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Feeling ‘great,’ Josh Jacobs ready for whatever Packers need vs Lions

Paul Bretl | 12/5/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Thursday night’s game against Detroit will be the Packers’ third in just 12 days. During those first two contests, Josh Jacobs has handled a heavy workload, but he’s ready for more.

“I feel great,” said Jacobs at his locker on Tuesday. “I feel good.”

Up against San Francisco, Jacobs would carry the ball 26 times in that game totaling 106 yards and included three one-yard touchdown runs. Then just a few days later versus Miami, Jacobs would carry the ball 21 more times, and while he would finish with only 43 rushing yards, Jacobs would still eclipse the 100 total yard mark with a 49 yard catch and run.

This heavy workload isn’t new to Jacobs. He’s done it his entire career before joining the Packers and has done it for most of this season as well. Entering Week 14, Jacobs ranks fourth among all running backs in rush attempts this season with 221.

In order to make sure he is as fresh as possible come gamedays, constant communication between Jacobs an the coaching staff throughout the week is crucial, as is being mindful of his practice reps.

“He does a great job communicating with us where he’s at,” said LaFleur. “So I trust him in terms of, if he needs more that he’ll let us know and if, he needs less, he’ll also let us know. But we are mindful of just how many reps he’s getting throughout the course of the week.

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“He’s a guy that I really don’t worry about in terms of assignment. And every rep he gets, it’s meaningful, whether it’s in a walk through, he is taking the correct footwork, he’s pressing the right gaps, he’s reading it the right way, making sure all the little details are on point.”

The Packers would have no issue is Jacobs took some days off from practice to give his body some additional rest before Sundays–or in this case Thursdays–but that is where Jacobs and the team feels differently.

“They be getting on me because they be wanting me to take less reps, but I think it’s important for the guys to see me work,” Jacobs said. “I think it’s important to get the reps. So, I practice.”

As the offense has begun to find its groove, Jacobs and the run game have been the catalyst behind that, particularly in the red zone and on third downs–those must have it situations–where Green Bay had struggled for the first half of the season.

In the last two games, the Packers have converted 48 percent of their third down attempts, which for some context, over the course of the season would be the third-highest mark in football. Then in the red zone, meanwhile, the Packers went from ranking 27th in that category following the game against Chicago, to converting eight of their last 10 trips into touchdowns. Again, for more context, that success rate over the entire season would lead the league.

The impact of the run game on these recent third down and red zone figures is that moving the ball on the ground often keeps the offense ahead of the sticks and out of predictable passing situations. In short down-and-distance situations, the entire playbook is open for the offense, which can create opportunities for the passing game, and the defense is on its heels, having to defend the entire field while being prepared for both the run and the pass.

Playing from these advantageous situations, the Packers’ already dynamic passing game that, despite the inconsistent play, has been one of the best at generating explosive plays this season, now has efficiency a part of the equation as well.

“That opens up just a lot of things that we can get to,” said Tucker Kraft of Jacobs and the run game. “We can get to play pass, and we got shots off the runs that we have. So just opens the playbook up even more. And we don’t even have to get to those plays. We just still rely on our backs.”

Awaiting the Packers this week are the Lions, in what is a must-win game for Green Bay if they want to keep their hopes of winning the NFC North alive. Given what’s at stake for the Packers, the time of the year with the season beginning to wind down, and that it’s a primetime game, the magnitude of Thursday’s matchup doesn’t get much bigger than this in the regular season, and its an opportunity that Jacobs relishes to be a part of.

“I love these type of games,” said Jacobs. “I feel like it brings out the best in me. I feel like I’m the utmost competitor, so whenever I get a chance to prove myself or prove my team right, that’s something that I always look forward to doing.”

Awaiting the Packers is a Detroit defense that ranks second in red zone defense this season, is first in third down defense, and is second in scoring. However, this is a very banged up front seven for the Lions as well.

On Wednesday’s final injury report, the Lions’ ruled out defensive linemen Levi Onwuzurike, Josh Paschal, and DJ Reader. This is in addition to already not having John Cominsky, Marcus Davenport, and Aidan Hutchinson, along with linebackers Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes, and Malcolm Rodriguez, all of whom are on injured reserve.

In the secondary, the Lions will have both starting boundary cornerbacks available in Terrion Arnold and Carlton Davis for the first time in a few weeks, in addition to having ball-hawking safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch on the back end. Matchup-wise, in terms of where the opportunity could lie for the Packers’ offense, it looks like this could be another Jacobs-heavy game for Green Bay.

“You kind of have to see what they’ve done throughout the course of the year and just kind of see what they’re about,” said Adam Stenavich of Detroit’s injuries. “They could obviously change their game plan depending on what personnel they have so kind of as the game goes on, we may have to make some adjustments for sure with all of that.”

The last time these two teams met, it was a slow and mistake-filled start for the Packers’ offense that put them in an early hole–one that was far too big to overcome against a team of Detroit’s caliber. But since then, this unit has been able to find its groove with Jacobs leading the way, and Thursday’s game may not be any different.

In an offense with LaFleur as the play-caller, Jordan Love at quarterback and a litany of pass-catching options, the passing game is never going to be forgotten about, but the run game is the foundation and blueprint for the offense’s success.

“I remember we did a lot of things that hurt ourselves and put us in a situation where I feel like we were playing catch-up for the whole second half of the game,” Jacobs said. “I think that we did a lot of things well early. We cut down on mistakes, it’s going to come down to the wire but it’ll be a better game.

Comfort in Jeff Hafley’s system leading to confident, fast, physical play from Packers’ defense

Paul Bretl | 12/4/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Following a performance out of the bye week against the Chicago Bears that, as Jeff Hafley put it, was “not to our standard,” the Packers defense has made a quick turnaround over the last two games versus San Francisco and Miami.

However, even while the game in Chicago didn’t unfold exactly how the defense wanted it to, with them struggling to stop the run and get off the field on third downs, Hafley did come out of that game with a positive–the defenders were in good positions to make plays, “Maybe as good as we’ve been all year within our scheme,” Hafley said.

Of course, at the end of the day, the plays have to be made, but that underlying takeaway was a sign of things to come for the defense in the coming games and, perhaps most importantly, showcased the growth and comfort that the defensive players were gaining in this new scheme.

“I think there’s a lot of guys starting to hit that stride,” said Jeff Hafley on Monday. “I think guys are gaining confidence in themselves, they’re gaining confidence in the scheme because they know what they’re doing and they’re getting more confidence in what they’re doing and when you have more reps over time that usually happens.”

