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Packers defense picked apart over the middle by Vikings: What went wrong?

Paul Bretl | 12/31/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers’ defense was picked apart over the middle of the field by Sam Darnold and the Vikings’ passing game on Sunday — an area where we’ve seen other offenses have success against Green Bay and a problem with several contributing factors.

Overall, Darnold was extremely efficient, completing 33-of-43 passes for 377 yards with three touchdowns to one interception, with the bulk of that production coming between the numbers. According to NFL NextGen Stats, Darnold completed 85% of his throws for 289 of his total yards with two scores over the middle of the field.

So what went wrong for the Packers defense that resulted in such a big day for Darnold and the Vikings’ pass catchers in that particular part of the field? Well there’s a few factors in play.

“We’ve got to do a better job in coverage, for sure,” said Matt LaFleur on Monday. “I think your coverage is going to get better if you can get a better pass rush, as well, so it all goes hand in hand. The rush goes with the coverage. We’ve got to do a better job of trying to get pressure on the quarterback, moving him off the spot.”

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In recent weeks, the Packers’ pass rush had been trending in the right direction but they regressed towards their season long norm against the Vikings, struggling to get pressure with a four-man rush.

Darnold was under duress on only 31% of his dropbacks. For some context, compared to the rest of the NFL over the course of the 2024 season, that pressure rate would rank 32nd out of 42 eligible quarterbacks. From a clean pocket, Darnold was 26-of-30 passing for 315 yards with three touchdowns.

Even when the Packers blitzed in an attempt to drum up pressure, they were unable to get home and that left them exposed in the secondary. Against the blitz, Darnold was lights out, completing 12-of14 passes for 131 yards with a score. His average time to throw on such plays was 3.06 seconds, according to PFF, further illustrating that the designed pressures weren’t all that effective.

Another part of this equation, as LaFleur pointed out, was the amount of space that the Packers were giving up over the middle of the field.

“When we have opportunities – and there were some tight-window throws he made – we’ve got to keep depth,” added LaFleur. “There’s got to be depth on the second level. You can’t have these big discrepancies between your second and third levels. So, everybody has their hand in it, and then there’s some things we can do schematically better.”

Let’s rewind to the Packers’ Week 13 and 14 matchups against Miami and Detroit, where both Tua Tagovailoa and Jared Goff were extremely efficient over the middle of the field as well. In part, that’s going to happen when facing those offenses with two of the best in the game at picking apart defenses between the numbers. However, also not helping the Packers in those games is that they were without Edgerrin Cooper at linebacker.

With 4.51-second speed, he brings added coverage ability to the linebacker position with all of the ground he can cover. With that speed comes versatility and that provides Hafley quite a bit of flexibility when it comes to the game-plan he puts together and what he asks of Cooper, whether that be sending him as a blitzer or how he’s utilized in coverage over the middle.

With that skill set, there is also a positive trickle-down effect that it creates within the defense, with Cooper’s speed and ability to operate in space then impacting what is asked of other position groups, specifically the defensive backs, as Xavier McKinney highlighted after the Jacksonville game, because he can cover a lot of ground.

Upon his return against Seattle, the Packers middle of the field defense has been much more buttoned up the last two games, and overall, Cooper’s impact has been massive. But against Minnesota, and their top-flight offense, along with the splash plays, we saw a young player who is still navigating the growing pains that come with making the jump from college to the NFL.

“I thought he made a lot of splash plays, but there was a lot of plays that we gotta make that really hurt us as well,” said LaFleur about Cooper. “So I’d say it was a mixed bag. I think he’s so talented and I think the sky’s the limit for him and I love having him.

“But it’s just the consistency of which you play. I mean, so you just gotta make sure you’re dialed in and we know he’s an incredible talent and he’s going to make some splash plays and he did. But I think there’s another level there that I think he can continue to take his game to.”

The Packers’ middle-of-the-field defense also suffered a blow early on in the game when Zayne Anderson exited with a concussion. This forced the Packers’ to make changes in the secondary, most notably, moving rookie Javon Bullard–who was in his first game back following an ankle injury–from the nickel to safety.

For any player, this can be a big jump to make within a game–I mean, it’s a completely different position. But the effects of that are magnified for a rookie, who is still a relatively inexperienced player. Throughout the week of practice, there is only so much time and so many reps to go around. So although Bullard is listed as a safety, in practice each week, he isn’t taking the safety reps–he’s preparing to start at the nickel.

“It’s more challenging, obviously, when you’ve got a younger player that doesn’t have as much time on task,” said LaFleur about Bullard moving positions.” It sounds like an excuse – I’m not trying to make an excuse by any stretch. We’ve got to play better. We’ve got to put our guys in a better position.

“But it is a challenge. You rep the nickel all week and now you’re getting moved back to safety and it’s musical chairs back there, which against a good opponent is less than ideal but it is the situation. Everybody deals with it every week, and we’ve got to be better – coaches, players, everybody.”

Without question, there has been a lot of good in Jeff Hafley’s first year as defensive coordinator. In a number of key metrics, the Packers’ defense ranks quite well this season. However, their middle-of-the-field defense is one area in particular where we’ve seen some high-powered offenses take advantage of this unit, and come the postseason, this is something that Green Bay must button up–and there are a few different ways to do so.

Packers’ pass rush falls flat vs Sam Darnold and Vikings’ offense

Paul Bretl | 12/30/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers’ pass rush, which had been trending in the right direction over the last several weeks, took a step backward on Sunday in Minnesota and fell flat as Sam Darnold threw for nearly 400 yards.

According to PFF’s metrics, Darnold was under duress on only 31% of his dropbacks. For some context, compared to the rest of the NFL over the course of the 2024 season, that pressure rate would rank 32nd out of 42 eligible quarterbacks.

From a clean pocket, Darnold was 26-of-30 passing for 315 yards with three touchdowns. He was particularly effective over the middle of the field, completing 85% of his throws for 289 of his total yards with two scores.

“As defensive linemen, guys that are pressuring, we definitely have to finish those plays because those plays change games,” said Kenny Clark. “We’ve got to get them behind the sticks. He (Darnold) did some great things moving or breaking tackles or whatever the case may be, whether it was an incomplete pass or completing something short, he did a good job of doing it.”

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Pressure, of course, is what every defense week in and week out is chasing. It leads to sacks, which puts the offense behind the sticks and in predictable passing situations, and it disrupts the timing and rhythm of the play, forcing the quarterback to speed up his process, which can lead to poor mechanics and mistakes.

But on the flip side, time in the pocket, especially for a Vikings’ offense that has as many weapons in the passing game as they do, can be too much for just about any defense to overcome as it puts an added burden on what was a shorthanded Packers’ secondary, forcing the defensive backs to have to cover longer.

