Paul Bretl | 9/26/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — It’ll be a heavy-weight matchup on Sunday between the Packers rushing offense and the Minnesota Vikings stingy run defense. The winner may give their team the advantage when it comes to the outcome of this game.

“He just causes you a lot of headaches,” said Matt LaFleur of Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. “A lot of your run game it can be problematic in the run game, you’re not always going to run it into some great looks. There’s going to be some dirty looks and you’ve got to do your best to gain as many yards as you can. So, like I said, I’ve got a lot of respect for how he’s able to create a whole lot of conflict for opposing offenses.”

The Packers’ offense will enter Sunday’s game averaging 5.5 yards per rush–the second-highest mark in football. They’re also leading the NFL with 204 rushing yards per game and are first in explosive running plays of 10-plus yards with 17 of them.

The beauty behind the Packers’ early season success on the ground is how they’re doing it. Having to adapt on the fly the last two games with Malik Willis at quarterback, we’ve seen a different Packers offense that features designed quarterback runs, an emphasis of getting offensive linemen in space, both gap and outside zone running schemes being featured, and a few receivers contributing as well.

“I mean it’s hard in this league to just line up, be static and beat people,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich. “Like you really gotta have an unbelievable roster to do things like that. Now, I think we have good players, but you just have to keep the defense guessing, you have to make them look one way (and) go the other just to distract them for a split second so you can find seams in defenses or whatever it is, that’s something I believe in and I like to do.”

On the other side of the ball this week will be a Vikings defense that not only throws a lot at opposing passing game with their blitz-heavy approach, but this is also a unit that has been extremely difficult to run on, in part because of the pressure. It’s a physical group that rushes in unison. Similarly to what the Packers do on offense by throwing a lot of looks at opposing defenses, the Vikings do that defensively to their opponents.

As good as the Packers offense has been at generating big running plays, the Vikings have been one of the best at limiting those opportunities on the ground, allowing the third-fewest yards per rush at just 3.6. Opponents have also averaged just 71.3 total rushing yards per game–the second-fewest–and the three rushes of 10-plus yards surrendered by Minnesota is the third-fewest.

“Running the football into pressures is its own challenge in and of itself,” said Josh Myers at his locker. “It’s a difficult thing to do. So we just have to be great at communicating. Understand our assignments. Understand what each call means and how we’re supposed to execute it. And then we have to go and do it. So, it’s tough, we’re going to have to be vigilant, going to be watching for it and communicating it.”

Finding some sort of success on the ground begins pre-snap with the communication and protection calls from the offensive line, specifically identifying where potential pressures could be coming from and then setting the correct protections based on that information. The quarterback also has the ability to make adjustments based on what he sees as well.

Of course, with the Vikings’ ability to disguise what they’re ultimately wanting to do, the set protections are likely never quite full-proof–so oftentimes the blockers will have to adjust as the play is unfolding. 

“(It’s about) Having a feel for our offense,” said Myers about adjusting mid-snap. “For the rules within in our offense because for sure, we’re going to get some looks we haven’t talked about or they haven’t shown. I think it’s trusting our rules. Trusting the offense and trusting the guys next to us that they’re going to do their job. Kind of have to work throughout.”

Schematically, in an effort to combat the Vikings front, the Packers could try to spread them out, using a heavy dose of 11 personnel to do so. The continued usage of motion and some pre-snap eye candy will have to remain high, forcing the defenders to move pre-snap, potentially opening up running lanes or the defense tipping their hand when it comes to which players are coming with the pressure.

Chances are, it is going to be tough sledding in the run game for Green Bay in this one. Regardless of whether it is Malik Willis or Jordan Love at quarterback, we probably won’t see the same run game emphasis that we’ve seen the in the previous two games from the Packers’ offense–the Vikings just won’t allow it.