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Although we all want results in whatever it is that we do as quickly as possible, switching over to a new defensive scheme takes time–far more time than just OTAs and training camp. While, yes, all of the installs are made during that time of the year, as we’ve heard Matt LaFleur reference in the past, it’s one thing to know the playbook, it’s another thing to be able to go out and execute your responsibility on the field when everything is moving at lightning speed.

And even when a player may be comfortable with what they’re being asked to do, each offense every week is going to attack the defense differently, giving the defenders new looks that they have to react to in real-time within the scope of what is being asked of them. It’s also not as if the playbook implemented in August is the same playbook now either. As Hafley has said, it’s constantly evolving and changing as the season progresses, adapting to the challenges that the upcoming opponent presents and so the Green Bay defense doesn’t become predictable.

Think about it this way–you start a new job, and while what’s being asked of you on a weekly basis is within the scope of what the job description entailed, there are constant moving parts that can put new responsibilities on your plate depending on what the week looks like. Some of these changes may be dictated by your department, or perhaps, it’s another part of the organization that you have to adjust to. For most, there is going to be a learning curve that comes with all of this.

“You watch these guys,” said defensive backs coach Ryan Downard, “first year in a system, regardless of what system you’re running, obviously the common thought is it’s a simpler system so they should play faster. And once they learn the details and the rules, then they can play fast, but there’s a process to that, and it still is very detailed. So while we might not be doing quite as many techniques, the techniques that we are using are very detailed. That’s the best way to put it, I guess from being in a couple different systems and this one most recently.”

The overall play from the Packers’ defense these last few games and coming out of the bye week, which came at the halfway point in the season, is one sign that the comfort and confidence level of the collective unit within Hafley’s scheme is increasing. Even with some of the execution issues that popped up against the Bears, the defense is surrendering just 15.3 points per game over the last three weeks, which includes stifling Christian McCaffrey, De’Von Achane, and a Miami offense that had been averaging 29.0 points per contest in their previous five games.

But the individual performances during this span of games, particularly from players who have had quiet stretches this season, may be the best example of the growth that is taking place.

Linebacker Quay Walker has put together what have easily been his best two performances of the season. He’s positioned well in coverage, knifing through blockers, flowing sidelined-to-sideline, and making plays at the line of scrimmage. Lukas Van Ness, meanwhile, has been one of the most efficient and productive pass rushers in recent weeks, according to PFF’s pass-rush productivity metric, recording five pressures, three sacks, and a forced fumble in the last two games.

“If you guys were able to watch him in practice right now, he’s practicing with a whole different level of confidence,” Hafley said of Walker. “You can hear it, just by how loud he is when he’s communicating, how he’s lining up, how he’s moving around, and Van Ness is doing the same thing.

“I appreciate the patience but it’s a matter of time before these guys in year one with new techniques and a new system and new calls and getting more comfortable, and the whole goal is to play better and better each week where the last game of the year we’re playing as good football as we have.”

Keisean Nixon has continued to settle in on the boundary as he gains more reps in that role. He wasn’t targeted at all against San Francisco and was sticky in coverage versus Miami, holding the Dolphins’ receivers to just 7.3 yards per catch, along with recording a pass breakup.

It’s also not as if the players are the only ones doing the learning. The coaching staff is doing the same from the perspective of learning each player’s skill set, specifically, what they do best and how to leverage those abilities within the scheme and weekly gameplan.

“Being a coach, you’ve got to find out what those guys are good at,” said defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich. “You give them a whole bunch of different things to work on and then you kind of hone in on what you believe and what the kid or the player believes that we can get better at.”

All offseason, we frequently heard the terms “fast and physical,” which is the play-style and mentality that Hafley wants his defense to exude. In part, that’s a mentality, but achieving that type of play also stems from confidence and the preparation that goes into each week.

Overthinking can be debilitating not only in football but also in sports in general. As running backs coach Ben Sirmans says, if you think, you stink. When overthinking, oftentimes, a player will slow down rather than reading and simply reacting to what’s unfolding. That overthinking can occur when something is new and trying to process what is happening in real time while still playing within the scope of what your role calls for.

However, on the flip side, when there is confidence and a truly deep understanding of what you’re being asked to do, there is less thinking and just more reacting to what the offense is doing. This ultimately unlocks that fast and physical play-style.

For whatever reason, Hafley’s defense was dubbed a simple system. But that’s not the case at all. Perhaps there is less on the plates of the defenders compared to other schemes, but there is incredible nuance and detail to what they are being asked to do, and like with anything, mastering it takes time.

“The guys have stacked up all those reps throughout OTAs, throughout training camp, you find out what you’re good at, you find out what the guys are comfortable with, you find out the skill sets of all the different DBs that are playing together, and then you go,” Downard said. “And just I think the more and more reps you have, the better you get at something. I think that’s what we’re starting to see, and it’s tying it all in.

“It goes back to just doing your job. All 11, just do your job. We’ve seen that and we’ve just got to keep it going the same way, and keep emphasizing the ball and the play style, and the brand, because I really think that’s showing up as of late, and it needs to show up, especially as we go into these later months in the season. That’s the difference in these games.”

Time and reps were always going to be vital components for this defense to be firing on all cylinders. The good news is that you don’t need to be playing your best ball in September or even October or November. The key is to continue building and being on a constant upward trajectory so that when those final weeks and the playoffs roll around, you’re playing your best football. And right now, the Packers’ defense, while certainly not there yet, is on that path.

“The whole goal is to play better and better each week where the last game of the year we’re playing as good football as we have,” said Hafley.

Jordan Love’s improved ball security put to test vs Lions’ ball-hawking safeties

Paul Bretl 12/3/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Since the bye week, Packers’ quarterback Jordan Love has reduced the number of interceptions and off-target throws. However, that newfound ball security will be put to the test on Thursday against the Detroit Lions’ ball-hawking safety group.

“They do a pretty good job tracking the ball down, pretty good ball skills,” said Jayden Reed of Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch. “They can make plays. They try to be physical.”

Heading into Week 14, the Lion’s defense has generated 14 interceptions, which is the third-most in football. Responsible for the bulk of those takeaways is Detroit’s safety duo of Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch.

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Of those 14 total interceptions, Joseph is responsible for seven of them–tied for the most in the NFL with Green Bay’s Xavier McKinney. Branch, meanwhile, has four and that is tied for the sixth-most this season.

I’m sure as we all remember, Joseph would have the pick-six off of Love just before halftime in the first meeting between these two teams that ended up putting the game out of reach fairly early on.