In a game where the Packers were already without Jaire Alexander and Evan Williams, Zayne Anderson would exit the game early with a concussion, requiring Javon Bullard to move from the nickel to safety and Eric Stokes to then start on the boundary after some shuffling took place.

When it was all said and done, Darnold was extremely efficient, completing 33-of-43 passes for 377 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Four different Vikings’ pass catchers had at least five receptions and 68 yards, with Justin Jefferson leading the way with 92 receiving yards.

“They have some good plays,” said Xavier McKinney. “They’re a good football team. They’re gonna make plays. We can’t stop everything. But there’s just certain situations where we just gotta be better. We gotta be cleaner. But they’re gonna make plays. He’s a good quarterback. They got a good team. They got good offensive players who can make plays for them. So yeah, we just gotta be better.”

The Green Bay run defense continued to hold up well, as it has done for much of the season, with Minnesota averaging just 2.7 yards per rush as a team and totaling just 69 rushing yards. Oftentimes, this can be a precursor for defensive success as it puts the offense in long down-and-distance situations where the pass rush can pin its ears back. However, if the pass rush isn’t getting home consistently, then that advantage that the defense is supposed to have is negated to a degree.

As mentioned, the Packers pass rush, which has been inconsistent for much of the season, had been more productive as of late. Prior to the Vikings’ game, the Packers’ weekly pressure rate on opposing quarterbacks had ranked 12th or better in four of their last five games.

A key factor in that success was the complementary football component, with the Green Bay offense jumping out to early leads, making the opponent one-dimensional, which benefits the pass rush. But that element was missing in this game as it was the Packers who fell behind quickly.

So against one of the NFC’s best, we saw the pass rush regress to what we had seen for much of the season, which is a group that struggles to get after the quarterback regularly with just a four-man rush. The Green Bay defense currently ranks 26th in ESPN’s pass-rush win rate metric.

“You’ve got to get pressure against these guys, if they’re going to drop back that many times,” said Matt LaFleur. “If you don’t, it’s going to be a long day because it’s tough to go try to single-coverage a guy like Justin Jefferson, and then you’ve got Addison, then you’ve got Hockenson. They’ve got multiple players. Like I said, Nailor was making plays out there. They’ve got a lot of good players.”

At the end of the day, the results are what matters most, but context is important and in a 4-3 defensive scheme, the front is at a numbers disadvantage, facing five offensive linemen. That numbers advantage then only grows for the offense if they use a tight end to chip or keep a running back in the backfield to help. Then, all of a sudden, it is six blockers versus four defenders. By PFF’s metrics, both Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark are among the most chipped and double-teamed defenders at their positions.

Now, this isn’t to say things shouldn’t be better or that there isn’t more opportunity out there for this pass-rush unit–both things are true. But it’s also not as if there are an overwhelming number of one-on-one matchups that this front is regularly seeing.

And when Jeff Hafley does blitz, particularly against Darnold and the Vikings’ offense, that pressure better get home almost immediately; otherwise, the back end of the defense is then the one at a numbers disadvantage. Against the blitz on Sunday, Darnold was lights out, completing 12-of14 passes for 131 yards with a score. His average time to throw on such plays was 3.06 seconds, according to PFF, further illustrating that the designed pressures weren’t all that effective.

“They’ve got two legitimate No. 1 receivers, and then they’ve got Nailor out there making play after play,” LaFleur said. “They’ve got a lot of weapons. Hockenson made some plays. So we just ultimately collectively as a unit, everybody’s got to play a little bit better.”

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: the consistency and the effectiveness of the pass rush is going to determine the ceiling for this Packers’ defense this season. When there is a steady pass rush presence, every defender on the field benefits. However, when that element isn’t there, then the job of every defender on the field becomes more difficult.

Another slow start vs one of the NFC’s best dooms the Packers

Paul Bretl | 12/29/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Another game against one of the NFC’s best and another loss for the Green Bay Packers, who now fall to 0-5 on the season against Detroit, Philadelphia, and Minnesota.

“The margins in this league, especially against a good football team, are razor thin,” said Matt LaFleur after the game. “I don’t think we were at our best, but that’s a credit to them in our slow start and that’s me as much as anybody. So I gotta be better and we gotta get better. And we gotta learn from this and try to move on and get some momentum here.”

The final score won’t tell the whole story but behind a lack-luster passing game, the Packers dug themselves an early multi-score hole that proved to be too much to overcome. This, unfortunately, wasn’t uncharted territory either for Green Bay. In their four games against Detroit and Minnesota, they found themselves in a combined 89-13 deficit.

“You can’t get down against good football teams and if there’s a lesson there, that is the lesson because it’s tough to comeback,” added LaFleur. “I think our guys continued to fight and battle and scratch and claw but ultimately we just can’t just put ourselves in a hole like that. It certainly took us way to long to get going offensively and if that happens, then I mean, this is the result.”

As was to be expected against this Minnesota front, it was tough sledding in the run game for Josh Jacobs, whose longest run was just 13 yards. However, that element did provide the offense with some stability with the Packers averaging 4.3 yards per rush as a team over the course of the game.

However, the passing game couldn’t get anything going to complement the run game. So how bad was it for Jordan Love and the offense?

As we’ve seen from the Packers’ offense in previous games where they’ve trailed by multiple scores, they made a valiant comeback to make the game interesting, along with some help from two missed Minnesota field goals and a Sam Darnold interception. Perhaps that late success can be the catalyst behind improved play in a potential future meeting, but for now, it was too little too late.

“I feel like today we figured out a lot about ourselves,” Josh Jacobs said in the visiting locker room. “I don’t want to too much give it away what we feel like we figured out, but we’ll see. We’ll see how it plays out.”

When it was all said and done, Love finished the game completing 19-of-30 passes for 185 yards at an average of 6.2 yards per attempt. Through three-quarters of the game, however, Love had completed 10-of-18 passes for 64 yards at 3.6 yards per attempt. For some context around that figure, Bryce Young entered Week 17 ranked 35th in yards per pass with 6.1.

On passes of at least 10 yards, Love was just 4-for-10 for 77 yards, according to ESPN, with a 40% off-target rate on those throws. In addition to that, entering the fourth quarter, there were four different Vikings’ receivers who had more receiving yards than Love did passing yards.

“It’s obviously ended up being a close game, but we know it’s hard when you put yourself in a hole and are down early and just kind of shooting yourself in the foot,” Jordan Love said. “So there’s so much stuff to clean up and get better at but I think we’re still a really good team. We can put up points.

“But when you put yourself in a hole, it’s just it’s hard to climb out of that hole. And when it’s a good, a good team, like the Vikings it just makes it even tougher. So we’ve got to figure out ways to start faster and put up points.”