“They pose a big challenge because a lot of their fronts there’s just so many guys up on the line of scrimmage and they’re very multiple with their personnels,” Stenavich said. “And they can give a lot of different looks from a lot of different personnels where it’s not a very good look, or very favorable to run the ball in a lot of situations.”

With that said, even if the Packers are only able to muster three or four yards a carry, what they’ll want to avoid is becoming one-dimensional and pass-heavy, which results in predictability, allowing a very potent pass rush and blitz-heavy defense to really tee-off. This then begins a vicious cycle that can be difficult to get out of for an offense, and that is something the Packers must avoid.

“You just really have to be patient with it and just focus on your mentality because there’s going to be some bad looks and you just got to get what you can out of them,” said Stenavich. “But they pose a problem. They got smart players, they pressure a lot, and their very talented across the board, so it’s going to be a really big challenge for us this week.”

Conversely, the ability to move the ball on the ground–or at least be committed to doing so–can result in short down-and-distance situations, which can help keep a defense off-balanced, to varying degrees, and potentially open up opportunities in the pass game, which this Packers offense will have to take advantage of because the chances to do so could be limited.

Paul Bretl | 9/25/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers have navigated the last two weeks beautifully on offense, however, this week’s game against the Brian Flores-led Minnesota Vikings defense will present a very new challenge for Green Bay.

“I think he’s the only one doing it like this,” said Matt LaFleur of Brian Flores’ defense. “I think his defenses are very aggressive and it causes you a lot of headaches. He’s one of the most challenging guys to go against in this league. So, I’ve got a lot of respect for what he’s been able to accomplish.”

Through three weeks, the Vikings currently rank second in blitz rate this season, sending at least one additional pass rusher on nearly 40 percent of their defensive snaps. This has played a key role in the Vikings’ ability to pressure the quarterback as they currently rank fourth in pressure rate and first in sacks.

However, the challenge for the Packers isn’t just in the fact that the Vikings blitz. A lot of teams blitz, including the Tennessee Titans, who the Packers played last week. The challenge is in how Flores sends pressures, doing so from a variety of spots on the field, in the number of players that he sends, along with disguising well where those pressures are coming from.

“They do a lot of stuff,” said Jordan Love at his locker. “And I think their players are all pretty in-tune, where they can have different guys playing different positions and moving around on every play. So they make coverages look the same with guys in different positions, send different pressures and make it all look the same at the end of the day. I think they’re coached up very well, and they all have a great idea of where they need to be.

“I think at the end of the day, it just comes down to being able to decipher what they’re doing and then at the snap of the ball, trying to figure out, ‘Are they bluffing? Are they coming?’ Things like that. They do so much stuff that it is hard to have an idea what they’re doing pre-snap, so a lot of that stuff you’ve just got to feel it out.”

The name of the game in football is giving the quarterback time. With time in the pocket, it allows the quarterback to go through his progressions and throwing within the timing and rhythm of the play.

On the flip side, pressure means less time for the pass-catchers to get open, it can disrupt that aforementioned timing and rhythm, which ultimately can result in mistakes or sacks that put the offense in long down-and-distance situations. The Vikings will enter Week 4 having generated the third-most takeaways this season, and their ability to get after the quarterback has undoubtedly played a factor in that success.

When facing those second and third-and-longs routinely, it’s like a vicious cycle at that point, with the offense in an obvious passing situation and the defense able to pin its ears back and be aggressive when it comes to getting after the quarterback.

“That’s definitely a concern,” said LaFleur of the Vikings’ 16 sacks. “So we’ve got to do a great job in terms of our protection calls, making sure we get a body on a body and then you’ve got to go and actually block these guys which isn’t the easiest task to do either.

“So, I think they’ve got a lot of good rushers in there. I think they rush collectively as a unit as one as good as anybody. I mean, their pick games that they’re running, it causes a lot of carnage on the offensive line at times. And they’ve also done a great job, I mean shoot, it shows up all over the tape just getting free runners at the quarterback and sacking the quarterback.”