“Kerby’s a ballhawk,” said Jordan Love. “He’s playing the post for the most part and he does a good job and he has really good range, can cover the field, does a good job playing the quarterback and he’s just one of those guys who makes plays when the ball’s in the air.

“He’s another guy that you don’t see him dropping a lot of plays, similar to Xavier McKinney. So he’s a ballhawk, he’s going to make the plays when the ball’s in the air so he’s definitely a guy you’ve got to know where he’s at.”

Nine games into the Packers’ season and prior to their bye week, Love was responsible for throwing nine interceptions, which at that time, was tied for the league-high. Even on balls that weren’t picked off, he was relatively often putting the football in harms way with the 12th-highest turnover-worthy play rate at that point in the season as well.

But coming out of the bye, Love has thrown just one interception and none over the last two games. As always, there are many reasons behind any successes or failures in the NFL, but two important factors in this ball security turnaround is Love’s improved health, which is playing a part in the improved accuracy we’re seeing, along with better decision-making from Love, specifically knowing when to push the ball downfield and when to take what the defense is giving him.

“I think he’s playing his best ball right now. I really do,” said Matt LaFleur of Love. “I think he’s done a great job of taking what’s there, taking the checkdowns when they’re there, or taking the shots when they’re there. He’s moving around in the pocket really well.”

While the combination of Branch and Joseph will put Love’s improved decision-making and accuracy to the test, their presence on the back end doesn’t mean Green Bay can’t throw the ball either–as Love said, he just needs to know where those two are located at all times.

Over the last month, starting boundary cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Carlton Davis have missed games at various points due to injuries. Arnold returned to the lineup last Sunday against Chicago and Davis’ status for this week’s game is still up in the air. Since Week 9, the Lions have given up the 10th-most explosive pass plays in football, some of which can be attributed to their aggressive, man-heavy approach, which on the flip side, can lead to some big plays for the defense as well.

“They compete,” LaFleur said the Detroit pass defense. “They challenge, they play a ton of man coverage, and they’ve got good players, so I think they do a great job. They get a ton of man beaters. They do a great job with it, but I just think they make it hard on you. They contest everything, and if you make an errant throw, they’ll make you pay, because all those guys in the back end have great ball skills.”

Adding to the workload that is on the secondary’s plate right now are all of the injuries that the Detroit defense is navigating, particularly in the front seven, zapping some of the team’s pass rush juice, at least over the course of four quarters. And, as we all know, more time in the pocket for the quarterback means more coverage time in the secondary.

Along the defensive front Aidan Hutchinson, John Cominsky, Marcus Davenport, and Mekhi Wingo are all out for the regular season. Also on injured reserve are linebackers Alex Anzalone and Malcolm Rodriguez, cornerback Ennis Rakestraw, while Josh Paschal, and Levi Onwuzurike–along with Davis–are all considered day-to-day.

However, there may not be another team in football who have embraced the ‘next man up’ mentality as well as the Lions have.

“You take all that into consideration,” said Love of Detroit’s injuries, “look at our game, you go back and watch their game against the Bears last week. They’ve got a couple new faces out there, a couple guys have been banged up so some of the things they’ve done have changed a little bit, but you take all that.

“Every week there’s so many different things defenses do and they adjust week to week, you’ve got to kind of just look at everything and see what their game plan might be for this week and then obviously when we get out there Thursday we’ll make some in game adjustments to what they’re going.”

As the Packers’ offense has done in recent games, leaning on the run game is going to be the blueprint for success for this unit, particularly with the injuries that the Lions are dealing with along the defensive front and at linebacker. When moving the ball on the ground, it keeps the offense ahead of the sticks, thus opening up the playbook, specifically opportunities in the passing game that can be exploited.

That spark that Josh Jacobs and the run game have provided to the overall offense has resulted in a much better situational football from Green Bay, who has been quite efficient in the red zone and on third downs in recent weeks.

The first time these two teams met, the Packers were just 3-for-12 on third downs and 1-for-4 in the red zone after trailing early and becoming pass-heavy.

“I think offensively, when you look at it, that’s another game where we struggled in the red zone,” said Love of where the Packers’ offense has improved. “I feel like we were moving the ball pretty well and struggled—struggled to put up those points. And obviously it’s a good offense over there on the other side so we struggled to keep matching those points.

“So I think that’s an area that we’ve improved on. I think obviously the pick-6 was a key changing point in that game, so keeping, having great ball security is an area we’ve improved on as well , so that will be a big factor going into this game.”

Getting off to a fast start is obviously on the to-do list every week, but for the Packers offense against Detroit, it feels like a must with the high-powered Lions’ offense on the opposing sideline. Falling behind against this team plays right into Detroit’s hands, where they can lean heavily into what they do well offensively, which is run the ball and set up play-action opportunities off of that.

Packers pass rush picking up steam and must maintain momentum vs high-powered Lions’ offense

Paul Bretl | 12/2/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Coming out of the bye week, the Packers needed more steady pressure from their four-man rushes, and in recent games, they seem to be finding that consistency.

“I feel like it’s improving,” said Matt LaFleur of the pass rush. “And it’s got to continue to improve because it’s going to get more challenging, the later we get into this thing.”

In total sacks and ESPN’s pass rush win rate, the Packers ranked in the bottom third of the NFL in both categories coming out of their bye week. The only somewhat regular pressure they could drum up was when defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley dialed up a designed pressure.

But as of late, the pendulum has begun to swing in the other direction. The Green Bay defense would have San Francisco quarterback Brandon Allen under pressure on 38 percent of his dropbacks, which for some context, over the course of the season would be the seventh-highest rate for a quarterback in 2024.

A few days later against Miami, Green Bay had Tua Tagovailoa under pressure on 33 percent of his dropbacks. That, admittedly, isn’t an eye-popping number, but is solid and was the 13th highest quarterback pressure rate in Week 13. But of note, in Miami’s quick passing offense, Tagovailoa’s average pressure rate coming into that game was just over 21 percent, and the Packers converted five of those pressures into sacks–the second-most of any team that week.

“I think we coming along as a group,” Brenton Cox said. “Starting to get a feel for each other, know where everybody going to be at in the rush. I think that’s what the naked eye see and just got us playing with each other.”

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Pro Football Focus has their pass rush productivity metric, which in short, measures how often a pass rusher is able to create pressure relative to the number of snaps played, and is more heavily weighted towards converting those pressures into sacks.

Before the bye week, individually, the highest rated Packers’ defensive end by this metric was Rashan Gary, who ranked 81st out of 127 eligible defenders–or in the bottom half of the league. However, over the last two games, sparked by a forced fumble against the 49ers, Lukas Van Ness ranks second in pass rush productivity during that span. Gary, meanwhile, is 22nd, and Brenton Cox is 37th out of 88 defenders.