While still battling inconsistency and needing to put together a full four-quarter performance, Love and the passing game had been trending in the right direction over the last month. From Weeks 13-16, Love had completed 67% of his passes at 8.7 yards per attempt with six touchdowns to no interceptions.

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Yet even in last week’s blowout victory over New Orleans, particularly in the second half, we saw disjointed performance from the passing game for Green Bay, and that play rolled over into this week’s game against one of the most aggressive and stingy defenses in football.

Against a blitz-heavy Vikings’ defense, pressure on Love became a bigger issue in the second half. Those passing game woes then became magnified at this point of the game with time was running out and the Packers still trailing by multiple scores.

The trickle-down effect of this is that it then forces Green Bay to become pass-heavy, which played right into the strength of the Vikings’ defense, who continued to turn up the aggressiveness and pin their ears back as they often do.

With that said, the offensive line play wasn’t the main issue for Love and the passing game. According to PFF’s initial metrics, Love was pressured on fewer than 26% of his dropbacks, and when blitzed, he completed 62% of his passes.

The bigger issue was the overall lack of rhythm and cohesiveness in the passing game. The Brian Flores’ defense does a terrific job of disguising coverages, and he threw a more man coverage-heavy gameplan at the Packers’ offense, which was something that they were not prepared for, and it showed.

“Credit to them they came out played a little bit more man than we were anticipating,” LaFleur said. “They had shown that a couple games, didn’t think we’d get it, so I think that’s part to our slow start is, we gotta be able to adjust quicker and have some plays that in there that can attack that coverage and that falls squarely on my shoulders.”

This has also been a Packers’ offense that has thrived off the explosive passing play but they didn’t have that ability in this game. Of course, not having Christian Watson available can impact that specific phase of the game, but a pillar of the Vikings’ defense has been taking away those downfield attempts, which then forced the out of sync Packers’ passing game to have to string together long drives.

“You gotta take the underneath routes and checkdowns,” said LaFleur. “You gotta have time to allow things to develop if you are going to try to take a shot. But they do a good job of keeping a lid on the coverage. That’s how they play. We knew that going in, so there was going to be minimal opportunities to push the ball down the field. You gotta be super efficient.”

In general, there were some off-target throws from Love, perhaps facilitated by the unexpected looks, and the Green Bay pass-catchers dealt with drops and, as Matt LaFleur said at halftime, they weren’t always where they were supposed to be within the timing of their routes, and overall, the fine details of the passing game were off.

Not helping things were the penalties on the offensive side of the ball. It was a bit reminiscent of the issues we saw on offense during the first half of the season.

You put all of that together, and add in the inability to lean on the run game, and you got a Packers’ offense that was too frequently playing behind the sticks and in predictable passing situations, where the Vikings’ defense thrives and has been one of the best units in football this season.

“You gotta stay on schedule because once they get you into third down that’s where they’re really good,” LaFleur added. “I mean, that’s one of the best in the league at third down, so you gotta stay in front of the sticks or stay out of third down in general.”

It was far from a perfect performance from the Packers’ defense, who didn’t get after Sam Darnold very well, putting more of the burden on their secondary. But they did contain the Vikings’ run game and kept the game within reach late so the offense could make that late push.

However, the lack of complementary football between the offensive and defensive units made the job of the defense all that much harder.

With the Green Bay offense sputtering, it led to multiple short possessions, resulting in Minnesota holding the ball for 11 more minutes than the Packers, and, at one point in the latter portion of the game, the Vikings had run almost 20 more plays than Green Bay. Up against an offense as high-power as the Vikings, that discrepancy in plays and in the time of possession battle would be a lot for any defense to overcome.

The Packers have a playoff spot locked up, so that isn’t the issue right now. And they’ve proven to be a good team this season. But what they haven’t shown is that they can beat the best teams in the NFC and that obviously can be a huge problem come the postseason.

“I want to say yeah but right now the story is we haven’t beaten those teams,” said McKinney when asked if the Packers were at the level of the NFC’s best. “So I can’t sit up here and say we’re on the same level if we ain’t beat them. In order to be on the same level, you gotta beat these teams. We gotta be more on our details. We gotta play cleaner. We gotta start faster. That’s just what it is.”

Packers’ defensive depth has shined but faces a new challenge vs Vikings’ offense

Paul Bretl | 12/28/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers are again going to be shorthanded in the secondary this week, the question is, how shorthanded will they be against a high-powered Minnesota passing game?

Javon Bullard is questionable after returning to practice this week and being a limited participant all three days. He has missed the last two games after exiting the Packers’ Week 14 matchup against Detroit with an ankle injury.

“He brings a physicality to the game, whether he’s playing nickel or safety, he’s good in the run game, he’s aggressive in the pass game,” Jeff Hafley said on Thursday. “I thought he was playing really good football and he’s one of our better players, so hopefully we’ll have a chance to get him back and get him going. But we’ve certainly missed him.”

While Bullard’s status is up in the air, we know that the Packers will be without Evan Williams as well as Jaire Alexander. Williams suffered a quad injury in practice last week with Matt LaFleur saying that they hope he can return by the playoffs. With Alexander, who is working through a PCL injury, his knee hasn’t responded as the team would have hoped.

Awaiting the Packers’ banged up secondary this week is a Vikings’ offense that ranks ninth in points per game this season. With Sam Darnold at quarterback, leading the way at receiver is, of course, Justin Jefferson, who’s totaled 1,387 receiving yards this season. But not to be forgotten about is Jordan Addison, who has 806 receiving yards of his own, and tight end TJ Hockenson.

“Obviously, they’ve got a ton of weapons – probably the best receiver in the game, one of the better tight ends in the game,” said Matt LaFleur. “And they’ve got multiple receivers – Addison’s great, as well, Aaron Jones. They’ve got a lot of weapons. I think they’ve done a really nice job.”

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One of the difficult elements that comes with defending the Vikings’ offense is that, individually, any of the receiving threats just mentioned can be a lot for opposing defenses to handle on their own. But when you have that talent and marry those passing concepts with the run game, it can really put a defense in a bind.

On the season, Aaron Jones has rushed for 1,046 yards–the 10th most in football–and he’s averaging 4.5 yards per attempt. Off of that run game success, the Vikings use a heavy dose of play-action, with the fifth-most pass attempts this season.

Darnold and the passing game have been lights out off play-action, with him completing 74% of his throws at 10.9 yards per attempt with 15 touchdowns to just three interceptions.

“They present a lot of problems with how they stress you in different ways defensively,” LaFleur added. “Their ability to run the ball and then come back with some play-action. Kevin’s a guy I’ve got a lot of respect for. You see each week, whenever we have a crossover game, you’re always looking at what they’re doing.”

