip away, get to what we thought would be field-goal range, around that 30-yard line. It’s stuff that we practice all the time, just going out there and having to find a way to execute and finish it.”

There’s a balance right now that Love is still trying to strike in regards to when to be aggressive and push the ball versus taking the checkdown. Despite missing two games, Love’s eight interceptions are the most in football at the moment. On the flip side, he’s also among the league leaders in touchdown passes and yards per pass attempt–a good measurement of efficiency.

“You just gotta play the game,” Love said. “You’ve gotta go out there and play it. You can’t try and not be aggressive and take checkdowns all day. You’ve got to be out there and be aggressive and go win those games. I’m always going to play the way I play, and learn from mistakes, and grow from them.”

While it was Wicks, Kraft, and Josh Jacobs who hauled in Love’s three touchdown passes, the go-to target in the passing game for the Packers was Doubs, including on that final possession. Doubs finished the day with eight receptions on 10 targets for 94 yards.

Packers’ passing game coordinator Jason Vrable has discussed in the past that there isn’t a player on the team that catches more balls throughout the week than Doubs, who is often the first to practice to get reps on the JUGS machine. Vrable has also noted Doubs’ strong hands, which were on full display on Sunday with him aggressively going after the ball to pluck it out of the air.

“I’m just being a player, just controlling what I can,” said Doubs post-game. “And I know, I’m not the only guy that can go in our room. So, I’m going to have to keep emphasizing on that because anybody in our room can go.”

Against what was a 5-1 Texans team that has been one of the more well-rounded squads this season, the Packers overcame several of their own self-inflicted mistakes to come away with a big win. Obviously a win over a good opponent is momentum that can be catalyst to bigger and better things, but it’s not only the fact that the Packers won that will carry weight, but how they did it, overcoming some of the difficult situations they put themselves in.

“I think it can build a lot of confidence,” said LaFleur of the win. “You can never take winning for granted in this league. As sloppy as some of the play was out there today, I loved the effort of our guys, the resiliency of our guys, the ability to respond to some adversity I think is huge. Obviously, that’s a playoff-caliber football team – I think one of the best teams in the league. We’ll never apologize for winning.”

Defense, specialists help Packers overcome mistake for big win vs. Texans

Paul Bretl | 10/20/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — To an extent, it was a mistake-filled performance by the Packers, particularly on offense and on certain aspects of special teams. However, it would be the defense and Green Bay’s specialists, punter Daniel Whelan and kicker Brandon McManus, that would bail the team out to secure the win over Houston.

“The defense played phenomenal,” said Jordan Love after the game. “That’s a really good offense on the other side right there, and I think they did some good things all night with being aggressive, being able to hold that passing game to whatever – I don’t know how many yards they had – so I think they did a great job.

“I think the rush package that we had out there was doing a great job of getting home, and the DBs on the back end were doing a great job. That’s not an easy task and that’s a really good offense, so I think they did a great job.”

The giveaways by the Packers nearly cost Green Bay the game. A pair of interceptions from Jordan Love and a fumble on a punt return that bounced off Corey Ballentine turned into 16 points for Houston–in a game where they scored 22 in total. Two of those three turnovers resulted with Houston starting with the ball inside the Packers’ 20 yard line.

However, put in some difficult situations, the defense was able to keep points off the board. In a game where the Packers won by just two points, Green Bay’s defense kept six points off the board by not allowing the first Houston takeaway to turn into a touchdown and then later in the game they stopped a two-point conversion attempt.

Overall, it was tough sledding in this game for a dynamic Texans’ offense. CJ Stroud finished the game just 10-for-21 passing, throwing for only 86 yards. Tight end Dalton Schultz was held to 28 yards and Stefon Diggs just 23 yards.

A lot of that success began with the Green Bay pass rush, which was able to generate four sacks and seven quarterback hits in this game. With the four-man rush struggling to get home consistently this season, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley dialed up a number of third-down blitzes to not give Stroud time or the ability to get comfortable in many instances.

“Little splash here, little splash there, mixing it up,” said Rashan Gary at his locker. “Understanding our personnel, understanding how people want to block our personnel and just keep adding to the packages and things like that.”

“Coaches trusting us, especially on those blitzes,” said Kenny Clark after the game. “Guys gotta be able to be smart and do their job. So coaches trusting us on those blitzes and we gotta execute and when we do them, we gotta do them full speed and hit it strong. Just coach trusting us to do our job and be where we supposed to be and the blitzes and all that stuff getting home.”

One area where the Houston offense was able to move the ball was in the run game with Joe Mixon, a player that Matt LaFleur praised earlier in the week, noting his physical play-style and ability to impact the game in a variety of ways.

Mixon would rush for 115 yards on 25 carries, but the key for the Packers was that he didn’t take the game over and an important reason behind Green Bay’s ability to get after Stroud, oftentimes in those third down situations, was that the Texans faced an obvious passing situation, giving the pass rush the opportunity to pin its ears back.

“Run defense, we definitely gotta get better,” added Clark. “Communication, getting off blocks, really just executing on that side. But happy with how we played. We did a really good job. Gotta get better.”