“I think we feel confident,” said Lukas Van Ness. “We’re starting to put it together and really just work as a four-man unit out there and again, we have a new week in front of us so a new set of challenges, but just continue the momentum and keep working.”

As we all know, the name of the game in football is pressuring the quarterback. Steady pressure disrupts the timing and rhythm of the play, leading to hurried throws and potential mistakes.

Helping the pass rush out during these two games has been the combination of the Green Bay offense getting off to a fast start, along with the defense eating its vegetables on early downs against the run. Both elements can make the opposing offense one dimensional, putting them in obvious passing situations, which allows the front to pin its ears back and just get after the quarterback.

Now, of course, in the grand scheme of an NFL season, two games is a small sample size. The challenge moving forward for this unit is to build upon these performances, and make their level of play over the last two games be closer to the norm rather than the outlier. But doing so this week won’t come easy against the Detroit Lions offense and their offensive line.

Pressure or no pressure, Jared Goff has picked defenses apart this season. However, the former is a much better alternative than the latter.

When kept clean this season, Goff is completing almost 80 percent of his throws at a hefty 9.2 yards per attempt with 19 touchdowns to six interceptions. When under duress, he’s completing just 55.3 percent of his passes at 7.6 yards per attempt with three touchdowns to three interceptions.

But, as alluded to, this is a task that’s much easier said than done. In addition to Goff playing at an extremely high level this season, having a strong run game to lean on that keeps the offense ahead of the sticks can take the bit away from an opposing pass rush. As does the Lions’ usage of screens, motion, and misdirections, all of which is coupled with a very good offensive line unit.

“Just reading your keys,” said Arron Mosby about defending the Lions’ offense. “They run a lot things–eye candy plays. That’s how they make their big plays and want to get you to look at this and the ball’s going that way, and things like that. Really just be disciplined. Just play to your rules, try to read your rules.

“Sometimes, like I said, the eye candy might get you, but your effort might overplay it. So really just be disciplined and effort, that could play a huge factor in this game.”

As I’ve pointed out often this season, a steady pass rush presence is a must if this Packers’ defense is going to reach its ceiling in 2024. It’s not a coincidence that the defense is finding its groove at the same time that the pass rush unit is picking up some steam.

“I think there’s a lot of guys starting to hit that stride,” said Jeff Hafley. “I think guys are gaining confidence in themselves, they’re gaining confidence in the scheme because they know what they’re doing and they’re getting more confidence in what they’re doing and when you have more reps over time that usually happens.”

Packers surging run defense meets Lions’ big-play running back duo

Paul Bretl | 12/2/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers defense has been finding its groove over the last two games, with their success against the run being a catalyst behind their play. This week, however, that run defense unit will be put to the test against Detroit’s David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.

“They’ve got good running backs,” said Xavier McKinney. “They do a good job of putting the men in certain situations, too. Even the first time we played them, I think they played Montgomery the whole first half and then the second half they came with Gibbs. They got a good one-two punch. They’ve got a really good running game.”

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As a collective offensive unit, the 4.8 yards per carry by Detroit this season ranks eighth in football. Individually, the Lions have two very different backs, with Gibbs bringing the speed and homerun ability, while Montgomery is a more physical ball carrier–hence the nicknames Sonic and Knuckles.

Gibbs is just 27 yards shy of hitting the 1,000-yard mark this season and is averaging 6.0 yards per rush, the second-best mark this season. Montgomery has 720 rushing yards of his own and is averaging 4.3 yards per carry. Combined, the duo has 21 rushing touchdowns.

Tackling and rallying to the football is a must against these two backs with their ability to make defenders miss. While each back goes about it differently, with a more speedy and elusive approach from Gibbs compared to more power from Montgomery, both rank top 10 in missed tackles forced among running backs. This has resulted in a number of chunk runs, with Gibbs tied for first in rushes of 10-plus yards and Montgomery ranking 16th out of 61 eligible backs.

The last time the Packers and Lions met, about a month ago now, Montgomery and Gibbs would carry the ball 28 times between the two of them and rush for 138 yards at 4.9 yards per attempt.

“I think, personally, both those guys are very complete backs,” Matt LaFleur said on Sunday. “I think they’re a little bit different in terms of their style, where Gibbs has got that home run ability and Montgomery’s going to beat you up. I do think they complement each other nicely.

“I think they’re both kind of like what I used to talk about all the time with a 1A, 1B, and I think they’re both starting caliber backs in this league that are really explosive and dangerous both running the football and out of the backfield.”

Success for the Detroit offense as a whole begins here with the run game. As we saw in that first matchup, the Lions’ offense is a well-oiled machine. Oftentimes, either Gibbs or Montgomery picks up a handful of yards on first down. Now in a 2nd-and-short situation, the entire playbook is open to Detroit. They can run the ball again or pass, which spreads the defense out and can keep them on their heels with some unpredictability from the offense at play.

If Detroit chooses to run the ball, there’s a good chance they’ll put themselves in 3rd-and-short or perhaps pick up the first down. If they throw the ball, it will probably be off of play-action, where they use their run game to their advantage, and probably contains a crossing route or two, taking advantage of that aforementioned space in the defense, a screen, or the downfield shot play.

Obviously, this is a very oversimplified way to describe things, but you get the idea–it goes to show just how efficient and effective this offense is. Then, from there, just rinse and repeat the described process.

The Packers’ defense will enter Week 14 ranked seventh in yards per carry allowed at 4.2. They are coming off of two games against two dynamic backs in Christian McCaffrey and De’Von Achane, where they were able to bottle them up, holding the two to 45 total yards on 18 carries.

Limiting backs like McCaffrey and Achane, who can make any defense look silly, requires a group effort. It starts with a strong push from the interior and the defensive ends setting strong edges. Improved linebacker play for the Packers has been a critical factor as well with that unit filling gaps, fighting through blocks, and getting sideline-to-sideline to contain outside runs. For the defensive backs, it’s about rallying to the ball carrier.

“It’s just complementary football from all three levels,” said JJ Enagbare of the run defense after the Miami game. “The D-tackles, D-line, linebackers able to flow to over top and then the DBs able to make the open-field tackles when it comes to them, so it was pretty much just all 11 playing together and playing with each other.”

Not to be overlooked when discussing the Packers’ run defense as of late, has been the fast starts from the Green Bay offense. Complementary football, with the offense jumping out to quick leads, is a great way to mitigate the opponent’s run game, forcing the offense out of their gameplan as they can typically become more pass-heavy in an effort to try to catch up on the scoreboard, thus–in these last two games, for example–limiting the number of opportunities that McCaffrey and Achane had to touch the ball.