Despite the injuries in the secondary for Green Bay, this is a unit that has been able to hold its own in recent weeks. Jeff Hafley mentioned that Keisean Nixon had one of his best performances of the season against New Orleans even though he had to move to the slot, which is not an easy task.

Rich Bisaccia discussed how Zayne Anderson, whether its special teams or defense, prepares like he’s going to start every single day. So the fact that he made a seamless transition to the starting role, even on short notice, doesn’t surprise him.

Carrington Valentine, meanwhile, like many of the Packers’ defenders, has become more confident in what he’s being asked to do within Hafley’s scheme, and that is resulting in fast and physical play on the field.

“I think the key is for us as coaches to not overcomplicate things,” said Jeff Hafley on the defensive depth. “So it’s like this ‘I get in the game and I have no idea what I’m’–no. We gotta make sure they can play fast, all these guys can play fast and that they’re ready to do it. And I think that’s a big part of it too.

“They work hard, they’re hungry, they get a long together and it’s not like the backups are just sitting there, no, they’re getting ready to play and we’re going to need that. We got a lot of football left but we’re going to need all those guys. We need to make them feel part of that too. I think that’s really important.”

But, as already highlighted, this week’s opponent brings a more difficult challenge than what the Packers have been up against in recent weeks. While the focus may be on the Packers’ secondary and how they match up with Jefferson, Addison, and Co., it’s going to take a complete defensive effort to contain the Vikings’ offense.

As already eluded to, with how well Vikings’ coach Kevin O’Connell pairs the run and passing games, containing Jones will be an important factor for the Packers. And to Green Bay’s credit, their run defense under Hafley may be one of the most improved aspects of this team, with the Packers currently ranking fifth in yards per rush allowed.

If the Packers can bottle up Jones consistently, that will put Darnold and the offense behind the sticks and in obvious passing situations. Coverage-wise, the defense has the upper hand in second and third-and-long situations, while the pass rush is able to pin its ears back to get after the quarterback.

Although pressuring Darnold won’t guarantee success, it’s much better than the alternative. From a clean pocket, he is completing 74% of his throws but that number dips to 53% when under duress. According to Pro Football Reference, the Vikings’ offensive line is allowing the fourth-highest pressure rate this season.

“It makes it hard with the ball distribution, whether it’s going to Jefferson or whether it’s going to Addison or whether it’s going to Jones, and now you have the tight end to worry about.” said Hafley.

“I think anytime in football you’ve got good wideouts and you have the element of the good tight end, kind of like we do, it’s a threat and you’ve got to be aware of it. Whether it’s in zone or man, who’s going to match up on him in man. There’s certain zones where you gotta get him (Hockenson) down, too.”

This complementary approach just described is already something the Packers’ defense is doing and it’s been a key factor in the aforementioned success that the secondary has had.

With Green Bay’s offense jumping out to quick leads along with the play of the run defense, it has forced the opponent to abandon their game plan fairly early on, and in turn, they become pass-heavy and one-dimensional.

The pass rush, which is picking up steam for the Packers, can then get after the quarterback, which often means less time in coverage for the defensive backs with the timing and rhythm of the play disrupted and potential mistakes coming their way.

“I think you gotta look at it, it’s not how the secondary’s done it, we’ve done it as a team and we’ve done it as a defense, and I think that’s the biggest thing that we’re stressing to these guys right now,” said Hafley. “When we’re defending the pass and Justin Jefferson and all these good wideouts and Sam Darnold, like it’s not just put it on the DBs, it’s what can we do as a defense to make sure that we’re playing well back there.

“We’re rushing well, we’re sending pressures, we’re running good games, we’re dropping into different zones, right? We’re taking a lot of pride in how we disguise things right now. The players are taking a lot of pride in that right now. So we’re doing it together and I think that’s the biggest key to it all right now.”

The Packers have already clinched a playoff spot, but whether they are fifth, sixth, or seventh seed in the NFC is still to be determined and the results of Sunday’s game could play an important factor in deciding where Green Bay ends up in that regard.

However, this game will also provide the Packers with a bit of a tune-up before the postseason arrives as they head to a hostile road environment and face one of the premiere teams in the NFC–something they’ll have to do on a few occasions in January if they hope to make a run. I imagine the hope in the coming weeks before the playoffs begin is that the Packers can get healthy in the secondary. But this week that won’t be the case and Green Bay will have to continue relying on their depth.

“I think a lot of these guys it just speaks I think to their football character,” LaFleur said of the team’s depth. “Being ready to go when you’re number’s called upon. I mean, we hit it all the time, you just gotta maximize your opportunities, especially if you’re not the lead dog. And I think if you are a starter, then you can never take it for granted because there’s always somebody that’s putting in the work, trying to take your job.”

Tough test ahead for Josh Jacobs, run-centric Packers’ offense

Paul Bretl | 12/27/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Led by Josh Jacobs, the run games has been a catalyst for the Packers’ success on offense over the last month-plus. However, this Sunday in Minnesota, it could be tough sledding for the Green Bay rushing attack.

The Vikings’ defense will enter Week 17 surrendering just 3.9 yards per rush, tied for the second-lowest average in football this season. By ESPN’s run-stop rate metric, Minnesota ranks fourth, and in expected points contributed, the Vikings’ run defense ranks second.

Individually, the Vikings have three defensive linemen who rank in the top 50 out of over 200 eligible edge rushers and defensive tackles in the total number of run stops.

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ willingness to blitz often helps to create some of those negative plays in the run game. But in addition to that, similarly to the pressure looks that the Vikings will give you, there is a lot of movement and disguising within the front seven that creates additional challenges for an offensive line.

“They have a lot of guys in the box and they kinda play from the front end to the back end as far as like they’ll still be in 2-high but they’ll have guys down at the line of scrimmage and then they’ll bail out, but in the run game they’ll be down there,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenvich of the run defense.

“They do a good job moving up front. There’s a lot of movements that create advantageous looks for them or open guys and then the pressure, they bring guys from every direction so they can create a lot of negative plays if you’re mistargeted or if you don’t see a guy blitzing and you’re not ready for it.”

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For a Packers offense that struggled in the red zone and on third downs through the first half of the season, Jacobs and the run game has provided stability in those key facets of the game since the bye week as Matt LaFleur has leaned more heavily into that run game element.

Jacobs is currently fourth in the NFL in rush attempts this season and fourth in rushing yards. His ability to make defenders miss has made him one of the more elusive backs in football, which in turn, has led to him also being one of the best at generating big plays with the fifth-most rushes of 10-plus yards.

That ability to regularly move the ball on the ground does wonders for the rest of the offense. For starters, it keeps the offense ahead of the sticks and out of those pesky predictable long down-and-distance situations. Then when operating from those second and third-and-short situations, it opens up the entire playbook for Matt LaFleur, and opportunities in the passing game to be exploited with the defense having to defend the entire field and be ready for just about anything.