So far, the Packers’ offensive line has done well in protecting the quarterback this season, ranking second as a collective unit in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency metric. Successfully doing that begins pre-snap with the communication, specifically identifying where potential pressures could be coming from and then setting the correct protections based on that information. The quarterback also has the ability to make adjustments based on what he sees as well.

Of course, with the Vikings’ ability to disguise these looks, the set protections are likely never quite full-proof. And in the offensive line’s effort to be prepared for any blitzing linebackers or cornerbacks, not to be forgotten about is the Vikings’ defensive front. Edge rusher Jonathan Greenard is tied for fourth among his position group in total pressures. Interior defensive lineman Jihad Ward ranks 10th and Jerry Tillery is 23rd.

“They play fast, they play physical, they’re doing a great job of getting after the quarterback, the run game is a challenge to go against,” added LaFleur. “They give you a lot of different looks and I think much like we talk about the illusion of complexity where we like to give looks that are difficult on the defense, but simple for us, I feel like that’s what they do. They have a system in place that makes it easy for their players, or easier for their players to go out there and execute. But it makes it extremely difficult on the offenses they are going against.”

To combat the blitz, the Packers can use help from the tight end position and keep a running back in the backfield to pick up any defenders who make their way through the line of scrimmage. And speaking of the running backs, finding success on the ground will be pivotal to keep the offense ahead of the sticks and out of the aforementioned vicious cycle that teams can fall into when facing a pressure-heavy opponent.

That, however, is a task easier said than done against a unit that can quickly close-up running lanes with their aggressive approach at the line of scrimmage. While the Packers have been quite effective with the run game, the Vikings have been quite good at stopping it, ranking third in yards per rush allowed at just 3.6.

“There’s not many teams that look like this, that are doing it, just some of these personnel groupings, the amount of pressure,” said LaFleur. “I think it’s the only system out there. He’s not afraid to zero you, so you better have a plan for that. He just causes you a lot of headaches, a lot of your run game it can be problematic in the run game, you’re not always going to run it into some great looks.

“There’s going to be some dirty looks and you’ve got to do your best to gain as many yards as you can. So, like I said, I’ve got a lot of respect for how he’s able to create a whole lot of conflict for opposing offenses.”

In addition to all of that, this is also a week where we could see an emphasis on the quick passing game, and the Packers’ usage of pre-snap motion will have to remain high, forcing the defenders to move pre-snap or tip their hand when it comes to which players are coming with the pressure. But ultimately, whoever is under center for the Packers will have to be decisive–as Matt LaFleur has said in the past, “indecisive equals ineffective.”

Flores was the Vikings’ defensive coordinator last season, so it’s not as if what the Packers are up against is completely new–although there will be adjustments made by Minnesota, just as every team and unit does from one season to the next, and there have been some new additions this offseason on that side of the ball of well.

“You can tell it’s a bunch of guys that are in Year 2 of the system but I do think, when you look at the corners, I mean outside of Murphy they’ve got two new guys and, but, they all have learned it well,” said LaFleur. “I mean they’re veteran players, so I feel like they’ve picked it up quickly. Obviously Cashman and Greenard have been huge pick ups for them. I think both of those guys are outstanding football players. Got a chance to study them in free agency and they are really good players.”

The added challenge for the Packers potentially lies in having to prepare both Jordan Love and Malik Willis this week, with there still being some uncertainty around Love’s status. While Willis has shown he can handle a lot, still not even one month into being with the team, how the Packers ask him versus Love to handle this blitz-heavy defense will be different. On the flip side, there is some unknown for the Vikings as well, who will attack each of these quarterbacks differently.

Paul Bretl | 9/24/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — One of the more impressive–and important–feats that Malik Willis has accomplished while starting at quarterback for the Packers has been his ability to take care of the football in these two games.

“He’s done a really nice job in that regard,” said Matt LaFleur about Willis’ command of the offense. “I think it’s a credit to the other 10 guys in the huddle, as well, just knowing the offense because sometimes things can get crazy on gameday.”