“It’s good. It works out in our favor every time,” said McKinney when asked about playing complementary football after the 49ers game. “When we do that, we’re a really good football team and I think it shows because when we execute on all levels and everybody’s kinda doing their job and our playmakers are making plays, we’re a hard team to beat, so just gotta continue to keep trying to do that.”

However, accomplishing that feat against the Lions, who have the highest-scoring offense in football and the third-best scoring defense, isn’t something that the Packers should probably be banking on.

A strong run defense has a positive trickle-down effect to the rest of the defensive unit. It puts the offense behind the sticks and in ‘get back on track’ situations, where the defense now has the upper hand. On these obvious passing downs, the pass rush can pin its ears back, and coverage-wise, there are only so many routes that can be run in those long down-and-distance scenarios, giving the secondary the advantage.

Finding a way to contain this high-powered Detroit offense likely starts on the ground for Green Bay, and not letting the dynamic duo of Gibbs and Montgomery control the game.

“We just want to be physical,” said Brenton Cox of the run game. “Knock things back, be violent, get off blocks to make plays.”

Checkdowns show growth, add consistency to Packers’ offense

Paul Bretl | 12/1/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Coming out of the bye week, the passing game for the Packers has found some stability over the last three games as the offense as a whole is beginning to find its groove.

During this three-game span against Chicago, San Francisco, and Miami, Jordan Love has completed 69.1 percent of his 68 pass attempts at a hefty 10.2 yards per attempt with five touchdowns to no interceptions. For some context around those figures, that completion rate over the course of the season would be the fourth-best mark in football and the 10.2 yards per attempt would lead the league.

Even through the ups and downs that the offense experienced in the first half of the season, this has been one of the best units at generating big plays. However, after struggling to find consistency, the Packers have paired efficiency with that explosive play ability–a lethal combo for opposing defenses.

The run game and the Packers making fewer self-inflicted mistakes are two important factors behind this success, but so is the checkdown in the passing game.

“I think he’s been doing that the last few weeks,” Matt LaFleur said of Jordan Love taking checkdowns. “I think he’s done a really nice job. Some of it’s a byproduct of some of the teams we’ve been playing. When you’re playing some teams that are going to play more zone-y, soft zone-y defense and you have to make drastic movements or if the timing’s not just quite right, you’ve got to check it down.”

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Questionable decision-making from Love was a part of the ups and downs that the offense experienced prior to the bye week. We aren’t that far removed from him being one of the interception leaders this season, along with there being several other throws being put in harm’s way.

By Love’s own admission, he wants to push the ball downfield to generate the big play. He trusts his arm, and he trusts his receivers to make the play. But, like anything, there is a time and a place for it. What does the situation dictate? How is the defense defending the play? Is there a favorable matchup to exploit?

Although the checkdown often looks like a rather simple play and decision, when used appropriately, it shows a quarterback who is in control of the offense. In order to get to the dump-off, the quarterback has to go through his progressions, identifying the coverages and the individual matchups, knowing the situation at hand, while in real time weighing the risk-reward of each decision.

In fact, quarterbacks coach Tom Clements has said that a pivotal part of Love’s turnaround in 2023 was knowing when to take the checkdown and when to push the ball downfield. The process of getting to the checkdown is what can be the encouraging part, obviously not the throw itself, and in the last three games, we have again seen Love strike that balance between the two.

With players like Josh Jacobs and Tucker Kraft often on the receiving end of those checkdowns, the ability for the offense to pick up some chunk yardage certainly still exists.

As a ball carrier, Jacobs has been one of the best backs in football at making defenders miss, ranking among the best in missed tackles forced and yards after contact. That ability is then magnified in the passing game, where he begins with the ball in space.

Kraft, meanwhile, is a force in the open field, determined not to be brought down by any initial contact and relishes the fact that multiple defenders might be required to get him to the ground. On the season, Kraft ranks second among all tight ends in total YAC and is first in average YAC per reception at a whopping 9.8 yards.

“My play style, I think the YAC brings the juice,” said Kraft after the Miami game. “When someone sees me run someone over or break a tackle and keep going, everyone’s on the sideline jumping up and down. That brings energy and it moves the sticks, too. Positively, I would say my greatest attribute as a tight end is my ability to move with the ball after the catch. And I like to do it.”

We know this Packers’ offense with Love under center and the talent that they have at receiver can hit the explosive downfield play, but sometimes, in order to have those throws available, you have to eat your vegetables beforehand. In this case, the vegetables are the run game, checkdowns, and short area underneath routes if the deep ball isn’t there.

However, as we saw against Miami–who has a very stingy pass defense–the patience and willingness to take those checkdowns or short underneath incompletions, when effective, can eventually present the opportunity to take those downfield throws. Green Bay’s ability to consistently move the ball successfully on touches near the line of scrimmage resulted in the Dolphins’ defenders creeping up, allowing Love to connect with Christian Watson down the right sideline after a barrage of rush attempts and short completions.

The checkdown is never going to draw much attention–and understandably so. But the process of getting to that throw is quite telling and, in the right circumstances, can showcase a quarterback that is operating the offense at a high level, even if, at the end of the day, it looks like an easy completion. Then the cherry on top for the Packers is there is still some big play ability that comes with those passes when Jacobs and Kraft get the ball in their hands.

“It just comes down to reading out the play,” said Love of taking more checkdowns. “Whether I feel like I can make a throw or might be pushing the envelope too much, you know, a guy might be in that area. So it just comes down to playing fast, reading it out and, you know, taking what the defense gives us, you know.

“There’s obviously sometimes you want to push the ball down the field and throw some tight window throws, and sometimes you just make that decision, that quick decision, like, No, I think this is covered, so moving on. But I think really just finding those completions, getting the ball moving, and that’s really the key to success for our offense.”

Packers defense stifles high-powered Dolphins and 49ers run games

Paul Bretl | 11/30/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Following a performance against the Chicago Bears coming out of the bye week that defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said was “not to our standard,” the defense made a quick turnaround over these last two games. An important contributing factor to that success has been their ability to contain the opponent’s run game.

And not only did the Green Bay defense limit San Francisco and Miami on the ground, but they did so against two very dynamic running backs.

The 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey was held to just 31 yards on 11 carries. As a team, San Francisco totaled just 44 rushing yards at 2.8 yards per attempt. A few days later against Miami, with a backfield that features De’Von Achane, the Dolphins would muster just 39 rushing yards on 14 carries. Achane was held to just 2.0 yards per rush on seven attempts.