Partnering with the defensive performance was Whelan and the punt coverage team. On the stat sheet, Whelan averaged 56.8 yards per punt on five attempts. For some context, the league lead in yards per punt through six weeks is 52.9 yards.

However, as impressive as that 56.8 figure is on the stat sheet, it doesn’t do Whelan’s performance justice either. With the offense struggling to move the ball in the second half, Whelan had consecutive punts of 62 yards, 66 yards, and 61 yards that flipped the field position battle and forced the Texans’ offense to put together much longer drives. In total, Houston scored just three points on those three possessions.

“He’s been really consistent,” said LaFleur post-game. “We see it in practice. He’s definitely the best I’ve ever been around. He obviously kicks it a long way but just the hang time, too. Some guys will kick it far and they’re going to outkick their coverage, but I thought our guys, our fliers, did an outstanding job winning their one-on-one battles, flying down there to negate big return opportunities for the most part.”

Whelan’s impact on this game wasn’t only limited to the punt coverage unit either. As the holder, he plays an obvious and integral part of the field goal operation. On the second field goal attempt, after the first was waived off by a Texans’ timeout, long-snapper Matt Orzech’s snap looked like a rug-burner and was one that Whelan had to dig out of the dirt, which he did with ease.

Getting to this point for Whelan as the holder came with a lot of practice behind the scenes–or away from the practice field. During fall camp as a rookie in 2023, Whelan and then long-snapper Broughton Hatcher would snap “like 100 (balls) a night,” as Whelan told it, in the hotel hallway. Whelan then added that all that time has “paid off.”

“You just catch it with your eyes basically,” said Whelan. “Your hand’s on the spot so kind of just flip my hands around and the laces are perfect, so didn’t have too much there.”

Behind Whelan on that hold was McManus, who had just arrived in Green Bay on Wednesday. An experienced kicker in his 12th NFL season, even in high-pressure situations like this one, Whelan noted how incredibly calm McManus was throughout the entire situation.

Even with the Texans calling a timeout in an attempt to ice McManus, that intended impact actually had the opposite effect on the veteran kicker.

“I was telling Danny after, I always want a practice kick if I can,” McManus said. “It was a little windy today, just seeing where the wind might move the ball. If I for some reason miss the first one, I’ve never missed back-to-back kicks in my career, so I feel pretty confident. I always want to have that practice rep if I can.”

While we all saw the end result, which was the field goal attempt going through the uprights for the game-winner, there was a lot of work over these last several days to get to this point.

Every kicker wants the ball held differently on the hold. With McManus being the seventh different kicker to don a Packer helmet since January, Whelan has gotten comfortable with the constant change. However, even in working with several different kickers, McManus prefers to have the ball held differently than the others that have been through Green Bay recently.

As he does, Whelan spent his time away from the facility these last several days practicing the hold just as McManus wants it.

“A little lean on the hashes,” said Whelan on how McManus prefers the ball. “Laces to the goalposts, right hash down the hash, not crazy, a little bit picky but it works.”

On a team where there is an abundance of talent on the offensive side of the ball, and that unit certainly had its moments as well, an important win against a very good Texans team was possible because of the play of the Green Bay defense, the punter, and the kicker.

The defense got the stops, Whelan flipped the field and secured the hold, while McManus made the kick–and then the entire Packers’ team celebrated the win.

“It was a great working week,” added McManus. “I had Matt and Danny working hard to understand how I like the operation to be done. Coaches did a great job of overdrilling it. I had a chance to feel extremely comfortable there in a tough situation. Happy to be here and help the team win.”

Pick your poison: Packers defense challenged at all levels by Texans’ offense

Paul Bretl | 10/19/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Not unlike the Packers, the Houston Texans’ offense has a variety of ways to hurt opposing defenses. If a defense prioritizes stopping the run, CJ Stroud and his pass catchers will take advantage of matchups. If a defense provides additional help on the back end, running back Joe Mixon will happily run against a lighter front.

To a degree, if your the Packers defense, you pick your poison and live with the results.

“It’s one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL with a good running game, a good quarterback and a good coach,” said defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. “This is going to be a great challenge for us and we’re excited for that.”

The Houston offense will enter Sunday’s game averaging the fifth-most yards per game at just over 375, and that unit puts up those kind of numbers both on the ground and through the air.

Leading the offense is Stroud, who has emerged over the last year as one of the premier quarterbacks in the NFL. On the season, he’s completed 68 percent of his throws at 7.6 yards per pass with 10 touchdowns to four interceptions. Among all quarterbacks, Stroud is ninth in completion rate and fifth in passing yards with 1,576.

However, going beyond the numbers, what makes Stroud so difficult to defend and gameplan for is that he’s comfortable in just about every situation. He will make the pre-snap adjustments, he’ll push the ball downfield when the opportunity is there or he is perfectly fine taking what the defense gives him. Stroud’s comfortable under pressure, he can make plays outside of the pocket, and can take off when needed.

That well-rounded ability allows Stroud to have an answer for just about whatever it is that defenses throw at him.