On 33 pass attempts against Indianapolis and Tennessee, Willis has been extremely efficient, completing 73 percent of those passes at 9.7 yards per attempt, with of course, no interceptions.

But beyond not throwing any picks, by PFF’s metrics, Willis hasn’t even had a throw that’s been deemed turnover-worthy. For some perspective, of the 35 quarterbacks through three games who have had at least 29 dropbacks, Willis is one of three, including Justin Fields and Aaron Rodgers, without a turnover-worthy throw.

Willis’ ability to take care of the football has, in return, given Matt LaFleur the confidence to open up the passing game, knowing that the ball won’t be put in danger. A key contributor to the Packers’ offensive success against the Titans was the offense’s ability to generate several explosive pass plays, along with Willis converting some key third-and-long situations.

“I mean that’s, that is the number one job of the quarterback, take care of the football and he’s done a great job of not putting it in harm’s way,” said LaFleur after the win in Tennessee. “And quite frankly that’s allowed us, and given us confidence to open some of the things up.

“To come out and throw a pass on the first play of the game, anticipating they’d be geared up for a run, and to get that big explosion play to J-Reed I thought really set us off.”

We learned post-game from Willis that the Packers have weekly meetings where the sole focus is on taking care of the ball and stressing the need to win the turnover battle.

However, we all know that the ball is life in the NFL and taking care of it is important. It’s certainly one thing to say that, to discuss it, and to stress the importance of it, but going out on the field and executing that is a completely different story.

Given the nature of the NFL, along with the circumstances Willis found himself in, having just arrived in Green Bay several weeks ago, one could assume that the ball might end up in the hands of a defender or at least there be an opportunity for the opponent to make a play on the football–whether that be from an errant throw or a poor decision.

But, as highlighted above, that hasn’t been the case whatsoever. That’s a credit to LaFleur and the coaching staff for putting together a game-plan that Willis has been able to execute, and of course, it’s a huge credit to Willis for not putting the ball in harm’s way.

Willis’ success with protecting the ball shows a quarterback who knows the ins-and-outs of the game-plan, specifically knowing when is the right time to push the ball based on the coverage look he’s getting and when to tuck it and run. Or, to put it another way, taking what the defense is giving him. The zero turnover-worthy throws is also a nod to Willis’ ability as a passer, putting the ball where he needs to.

“More than anything, it’s a testament to Coach LaFleur and all the other coaches,” said Willis about taking care of the ball. “We have a ball meeting, and we talk about what’s a key component to winning ballgames, and more than anything, it’s the turnover differential. And I think that he does a great job of just showing us the importance of the ball and keeping it and being plus on the turnover margin. I think we just try and focus on that, and that’s throughout the team.”

If you can win the turnover battle, you have a good chance of winning the game, and the Packers’ ability to do that the last two weeks has been instrumental in winning these games. Defensively, it takes points off the board and can often result in good field position, while for the offense, it leads to additional possessions and opportunities to put up points.

Paul Bretl | 9/23/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Last week I asked the question, would this be the game where we see the Packers pass rush let it rip? Well, it certainly was, particularly in the second half.

“It’s free, freedom,” said JJ Enagbare post-game. “We knew what we’re capable of. Last two weeks, we was just following the game plan and pretty much this just showed how dominant we could be.”

All throughout training camp and the preseason, we had heard about this attack front play-style under Jeff Hafley, where in short, the job is to get off the ball as quickly as possible and into the backfield. However, through the first two games, the governor was on as the Packers prioritize keeping Jalen Hurts and Anthony Richardson in the pocket with more controlled power rushes.

As both Hafley and Matt LaFleur made clear leading up to this game, Titans’ quarterback Will Levis certainly has the ability to hurt defenses with his legs. But from the outside looking in, it also appeared that there was going to be a much more grand opportunity to get after Levis against a Titans’ offensive line unit that has struggled mightily in pass protection.