“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.”

Particularly in the few games leading up to the most recent contest against New Orleans, we saw the Packers lean heavily on their gap blocking scheme, with Jacobs often being tasked with running between the tackles. While the offense found initial success doing that, with each passing week, opposing defenses seemed to respond more quickly and make the proper adjustments to slow Jacobs down.

Examples of this include the Detroit and Seattle games, where early success on the ground was met by some very tough sledding in the second halves of those games. This then had the opposite effect of what was described above with the offense more often operating from long down-and-distances and in obvious passing situations, where now the defense has the upper hand.

“There’s a few factors,” said Stenavich of the Packers’ second half struggles, “I think last game (vs. Seattle), it was just a matter of getting drives going. But yeah, that’s something we’ve got to make sure when we go out there we are still locked in, we don’t have those negative plays, and we’re doing a great job communicating. There’s a few busts, but that’s a focus thing we’ve just got to make sure we’re focused for four quarters, for sure.”

However, against the Saints, we saw the Green Bay offense showcase the versatility of their running game. Not only did nine different players carry the ball in that game, but we saw a heavier usage of outside zone rushing concepts, with the ball carriers getting outside the tackle box.

Putting those outside zone runs on film a week ago, could be something that also pays dividends this week against Minnesota. For starters, getting the receivers involved in the run game adds another wrinkle to the equation that defenders have to be mindful of.

These outside runs also serve as a reminder to defenses that while, yes, the Packers do want to run the ball, opponents have to be ready for both gap and outside zone blocking schemes. This is just another layer of unpredictability that’s then added to the Packers’ offense, with the defense having to be prepared for both running styles and forcing them to defend the entire field, helping to create space and potential running lanes to exploit.

“We wanted to run a little bit outside zone tonight and we did,” said Sean Rhyan after the Saints game. “That’s kind of our base, core O-line thing is we’re an outside zone team and we’ve been going to a little bit gap scheme these past few weeks. Tonight was really good because it let’s teams know that we still got outside. You can’t let those edges get soft now. It was real good.”

While it won’t come easy against this Vikings’ front seven, finding a way to lean on the run game, at least to some degree, will be important for the Packers’ offense, and accomplishing that could start and end with Green Bay’s ability to keep the Minnesota defense off-balanced, rushing both inside and out.

If that doesn’t happen, the alternative is becoming pass-heavy and one-dimensional, which plays right into the hands of this aggressive, blitz-heavy Minnesota defense.

‘Big challenge’ ahead for Jordan Love, Packers’ OL vs pressure-packed Vikings’ defense

Paul Bretl | 12/27/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Awaiting the Packers’ offense this week is a rematch with the Minnesota Vikings and their blitz-heavy defense.

The Vikings will enter Week 17 with the highest blitz rate in football, sending pressure on nearly 38% of their defensive snaps. But what can make this Vikings defense so devastating is that it’s not only that they are sending additional players after the quarterback, but it’s how they go about doing it through disguises and a willingness to blitz any player from any part of the field.

A product of that aggressive approach is a defense that has generated the fifth-highest-pressure rate this season, along with the fifth-most sacks as well.

“It’s definitely a big challenge,” said Jordan Love of facing the Vikings defense. “They do a lot of really good stuff on defense. They throw a lot of different looks at you, a lot of different personnel and a lot of different pressures. They make it hard for offenses, make you kinda have to study everything and be prepared for whatever they might throw at you.”

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Handling those pressures, or attempting to, begins pre-snap with the offensive line. It starts with center Josh Myers communicating blocking assignments and protections to the rest of the unit based on how the Vikings’ defense is aligned. From there, Love will have the autonomy to make protection adjustments based on any late movement from the defense.

Then, once the ball is snapped and as the Vikings’ throw different looks and players at the Packers’ offensive line, it’s about each individual offensive lineman operating within the scope of what their specific responsibilities are on a given play and knowing that the lineman next to them will do the same, creating a cohesiveness as defenders are passed off or as the protection needs to slide right or left.

Where offensive line units get in trouble is when players overextend themselves and attempt to do too much. Adding to the complexity of it all is the noise that US Bank Stadium generates from the crowd, putting an emphasis on being deliberate and loud with that pre-snap communication, along with making sure the linemen catch some portion of Love’s cadence to get off the ball quickly.

“They do it on all downs,” said Josh Myers of the Vikings’ willingness to blitz. “Typically you hear teams say they blitz a lot it’s a lot of third down blitzes. First through fourth, they’re blitzing a lot. So it’ll just have to be handling that, communicating, and handling the environment, just communicating, and passing all of it off.”

While how the Vikings send pressure and the frequency of it differs from other defenses around the NFL, Love and the Green Bay offensive line is accustomed to seeing blitzes this season. According to Pro Football Focus, Love has been blitzed at the fifth-highest rate this season. But in terms of pressure, Love has been under duress on 21% of his dropbacks, the 12th lowest rate in the NFL this season.

“I think there’s been situations where we’ve done a really nice job with it,” said Matt LaFleur on handling the blitze, “and there’s been some instances like the first time we played these guys where we had an all-out look and didn’t get the right protection and then threw one up and they picked it off.

“So, I think there’s been moments where we’ve done a really nice job with it. I would say over the course of two years there’s been more good than bad but there has been some moments where we did not handle it up to the standard that we would like to handle it.”

Along with the offensive line play, contributing to the Packers’ ability to handle the blitz this season, particularly since the bye week, has been Love’s ability to avoid negative plays. This is going to be one stark difference between where Love and the Packers’ offense is at now, compared to the first time these teams met in Week 4.

“I can’t say enough about Jordan’s ability to avoid the negative play and making those drastic moves in the pocket and getting the ball out for positive plays,” said LaFleur. “I don’t think people understand–I think it’s overlooked. Just the value of what he’s able to do in getting the ball out of his hands and not taking sacks.”

That game was Love’s first since suffering a knee injury in Week 1 against Philadelphia. Not only against Minnesota but throughout the first half of the season while also dealing with a groin injury, Love’s mobility was hampered to varying degrees. This impacted the play-calling with the Packers going under center less often, which also meant less play-action, along with effecting Love’s ability to navigate the pocket and avoid pressure.

“Definitely it played a factor because it changes the way that we call our plays and things we want to do,” said Josh Jacobs of Love’s injury in Week 4. “Because he was limited, we didn’t want him to move around, running and things like that. We were trying to call quick things to get the ball out. At the end of the day, it’s no excuses. You gotta play through injuries and do certain things and that’s on both sides of the field.”