“I just think it all starts up front, in terms of being able to set edges,” Matt LaFleur said after the Miami game. “Anytime in the run game you can get penetration and get some knock-back, it makes it extremely difficult on offenses. We’re getting a lot of hats to the football, and that’s what I see. I see a physical brand of football where guys are running to the ball and we’re not missing a ton of tackles. Guys are doing their job.”

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Defending the run successfully, as the Packers have, has a physical component to it and begins in the trenches, as LaFleur mentions. The defensive ends are setting edges to keep the ball carrier from bouncing the ball outside, while the interior is taking on blocks to free up other defenders, and attempting to generate a quick push up the middle, which is the best way to disrupt any offensive play.

But contributing to Green Bay’s ability to stop the run these last two games has been the superb play of the linebacker position. Led by Quay Walker, this is a fast and physical group right now, filling gaps between tackles, fighting through blockers, and getting sideline-to-sideline to contain any outside runs.

“Just staying square, killing blocks,” said Quay Walker about the run game. “Anytime guys can kill blocks and get off, things will go well. I think whenever you try to go one-for-one, just say I did my job, I got in my gap, whatever the case may be, that’s when you can get explosive runs and stuff like that. But anytime we can kill blocks, shed, get off, we have a pretty high percentage chance of stopping a run.”

Holding players like McCaffrey and Achane to 45 combined yards on 18 carries is very much a total team effort, and all 11 defenders rallying to the football. These are two backs that can make defenders miss and look silly, even if, as a defensive player, you are positioned well and do what you’re supposed to do. Unison from the front end to the back end is a must.

“It’s just complementary football from all three levels,” said JJ Enagbare of the run defense. “The D-tackles, D-line, linebackers able to flow to over top and then the DBs able to make the open-field tackles when it comes to them, so it was pretty much just all 11 playing together and playing with each other.”

In what is the ultimate team game, where the phrase ‘complementary football’ is vital and thrown around often, the Packers’ offense has played a hand in the run game’s success as well. While it is the defenders who are obviously the ones making the plays, the offense has helped put that unit in some advantageous situations when it comes to the run game.

With the Packers jumping out to early leads in each of these two games, it takes away the opponent’s ability to lean heavily on the run game. It forces them out of their offensive gameplan as they can become more pass-heavy in an effort to try to catch up on the scoreboard, thus limiting the number of opportunities that McCaffrey and Achane get to touch the ball.

“It’s good. It works out in our favor every time,” said Xavier McKinney when asked about playing complementary football after the 49ers game. “When we do that, we’re a really good football team and I think it shows because when we execute on all levels and everybody’s kinda doing their job and our playmakers are making plays, we’re a hard team to beat, so just gotta continue to keep trying to do that.”

While these past two games have been arguably the best that the Packers have played against the run all year, they have steadily been solid in this regard for much of the season. Before the majority of teams play on Sunday in Week 13, the Packers currently rank eighth in yards per rush allowed at 4.2.

“I think we’re starting to accumulate reps together, and everything’s just starting to click I think defensively as a whole,” said Eric Wilson. “Everybody’s playing together, figuring out exactly what we need to do each week in order to do what we’ve got to do. Just playing together, I’d say is the biggest thing.”

Sparked by run game, Packers offense finding consistency with Lions looming

Paul Bretl | 11/29/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers’ offense has begun to hit its stride and find more consistency, especially situationally, as they now prepare for a pivotal divisional matchup with Detroit.

“We just work every day, strive to get better, challenge ourself in practice and then let it translate to game day,” said Elgton Jenkins of the offense’s play.

The last time these two teams met, a little less than a month ago now, the Packers were held to just 14 points. Sure, they put up yards, but the 24-3 deficit they faced is a more accurate portrayal of how this game went for them.

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During this game and for much of the first half of the season, the Packers were plagued by inconsistent play, often rooted in self-inflicted errors. These penalties, dropped passes, off-target throws, or whatever it might have been, put the Packers offense behind the sticks and in disadvantageous situations far too frequently.

The negative trickle-down effect is the offense facing long down-and-distance situations, which puts them in obvious passing downs. From a coverage standpoint, the secondary has the advantage. In short, there are only so many routes that can be ran on 3rd-and-10, and the pass rush is then able to pin its ears back. Play-calling-wise, it becomes a real challenge to get into a flow, and the gameplan can become pass-heavy very quickly.

Even for the best offenses, having to overcome those situations often is a massive undertaking that has resulted in the up-and-down play we see on Sundays, and was a leading factor in the poor red zone and third down performances from the Green Bay offense.

But now here we sit several weeks later, and this is a different and more steady Packers’ offense.

“I feel like we just found our rhythm,” said Josh Myers at his locker. “We’ve settled in. That whole time you kept hearing complementary football being thrown around everywhere, I feel like we’re doing that now. I feel like even when we were losing some of those games, we weren’t necessarily playing bad. We were just doing stupid stuff at the wrong time.”

In those key, must-have-it situations on third down and inside the opponent’s 20 yard line, we’ve seen Green Bay go from floundering to highly productive. In the last two games, the Packers have converted 48 percent of their third down attempts, which for some context, over the course of the season would be the third-highest mark in football.

In the red zone, meanwhile, the Packers went from ranking 27th in that category following the game against Chicago, to converting eight of their last 10 trips into touchdowns. Again, for more context, that success rate over the entire season would lead the league.

So, what has led to a drastic turnaround in such a short period of time? Well, as always in the game of football, there is never one answer, but many that factor into the equation. However, a catalyst has been Josh Jacobs and the running game.

“I am a huge believer in this and a ton of people are too,” added Myers, “but the offense, we definitely feel like even down there the more you can provide a run threat the more it opens everything else up, even down there.”

Led by Josh Jacobs, who has carried the ball 45 times in the last two games, the Packers have totaled 283 rushing yards as a team on 67 carries. For as potent as this passing game can be, it is the run game that is leading the charge for the Green Bay offense.

That success in the run game has been pivotal in the Packers’ ability to move the chains on third downs and to find the end zone when in the red zone. Or another way to put it, the Packers are sustaining drives and putting up points.

“I think that’s just our offense,” said Jordan Love of the run game. “Starts the front with the O-line creating those lanes for the running backs to get through there. The backs are doing a great job just making guys miss. And then I think just the scheme we have, you know, the plays we’re dialing up that Steno and Matt are dialing up, are, you know, top tier.

“So, I think it goes all around. But, you know, you get the tight ends in there blocking, receivers blocking, but everybody’s just doing their part. And, you know, letting this thing go.”