The Packers finished the game with eight sacks, the most that the team has had in a single game since 2005 when they recorded nine against the Bears that season. ESPN also credited the Green Bay defense with 12 quarterback hits as well.

“I just think we stayed with the plan,” said Preston Smith. “We knew the opportunities were going to come. We maximized on the opportunities. We left some out there and we didn’t capitalize on every opportunity, obviously with the eight. Guys played really hard. A lot of people were getting sacks. I was almost like, ‘Oh man, when my turn coming?’ Everybody was rushing hard, playing hard. Our defense played really well.”

Through the first two quarters of the game, the Packers had only one sack. However, playing with a two score lead for much of the second half, the Packers were able to turn up the pressure–literally–as the Titans became more pass heavy.

On the Titans’ opening possession of the third quarter, Devonte Wyatt recorded a first down that put Tennessee behind the sticks. A few players later, Quay Walker came up with the fourth-down sack, with Isaiah McDuffie and Jaire Alexander taking away the throw to the running back in the flat.

Two possessions later, JJ Enagbare won his pass rush rep about as quickly as one can, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Lukas Van Ness. From that point on, the Packers pass rush was like snowball rolling down a mountain, gaining momentum and size with each passing play.

“Pretty much tackle just over-set it,” said Enagbare of his strip-sack. “I was able to grab his hand and pretty much get a clear lane for the sack. Then my dog Lukas scooped it up.”

The next time Tennessee had the ball, Preston Smith came up with a third-down sack. On the possession after that, the Packers recorded back-to-back sacks on second and third down. Then, on the Titans’ final full possession of the game, Smith recorded another first down sack, putting Tennessee behind the sticks. Two plays later, Xavier McKinney came up with his third interception.

“Oh my goodness, they went crazy,” said Malik Willis of the pass rush. “That was amazing. Eight sacks, right? Oh my goodness. That was super. They won the game for us, if you want to say that. Them guys did great. Everybody deserves a game ball. I’ll pay however much money out of my pocket to everybody if they keep doing that. I’ll add to their salaries. Oh my goodness. That was amazing. It was good to see. Those guys work hard all week. You just love to see it come to fruition out on the field.”

Going beyond the impressive numbers that the Packers put together, you see a defense under Hafley that is willing to adjust its play-style based upon the game-flow. In the early going, there again was a more controlled pass rush approach with an emphasis on lane integrity because Willis does have the ability to extend plays, along with wanting to limit rushing lanes for the Titans’ running backs. Tennessee was also using the quick passing game often in the early portion of Sunday’s contest.

But as the game went on and the Packers established their two or three-score leads, the Titans’ became more pass-heavy, with longer developing routes, at which point there became a greater opportunity to truly get after the quarterback–which the Green Bay pass rush took full advantage of.

There isn’t a player on the defensive side of the ball who doesn’t benefit from a stout pass rush. Obviously, sacks create long down-and-distance situations for the offense, but pressures will also disrupt the timing and rhythm of the play, can lead to mistakes, and mean less time in coverage for the defensive backs.

“It’s amazing,” said Jaire Alexander of the pass rush. “Like, it’s just so good. It’s complementary. When I’m covering down the field and I hear a big roar or something, I’m like, ‘Well, I guess we got another sack.’ This is amazing.”

We often talk about complementary football in terms of the three phases of the game–offense, defense, and special teams–working together. But defensively on Sunday, we saw complementary football with the defensive front and the back end of the defense working together in unison. The end result was a dominant performance with eight sacks, three takeaways, and the Titans’ averaging just 4.5 yards per play.

“I think it ties in, coverage and the rush,” said Xavier McKinney after the game. “But when they rushing like that, man, those guys up front, we got a special group and I just know that every time, every play, they gonna make something happen and they gonna be able to cause chaos and that’s gonna speed up the quarterback’s process and it’s gonna make it a hell of a lot easier for us as DBs to go out there and cover because we know that pressure gonna get there, so we get more opportunities to go make plays on the ball, so it’s been special.”