However, since the bye week, Love’s overall decision-making has improved, specifically knowing when to push the ball downfield and when to take what’s available, along with him being much healthier during this second half of the season as well, resulting in increased mobility, and he’s greatly improved against the blitz.

From Weeks 1-9 when under pressure, Love was completing just 59% of his throws at 6.4 yards per attempt with four touchdowns and five interceptions. But since Week 11, Love’s completion rate versus the blitz has sky-rocketed to 72%–the third-best mark during that span–while he’s averaging 9.9 yards per attempt with five touchdowns to no interceptions.

“As of late, I think he’s done a really good job making decisions,” said Adam Stenavich of Love’s play against the blitz. “He’s done a really good job creating time in the pocket, getting out of trouble and finding some plays down the field. So I think that’s probably attributed to anything is just his ability to move around and make some plays.”

Success in the run game and staying ahead of the sticks can help mitigate a team’s pass rush and take some of the bite away from their pressure packages. However, this is a Vikings’ defense allowing just 3.9 yards per rush this season, the second-lowest mark in football.

The beautiful thing about football is that behind any success or failure is that there are numerous elements at play driving that result. But with that said, how the Love and the offensive line handles the Vikings’ litany of pressures will go a long way in determining the outcome of Sunday’s game in Minnesota.

“Just at the level at which they are going out there and causing problems,” said LaFleur on the Vikings’ defense. “I mean you see it all the time, whether it’s getting sacks on the quarterback, getting hits on the quarterback, getting pressures, forcing the quarterbacks to make bad decisions.

“I’ve mentioned the takeaways already and they can do it out of a variety of different personnels and they could be out there in one personnel grouping and line up five different ways. It just, it’s the interchangeable pieces and the versatility of those pieces to go play many different positions, where it’s complex, it can be complex for us but it’s easy for them.”

Surging Rashan Gary leading Packers’ improved pass rush since the bye week

Paul Bretl | 12/26/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers’ pass rush has really begun to pick up steam in recent weeks, and leading the charge for the defensive front is the play of Rashan Gary.

Through the first half of the season, the Packers’ struggled to generate steady pressure on the quarterback with their four man front, and frequently, any pressures that were drummed up were created by defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley through blitzes or simulated pressures.

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. That inconsistent play doesn’t fall on the shoulders of only one player–it’s everyone. However, from a production standpoint, the results for Gary weren’t there during that initial stretch of the season.

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Over the Packers’ first nine games of the season, Gary generated 20 pressures, ranking 38th among all defensive ends in that category. When winning his pass rush reps, Gary was converting a high number of those opportunities into pressures, but the consistency wasn’t there as he ranked 76th among defensive ends in win rate. In terms of his overall pass rush efficiency, Gary ranked 79th, meaning the number of pressures and sacks being generated given the amount of snaps being played weren’t aligning.

However, since Week 11, Green Bay’s first game out of the bye week, the pendulum has begun to swing in the other direction for Gary. After creating 20 pressures in the first nine games of the season, he’s already generated 22 over the last six games, which is tied for the 11th-most during that span. In that same pass-rush win rate metric, Gary ranks 11th and he’s tied for 10th in pass rush productivity.

“He just looks more comfortable and I think a lot of guys do because he’s playing faster and he’s thinking less,” said Hafley about Gary’s play. “And I think Rebs (Jason Rebrovich) and V.O. (Vince Oghobaase) and Wendel (Davis) are doing a good job of getting him in those positions where he can succeed. I think we have a better grasp of who he is and what he can do well, and I think he has a comfort level right now in what he’s doing. And he has played better and he’s gotten a lot of pressure.”

In the Packers’ most recent game against the New Orleans Saints, there were back-to-back pass rush reps from Gary that illustrate just how well he’s playing. Rushing from the defense’s left side, Gary used his power to drive the offensive tackle back into the quarterback’s lap. Then, on the very next play, with the offensive tackle bracing for power, Gary used his speed to warp around the tackle and again disrupted the timing and flow of the offensive play.

Even more impressive is that Gary is producing at his current level while still being one of the more higher chipped defensive ends this year, according to PFF.

Behind any success or failure in football, there are always a number of contributing elements. As Hafley mentioned, the coaches are doing a better job of putting Gary in positions to find success.

In addition to that, the situation and game plan needs to be taken into account as well. Early on in the season there were several games where the Packers’ defense faced mobile quarterbacks, which required a more controlled pass rush approach, where the emphasis for the pass rush was on control and keeping the quarterback in the pocket, rather than pinning their ears back.

There is also something to be said for consistency at the pass rush position. Even if the production doesn’t show up on paper right away, consistently winning your reps will eventually lead to it–as Gary’s recent numbers showcase. And collectively, as a defensive unit, with each passing week, there is added comfort in the new Jeff Hafley defense, resulting in fast, physical, and confident play, not only from Gary but the defense as a whole.

“I think we’re in a good spot,” said Jeff Hafley of the defense. “I do. I think where we’re at right now is our guys understand what we’re doing and they’re playing really fast and they’re playing really hard and they’re starting to make a lot of plays. And you can see it. Whether I sit up in the booth, or whether I put on the tape, they’re playing fast and they’re physical and they’re playing hard.

“So what that tells me is, they know what they’re doing. So therefore I think we’re in a good spot. And I give the coaches credit and I give the players credit for getting to that point. Because you could feel it. Like, if you turn on Week 1 to now, it’s a totally different speed and confidence.”

Pressures and sacks are always going to be what garners the most attention when discussing defensive ends, but defending the run is obviously a very important element as well. During that same six-game stretch, Gary has the sixth-most run stops of any defensive end in football and ranks third in run-stop rate as well.

Collectively, the Packers run defense has improved drastically in Year 1 under Hafley, entering Week 17 ranked fifth in yards per rush allowed, and as of late, includes some very impressive performances against several dynamic ball carriers.

“I think he’s done an outstanding job,” said Matt LaFleur of Rashan Gary in the run game. “I think that’s one of the areas that I would tell you that is most improved, and I think it’s gotten better as the season’s progressed, just our ability to come off the ball, set edges, get multiple hats at the football. I think all the guys have been doing an outstanding job.”

There’s a high level of selflessness that comes with a defensive end being an impactful and willing run defender–run stops are not what gets that position paid or recognized regularly among their peers. That play-style and mentality from Gary then carries over to the pass rush, where beyond his own production, Gary’s presence and willingness to take on double teams or set picks helps others to produce.

“He’s playing the run game better too, and that’s the sign of an unselfish player,” added Hafley. “He’s using his hands, he’s setting edges, he’s getting off blocks, he’s running to the ball. I mean even in practice today, and I keep going back to that but it’s fresh on my mind, there’s great examples of him just doing great things in the run game and then he had a great pick today in practice, which again, you’re picking for somebody to come around and its unselfish then all of sudden you’re the one to pop free. So there’s complete buy in right now which is awesome to see. And it’s a credit to him.”