Playing from these advantageous situations, an already dynamic passing game that, despite the inconsistent play, has been one of the best at generating explosive plays this season, now has efficiency a part of the equation as well.

Facing a stingy Miami pass defense on Thursday night, Jordan Love was 21-of-28 passing for 274 yards at a hefty 9.8 yards per attempt with two touchdowns, and includes no interceptions over the last two games.

“I think he’s playing his best ball right now. I really do,” said Matt LaFleur. “I think he’s done a great job of taking what’s there, taking the checkdowns when they’re there, or taking the shots when they’re there. He’s moving around in the pocket really well.”

As we discussed, coming out of the bye week, a much healthier Love with improved mobility and mechanics has expanded the offensive play-calling and improved his accuracy.

His decision-making has improved as well, which was an obvious point of emphasis after a turnover-heavy first half of the season. But up against fewer long down-and-distance situations has also allowed Love to take what’s available, rather than routinely playing from disadvantageous positions behind the sticks, and trying to push the ball–or at times forcing it–in order to get back on track.

That patience and willingness to take those checkdowns or short underneath incompletions, when effective, can eventually present the opportunity to take those downfield throws. Just as we saw against Miami, when Love connected with Christian Watson down the right sideline after a barrage of rush attempts and short completions.

“Opens up a lot of stuff,” said Matt LaFleur of the checkdowns. “Those are leaky yards, and nobody wants to give up those but both those guys are so physical and they’re tough to bring down and when you do bring them down, you feel them.

“So Tuck’s an animal. I think we’d all agree with that. both him and Josh. And it’s not just those two guys. I just love the mentality of our football team. I think our guys, they strain for one another, they fight, they block, and they try to inflict pain. Which as a coach you love to see.”

As we all saw in early November, the Lions are a well-oiled machine and continue to stack wins now at 11-1 on the season. However, the Packers believe they’re in a better spot at this time than where they were the first time these two teams met and better equipped for the matchup ahead.

The combination of Jacobs in the run game, Love playing at a high level, and all of the pass-catching options is already plenty to stress a defense. But that then becomes even more magnified when how the Packers attack opponents is so balanced between the run-pass mix, along with short to intermediate throws versus downfield attempts. Defenses truly have to defend the entire field against Green Bay.

“Definitely,” said Love when asked if the offense was finding its groove. “I think areas we’ve needed to focus on, red zone, I think we’ve been doing a lot better in that area and just trying to stay on the field, keep those drives going, keep the defense off the field. So I think we’re getting in a really good groove.”

‘On a mission’ preparation and confidence has Packers LB Quay Walker playing his best ball

Paul Bretl | 11/29/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Two weeks ago against the Chicago Bears, both Jeff Hafley and Quay Walker acknowledged that wasn’t his best performance by any means. Missed tackles and opportunities, poor angles, and wrong assignments were all a part of the equation.

However, since then, Walker has played what Hafley called his “best game” against San Francisco and then carried that momentum into Thursday’s game with Miami.

“I think the little things just add up,” said Quay Walker at his locker on Thursday night. “Leading up to the game, practice, walk-throughs and everything, just being locked in. I was really, really locked in the whole entire week through everything. Wasn’t saying much, just making sure I come out and play my best. I think that’s translated over to Sunday.”

Hafley agrees. The way Walker responded after that Bears game was like a man “on a mission,” and that began with his practice and preparation throughout the week leading up to the 49ers game. That focus and attention to detail led to him playing with “great” fundamentals and several impact plays.

But most importantly, Hafley was proud of how Walker responded after a tough showing the week prior.

“I thought the way he responded and the way he practiced and in practice it was like he was on a mission last week, and then he went out and played like that,” said Hafley of Walker’s performance. “He was fast, he was getting downhill, he tackled well. He played with great fundamentals, he was using his hands, he had a couple TFLs.

“I mean he was just getting there, beating people to the punch, he was knocking guys back, he was setting the edge, he was really good in pass coverage. I think that’s the best game he’s played at least since we’ve been together and I hope he can build off of that. But again, I think the coolest part is how he responded. I mean, that says a lot about him and I was really proud of him.”

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Against Miami, Walker was tied for the team lead in tackles with 10, two of which came for a loss behind the line of scrimmage. For a linebacker, that tackle metric can, at times, be hollow, but facing a speedy and YAC-heavy Dolphins’ offense, Walker and the Green Bay offense were able to limit those big play opportunities by swarming to the ball carrier–a point of emphasis for the defense this week.

In addition to the tackles, Walker also had a quarterback hit and a key sack with Miami facing a fourth-and-goal from inside their own five yard line.

For Walker, as already described, the preparation throughout the week has been a crucial factor in his improved play. With that improved confidence in what he’s being asked to do because of the foundation he’s laid on the practice field an in the team meetings, there is less thinking, and simply more reacting, resulting in fast and physical play.

“I think I just do too much thinking and, being honest with you, instead of going out there and just play,” Walker said. “Anytime I can play without doing any thinking – not that Hafley’s making me think or whatever the case may be – just be me trying to do everything right instead of just lining up and just playing, anytime I have that mindset, see it, go, I can be a real, real productive player. I don’t want to give myself too much credit but that’s how I see it.”

While the production and this level of play hasn’t has been there from Walker, he brings a very versatile skill-set to the linebacker position, which, as we’ve seen, gives Hafley a lot of flexibility in terms of how he utilizes him–almost being able to customize his role on a weekly basis depending on the matchup.

Walker can be utilized as a blitzer to help drum up pressure. His sideline-to-sideline speed, coupled with his physicality to fight through blockers, allows him to restrict running lanes for ball carriers, particularly on runs outside the tackles. Then, in coverage, he has the ability to cover a lot of ground as well.

“From the time that I got around him when I first came to now,” said Xavier McKinney of Walker, “obviously he’s growing each game, each practice, but from my eyes and from what I’ve seen, I believe Quay’s the best middle linebacker in the league, in my opinion. I think he has so many different qualities that you don’t really see. He can cover well, he can tackle well, he do a lot of things.”

With Hafley taking over as the defensive coordinator, Walker not only has been navigating learning a new defensive scheme, but he’s also become the Mike linebacker in the middle of the Green Bay defense–a role with immense responsibilities.

The Mike linebacker is responsible for relaying the play to the rest of the defenders, along with signaling coverages, making sure everyone is aligned correctly, making adjustments based on the offensive alignment and so much more. All of which has to be done in those few seconds before the ball is snapped.

“He goes through different things because he got the Mike,” McKinney added, “and that’s something that I completely understand because I had the Mike when I was in New York for a time. I know how hard that can be. So I understand him.