“He’s smart,” said safety Javon Bullard. “Very smart. Feel like that’s one of his best attributes, being able to ID things pre-snap. I feel like intelligence is one of his biggest characteristics on the football field. But other than that, he’s just a great football player. He’s a guy that can hurt you with his legs if need be. He has a great arm. He can make all the throws on the field. So it’s going to be a great matchup for when he comes into Lambeau, for sure.”

For the second game, however, the Texans’ passing game will be missing a key presence with wide receiver Nico Collins on injured reserve. Collins has been the big play threat in the Houston offense, averaging almost 18.0 yards per catch through five games. Earlier in the week, Matt LaFleur would call Collins one of the best receivers in football.

Although it was just a one-game sample size, last week’s performance from the Texans’ passing game was modest without Collins in the mix against New England. Stroud finished the game 20-of-31 passing for 192 yards at 6.2 yards per attempt with three scores and an interception.

Even with Collins on the field, Stroud would spread the ball around, with four different players having at least 30 targets on the season. Meaning that if an opponent became overly committed to taking away Collins, the ball would go elsewhere, whether that be to Stefon Diggs, Dalton Schultz, or Tank Dell, and the Texans’ offense could still burn you. Finding a way to limit one or even two players doesn’t mean that the defense has contained the Houston offense.

With that said, all three of those other pass catchers are averaging under 10.0 yards per catch on the season. Diggs and Dell both rank in the bottom half in average depth of target as well at the receiver position. So there is a different dynamic when it comes to defending Houston without Collins, as it can allow the defense to shrink the field by playing closer to the line of scrimmage. Where Collins made his biggest impact were on those intermediate routes from 10-19 yards from the line of scrimmage and with his YAC ability.

This, of course, isn’t a full-proof approach by any means–that doesn’t exist against Houston–as it is still going to leave members of the secondary in some one-on-one situations against some very good pass-catchers. However, when it comes to picking your poison, perhaps the Packers’ emphasis should be on trying to contain Mixon and the Houston run game and taking their chances at times in the secondary against the Collins-less passing game.

Mixon returned from injury last week and made an immediate impact, averaging a hefty 7.8 yards per rush on 13 carries. Mixon is a physical runner and one that is difficult to bring down.

“He’s still playing at an elite level,” said LaFleur. “You could see a difference last week when he’s back in action. He’s a guy that we haven’t gone up against too many times. I know a couple of years ago we played him in Cincinnati. Just he’s a really physical runner. There’s nothing he can’t do. He’s a load. He’s a threat in the passing game. He’s a great pass protector.

“I just think he’s a complete back, a guy that we’ve always kind of admired from afar, just watching how he runs. He definitely made a difference last week. He had a couple explosion runs. There was one in the passing game as well. I think their offense takes on a different complexion when he’s in the game.”

Against the run this season, the Packers have had mixed results, but are coming off a very good performance against a dynamic Arizona offense this past week. While it won’t be easy, finding a way to at least limit Mixon can have a negative trickle-down effect to the rest of the offense. The impact on containing the run is that it will put Houston behind the sticks and in obvious passing situations, which will give the Packers defense–both in the trenches and on the back end–the advantage.

On the flip side, if Mixon is able to get going and can regularly put the Texans in short down-and-distance situations, now Houston is the one with the upper hand. At that point, the ability to marry the run with the passing game will open up opportunities through the air for Houston and force the Packers to defend the entire field, which can result in more one-on-one matchups for the offense along with more space to operate in.

Having to defend all the playmakers and Stroud is already a difficult enough challenge. Having to do that while not knowing if it’s a run or a pass coming your way feels nearly impossible.

“I think Mixon’s a really good player, a violent runner, strong, sees it well,” said Hafley. “Big-play, explosive guy. That’s the one thing when you turn on their tape, they’re No. 1 in explosive passes. And then when he’s in the game, there’s the explosive-run element because he can go. I think both backs are really good players, the line’s good and, obviously, they have really good receivers.”

Complementary football will go a long way in this matchup as well. While the Green Bay offense will have its own challenges against a very good Houston defense, contributing to the Packers’ success versus the Cardinals run defense was that they held an early lead. As the game progressed, this forced Arizona to become more pass-heavy and one-dimensional–which, again, is a position all defenses want to find themselves in.

As we’ve seen from the Hafley defense, and one of the most encouraging aspects of it, is that there isn’t any one size fits all gameplan. Sure, perhaps early on the emphasis will be to limit Mixon, but that could change as the game unfolds depending on the score and given situation in that moment. As the game ebbs and flows, so will the Packers’ defensive approach.

“I think it’s about adapting,” Hafley said. “I’ve said this since I got here, it’s not like, ‘Hey, here’s the playbook. This is in. Go run the defense.’ It’s each week, what did we look like? What do we look like when they watch us on tape? What can we do a little bit different to counter that? What do we do really well? Let’s do more of it, make it look different.

“And then as we start to see certain players do certain things, how can we best use them to improve? We have to keep getting better. That’s the whole key to this whole entire thing as we go.”