I certainly do not think that it’s a coincidence that as Gary’s production has begun to take off, the Packers’ pass rush unit as a whole has begun to flourish as well. In recent weeks, we’ve seen New Orleans’ quarterback Spencer Rattler be under pressure on 52.6% of his dropbacks–the third-highest rate in Week 16. The week prior, Seattle quarterbacks Sam Howell and Geno Smith each ranked top 10 in Week 15 pressure rate, while in Week 13, Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa ranked sixth in dropbacks under pressure, and San Francisco’s Brandon Allen ranked 12th the week before.

“I do,” said Hafley when asked if the pass rush has found something as of late. “And it has to be. I think that we’ve created depth because we’re playing a lot of guys and I think towards the end of the game when teams have had to throw the ball we’re fresh and we look fast out there. And I think they’re getting better and if we’re gonna make a run at this thing we’re gonna have to be.”

The ceiling for this Packers’ defense is going to be determined by how effective and steady the Packers’ four man rush is. When a defensive front is able to get home regularly, every other position on the field benefits. Sacks lead to long down-and-distance situations, while pressure disrupts the timing and rhythm of the play, resulting in less time in coverage for the secondary and potential mistakes to capitalize on.

Accomplishing this on a consistent basis, particularly against the NFL’s best who the Packers will be up against in the playoffs, requires Gary to continue operating at a high level.

‘Doesn’t surprise me:’ Packers DE Brenton Cox capitalizing on increased opportunities

Paul Bretl | 12/26/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — When the Packers traded Preston Smith prior to their bye in Week 10, it opened up more playing time for second-year defensive end Brenton Cox–an opportunity that he has fully capitalized on.

“It’s been great,” said Cox of his increased role. “Just trying to stay active, stay on my grind and keep making plays.”

Since Week 11, Cox’s first appearance of the season, he has gone from being a healthy scratch on gamedays to averaging about 22 snaps per game, which includes playing a career-high 26 this past Sunday against New Orleans. Production-wise during that span, Cox has totaled 13 pressures, five of which came against the Saints, and four sacks, according to PFF’s metrics.

In terms of pure pressures, Cox’s numbers aren’t going to stand out compared to the rest of the NFL’s top defensive ends, in part because of his playing time. However, by PFF’s pass rush win rate metric, Cox ranks 15th among defensive ends from Weeks 11-16. By pass rush productivity, which measures how often a pass rusher records a pressure relative to the number of pass rush snaps they’ve had and is more heavily weighted towards sacks, Cox ranks fifth.

“I kept telling him all season long,” said Matt LaFleur, “we’re going to get you up, it’s just a matter of time, you’ve gotta keep working, and he’s stayed with that mindset and continues to work every day and giving us great looks, whether he’s going, when he was on the look squad or he was getting minimal reps in practice. He was always doing a great job.”

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Cox is a good athlete but often wins with power and the use of strong, violent hands to get the offensive tackle out of position. Rewinding to training camp, I can still hear the pop of Cox’s hands hitting the tackle’s shoulder pads, knocking him back on his heels, and making his way to the quarterback.

To the outside world, we are currently seeing the emergence of Cox take place. But inside the building, particularly within the defensive end room, the Packers have been seeing the ability that Cox has on display on the practice field for a year and a half now.

“We’ve been seeing that this whole year,” said JJ Enagbare. “The world’s just starting to I guess see who he is, what type of player he is. I played with him the last two years here, that’s pretty much nothing new that he’s been doing out there on the Sundays. (It’s) what he’s been doing every day throughout the week. He’s just been getting the opportunity this year.”

As an undrafted rookie in 2023 out of Florida, Cox’s ability to get after the quarterback earned him a roster spot last season. As the fifth-man in the edge rusher rotation, his playing time was limited, appearing in only three games defensively, totaling five snaps.

As is the case with any young player, development is needed. And like many NFL players entering their sophomore season, Cox benefits from having a full offseason to work on his craft rather than training for the NFL combine and doing interviews. There is also the added comfortability that comes from the experience gained over the last year and knowing what it takes to be a professional day in and day out.

“Doesn’t surprise me,” said defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich about Cox’s play. “Last year when he came here, I have a big heart for Brenton. He’s a young man that’s worked his rear-end off and I think that the kid has done an outstanding job physically and mentally.”

Jeff Hafley’s defensive scheme should also suit Cox’s skill set quite well. Under Joe Barry, the defensive front was asked to read and then react. With Hafley, this is an attacking front, as defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich put it. The goal is for the defenders to get north and south and into the backfield as quickly as possible. Or, in short, go get the quarterback.

“You just gotta prioritize what you working on that day,” said Cox. “Me, for instance, I’m pretty focused on trying to get knock back and make plays and get off blocks. But the sacks and the pressures all that’s going to come when you’re playing hard.”

Given the lack of consistent production from the pass rush, specifically the front four, during the first half of the season, in the moment, trading away Smith felt like an unnecessary move for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. However, we would learn after the fact that, as is often the case, there were additional factors in play. One is that Smith requested a trade, not wanting to play in a 4-3 scheme and on the field, we could see his playing time each week being reduced.

But in addition to that, the Packers had a good idea of what they had in Cox and wanted to find a way to get him on the field.

“He was a guy that it’s challenging when you have six D-ends, and certainly that’s a premium position that you just don’t want to get rid of people,” said LaFleur of Cox. “We’ve stayed relatively healthy, so it’s hard to get all those guys in the rotation. When we traded P to Pittsburgh, it opened up an opportunity to Cox.”

Coming out of the bye week, the Packers’ pass rush has continued to pick up steam each week. New Orleans’ quarterback Spencer Rattler was under pressure on 52.6% of his dropbacks–the third-highest rate in Week 16. The week prior, Seattle quarterbacks Sam Howell and Geno Smith each ranked top 10 in Week 15 pressure rate, while in Week 13, Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa ranked sixth in dropbacks under pressure, and San Francisco’s Brandon Allen ranked 12th the week before.

Comfort in Hafley’s scheme and defenders more steadily winning their one-on-one matchups have contributed to this recent success in the trenches, but so has the Green Bay offense. By jumping out to a number of quick multi-score leads, that forces the opposing offense out of their gameplan as they become pass-heavy and a bit one-dimensional, allowing the pass rush to pin its ears back.

“It’s been great,” said Kenny Clark of the pass rush after the New Orleans game. “We’ve been doing a great job of stopping the run and getting the guys in drop-back situations. Offense is doing a great job scoring points, and we’re able to rush after that.”