Paul Bretl | 9/22/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Based on reports, Malik Willis will get the start against Tennessee at quarterback for the Packers. This puts an added emphasis on the need for a strong run game that the offense can lean on, however, accomplishing that this week will prove to be a bigger challenge–literally.

Through two games, the Titans’ defense is surrendering just 4.0 yards per rush, which is the 10th-lowest rate in football at this point. The 92.5 rushing yards per game Tennessee is giving up also ranks 10th.

In the middle of what has shown to be a salty, as Matt LaFleur put it, defensive front are Jeffery Simmons, rookie T’Vondre Sweat, who measures in at 6-4 – 362 pounds, and Sebastian Joseph-Day.

“Well they’re giants,” said LaFleur about the Titans defensive front. “And they do a good job. They’re both athletic, but I think it’s just the totality of the defense. I think you look across-the-board the majority of their players are veteran players that have played a lot of ball and they have a good scheme. So it’s going to be a great challenge for us.”

Individually, Joseph-Day ranks sixth and Simmons 15th in PFF’s run-stop rate metric out of 118 eligible defensive tackles. With Sweat, his impact isn’t always going to be felt on the stat sheet, but his ability to take on double-teams and eat up space frees up other defenders to make plays.

“They’re big inside,” said offensive line coach Luke Butkus. “They’re strong, they’re physical. We’ve got to match that physicality, and we’ve got to win up front. We’ve got to own the line of scrimmage in the run game and protect our quarterback. That’s football.”

Along with the Titans being a much more stout opponent this week against the run, the big question for the Packers is can they replicate last week’s success with Willis at quarterback, and how do they go about doing so?

The element of unpredictability that the Packers had a week ago is decreased this week with the Titans having at least a week’s worth of game tape to study. There also isn’t another team out there that knows what Willis can and can’t do more than Tennessee.

In addition to that, even with a game under his belt, Willis is still quite inexperienced when it comes to operating this offense–it’s only been just over three weeks, after all–and because of that, there’s only so many options LaFleur and Co. have when it comes to play designs.

With that said, there will certainly be elements from last week’s game-plan that can be useful this week as well, specifically getting the receivers involved in the run game. This will give Green Bay rushing opportunities on the perimeter and away from the interior defensive line, not to mention the pre-snap eye-candy will help get the defense flowing one direction before actually running the ball the other.

This could be a game where we see a real concerted effort by the Packers to get out-wide in the run game in an effort to avoid Simmons, Sweat, and Joseph-Day. Even with the overall success that Titans defense has had, they’ve surrendered explosive runs to D’Andre Swift and Breece Hall out by the offensive tackles.

“Simmons is really good,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich. “I think it’s harder in the pass game to double. When you have a guy like Simmons or Aaron Donald, when they play an interior position, a three-technique, you can slide at him but there’s certain instances where they give you five across, they force you to go one-on-one pass protection, stuff like that, and that’s where those elite players, they make their money.

“He is definitely an elite player. He plays with a great motor. He’s got excellent talent, all the physical tools. Yeah, he’s going to be a problem that we have to understand where he’s at.”

Success on the ground will be a must for the Packers. That will allow the Packers to control the game flow, and set up short down-and-distance situations where the playbook opens for LaFleur and passing opportunities for the offense.

On the flip side, struggles in the run game will put Willis and the offense in predictable passing situations against a physical secondary and a defensive coordinator in Dennard Wilson, who is very willing to blitz.

“I think they got a lot of veteran players and they’re a well-built defense,” said LaFleur. “I think schematically it’s a challenge. Dennard Wilson coming from Baltimore and just he’s an experienced guy in this league. And then when you couple that with really good players, you have a chance to be a really good defense. And they do all the little things the right way, in terms of the effort and physicality that they play with. So we’ve got our work cut out for us this week.”