“I try to help him, just trying to call certain calls out and just try to make his job easier so he can go out there and play fast. But when he goes out there and plays fast, there ain’t a lot of people that can do what he can do.”

A big box was checked on Thursday night for Walker. After having his best performance of the season versus San Francisco, on a short week, he backed it up with another strong showing.

Like any player, Walker is still chasing consistency, so what we saw from him performance-wise these past two games becomes closer to the norm rather than the outlier. But over the last week and a half, he appears to be on the right track with his preparation leading to confidence and that confidence translating into disruptive play on the field.

“Man just continue to play, just allow my confidence to continue to grow,” said Walker. “Like I said, don’t do no thinking and just play. Whenever I see it, just go. Still a lot I can be better at, still a lot I can get better at.”

Packers defense finding its groove in another low-scoring performance

Paul Bretl | 11/29/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Less than two weeks ago, the Packers defense had a performance against the Chicago Bears that was “not to our standard,” as defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley put it. However, the unit has responded since then and appears to be hitting its stride as another matchup with Detroit awaits them.

It’s no secret that San Francisco was without quarterback Brock Purdy in that game. But that was still an offense that featured Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Kyle Shanahan as the play designer and play caller. Against an albeit shorthanded unit, the Packers defense did what any good defense would do in that situation–they controlled the game. San Francisco scored just 10 points and totaled just 241 yards of offense.

“I don’t care who was playing,” said Hafley on Tuesday. “And I get it. I know who wasn’t playing. And I’m not going to sit here and tell you that, ‘Oh, we’re (awesome).’ I’m not. They’re good players. But at the same time, that scheme, the players they still had and that coach, are very hard to defend. So I give credit to the guys on the team.”

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Just a few days later on a short week, the Packers defense had a much more difficult test against a Miami offense that has a lot of speed and was averaging 29.0 points per contest over their last five games with Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback. But again, the Packers defense kept points off the board and while the Dolphins’ offensive stat sheet looks nice, the game was never in their control.

Tagovailoa finished the game completing 37-of-46 passes for 365 yards, averaging 7.9 yards per attempt with two touchdowns. However, where it matters most, the Miami offense would muster only 17 points.

A lot of those yards that were produced through the air were empty calories, meaning they didn’t lead to points, and came in the second half when Green Bay held a 27-3 lead, which isn’t to say that’s acceptable. There are things that certainly have to be cleaned up.

“We just got leaky,” said Xavier McKinney about the second half performance. “We could have been better on our details. That’s kind of what it was. I think just kind of small, little details that they hit us with and we just gotta do a better job.”

With that said, a defense often takes a different approach when leading by 24 points in the second half compared to when it’s the first half and the game is far from decided. And when a big play–or plays–were needed, with Miami at the one-yard line in a 2nd-and-goal situation, the defense came away with a massive stop.

“I think our guys were playing physical and made a couple plays there,” said Matt LaFleur of the stop. “They tried to run a keeper out of the gun, and Keisean was kind of all over it. We got good penetration on that fourth-down play and got the sack. So I think our guys, they did their job.”

However, when it comes to determining what to make of Green Bay’s defensive performance in Week 13, I would turn my attention to the first half, where we saw this Packers’ defense really flexing its muscles.

As he was the entire game, Tagovailoa was efficient, completing 14-of-19 first-half targets. He would total, however, a modest 118 passing yards, averaging 6.2 yards per attempt. For some context, that 6.2 figure on the season would rank 29th out of 32 eligible quarterbacks. And most importantly from Green Bay’s perspective, the Dolphins had just three points at halftime.

The Packers were willing to give up that kind of efficiency if it meant limiting the number of explosive pass plays. But in order for that approach to be effective, swarming to the ball and sound tackling was a must in order to prevent this speedy and dynamic offense that does well at getting its playmakers the ball in space from picking the Green Bay defense apart with yards after the catch.

“For sure,” said McKinney about the emphasis on tackling. “When you play guys like that that’s all speed they going to get the ball on the perimeter and everybody gotta be running to the ball because sometimes, that first person might not get him down, not due to a missed tackle but they might out run your angle.

“So that’s the type of speed that they got. But I think we did a great job today of just all running to the ball and really a great job of getting them down.”

The Packers’ offense jumping out to a quick multi-score lead helped limit Miami’s ability to lean on their run game. The Dolphins entered this contest ranked eighth in rush attempts per game, but De’Von Achane and Raheem Moster ran the ball just 12 times combined. And even when they did get the ball on the ground, they totaled just 33 yards.

The trickle-down effect of playing with a lead, along with containing the run, is that it puts the opposing offense in obvious passing situations where the defensive front can pin its ears back. That, however, against Miami anyways, isn’t always enough to get after Tagovailoa.

This is a rhythmic Dolphins’ offense that leverages Tagovailoa’s ability to anticipate throws to get the ball his out of his hands at the quickest rate in football. To counter this, the Packers’ did a very good job of disguising their coverage looks, along with playing a physical brand of football, helping to takeaway Tagovailoa’s initial reads.

The end result for the Green Bay defense was a pressure rate of 31 percent, according to PFF, which was up 10 percent from Tagovailoa’s average pressure rate this season, and five sacks.

“That was pretty much our game plan for starting today,” added Enagbare. “We pretty much knew they’re a rhythm offense. He pretty much like to do everything in synch and a timing type of scheme, so pretty much I guess the DBs was able to re-route them and get them off the spot and just mess up the timing and that helped the rush and vice versa. The rush helped the coverage, so I feel like it was just complementary football on the defensive end.”

Now awaiting the Packers next Thursday is a rematch with the 11-1 Detroit Lions. When it comes to the NFC North race, this game is a must-win for Green Bay.

Although that first game at Lambeau Field between the two, which was won by the Lions fairly convincingly, was only a month ago, this Packers team is in a different position and playing better, more complementary football than what they were at that time.

The offense has leaned on the running game, while the passing game has found more consistency, and the defensive unit is finding its groove. When paired together, you get a difficult team to beat.

“The way we’re preparing,” said McKinney of the improved play on defense. “Like I said, every time I talk to ya’ll, I tell ya’ll like, hey we going to get back into the lab and we’re going to figure out what we need to do better and then we’re going to do that. And we’re doing that. And you can tell, you can see it when we go out there and play.

“So like I said, that’s really the biggest reason. We’re really locking into the small things and the little details that make us that much better. So we’re going to keep doing that. Obviously we’re not comfortable with where we’re at as a defense right now, there’s still some things that we gotta work on, but we’re going to do that.”