Zayne Anderson, Packers’ defense showcase depth vs Saints but much bigger test incoming

Paul Bretl | 12/24/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — An injury to Evan Williams late in the week resulted in Zayne Anderson making his first ever start on Monday night against the New Orleans Saints, and it’s a role that he will have to continue to fill through the final two weeks of the regular season.

Williams was not on the Packers’ injury report the first two days of the week leading up to the matchup with New Orleans. However, Williams popped up on the Saturday injury report with a quad, an injury that, as Matt LaFleur described, happened on the first play of practice that day and could keep him sidelined for a period of time.

“There’s concern,” said LaFleur of Wiliams’ injury after the win over New Orleans. “I would think that he’s going to be out a period of time. Nothing like long-term. Just one of those deals. It’s unfortunate I think it happened on the first play of practice. He just pulled up.

“I know he’s bummed, because it’s the second time it’s happened to him. But he’ll persevere, and we’ll hopefully get him back, hopefully in time for the playoffs.”

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Although Monday night was Anderson’s first start of his NFL career on defense, it wasn’t the first time that the Packers had turned to him this season. During Green Bay’s Week 14 matchup with Detroit, Williams exited with a concussion.

Rather than moving Javon Bullard from the nickel to safety in the middle of that game, the Packers wanted to maintain as much continuity on the back end as possible and instead called upon Anderson to lineup next to McKinney. Anderson would make three total tackles in that game, including a third down stop at the line of scrimmage on Lions’ running back David Montgomery.

Coming into this season, Anderson, a core special teams player, had just 21 career defensive snaps with that playing time coming in mop-up duty. However, while Anderson may still be a relatively inexperienced player in terms of playing time on defense, his preparation on a day-to-day basis and attention to detail in the meeting rooms and on the practice field had him prepared to step into a much larger role.

“It’s just focus,” said Xavier McKinney about Anderson. “It’s in the meeting rooms. We sit next to each other. Me and Zayne sit next to each other, so we steady bouncing ideas off of each other, bouncing ideas just around the room and just trying to get the communication 100% clear just within the room.

“But just the focus man, how he prepares in meetings, how he goes out there and practices, how intentional he is about making sure he’s in the right spots and I think that’s really the biggest thing, always being in communication with myself or just everybody in the room.”

Anderson would play 47 defensive snaps against the Saints, often filling the deep safety role as McKinney roamed the defensive backfield as he does. Anderson was in on two tackles, forced a pass breakup on the one target that came his way in the passing game, and also came away with his first NFL interception.

“They ran a wiley, is what we call it, and they sell it with a backside screen,” said Anderson of the interception. “So I saw the screen and I was in the down safety, we practice this a lot, our offense does it against us. As soon as I saw the screen, bailed out, usually the wiley comes late and so bailed out, saw it, the ball was in the air and just made a play.”

Making Anderson’s performance even more impressive was that he had very little time to prepare for this start. With Williams’ injury occurring so late in the week, he took the bulk of the starting reps in practice. This again is a testament to how Anderson prepares.

“He’s done an outstanding job,” LaFleur said of Anderson. “That was big-time for him. That happened on Saturday. So, Evan had been taking the majority of the reps all weeklong, and it just shows his ability to go in there and perform at a high level, make some key plays.

“It was cool to see after our Sunday walk-through, I’m walking through our CRIC area and X has all the guys out there and they’re going through some things, because we had Omar up, as well. But it was cool to see.”

It wasn’t only Williams who the Packers were without in this game, but also sidelined were Jaire Alexander, Javon Bullard, and Quay Walker. Having to rely on their reserves, which included Keisean Nixon lining up in the slot, along with Carrington Valentine, Eric Stokes and Corey Ballentine on the boundary, as well as Eric Wilson taking over the Mike linebacker responsibilities, the Green Bay defense put together a dominant performance against an, albeit, shorthanded Saints’ offense.

In each phase defensively, the Packers controlled the game. The defense pitched the first shutout of the season in the NFL. Rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler threw an interception, totaled just 153 passing yards, and averaged only 5.1 yards per attempt, while facing constant pressure from the Packers’ defensive front.

According to PFF’s metrics, Rattler was under duress on nearly 53% of his dropbacks–the third-highest rate among quarterbacks in Week 16. The Green Bay run defense would also hold the New Orleans backs to just 3.4 yards per rush.

“We can do whatever we want to do,” said Kenny Clark. “We write our own story at the end of the day. We’ve just got to keep on building. Each and every week, we’re just trying to get better and be able to play our best football into the postseason. So we’ve got, what, two more games left, we’ve got to keep stacking these wins.”

Now, a much bigger challenge awaits this Packers team and the defense with a matchup on the road against Minnesota looming. Led by a passing attack that features Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, the Vikings’ offense is averaging the ninth-most points per game this season.

We will see what the week holds once the Packers return to the practice field, but from the sounds of it, they will again be without Williams, while the statuses of Alexander, Bullard, and Walker remain up in the air at this time, potentially testing the depth of this unit once again and against a much more dangerous opponent.

“It’s a very big game,” said Jordan Love of the matchup against Minnesota. “Division game, and then obviously we lost to them earlier this season so one of these games we need to get back. We’ve got to go win this game, and we talked about it earlier, we’ve got to be able to beat these good teams.

“The Vikings are a very good team and we’ve got to be able to go into their place and handle business. But it starts with the work we put in throughout the week, get the good game-planning going, but yeah, we definitely owe these guys and we’ll be motivated to go play them.”

Packers run game showcases its versatility in win vs Saints

Paul Bretl | 12/23/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The run game was again a catalyst behind the Packers’ success on offense, this time as they cruised to victory over the New Orleans Saints, while clinching a playoff spot in the process.

However, unlike in previous games, where Josh Jacobs shouldered the workload on the ground, a number of others got in on the action on Monday night as well, showcasing the versatility that the Packers have with their rushing attack.

“We just want to put the ball in our playmakers hands and we definitely saw looks from this team specifically of ways we could expose that,” said Christian Watson of the receivers involvement in the run game. “So it’s definitely something that we implemented to try to get the ball in our guys hands.”

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Now, of course, Jacobs was still the focal point, leading the team in attempts and yards with 13 carries for 69 yards at an efficient 5.3 yards per rush. Jacobs would also rush for a touchdown in his sixth consecutive game–the second-longest such streak in Packers’ franchise history.

But joining Jacobs in the run game’s success were eight other players. As you’d expect, we saw Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks get their opportunities, with the backup duo totaling 75 yards on 17 carries, along with each player finding the end zone as well.

“It’s a good group all around,” said Jordan Love after the game. “I think everyone had a touchdown in that group tonight so I think that’s always fun whenever all those guys can get touchdowns and get those opportunities to get some touches.

“But obviously, Josh is the main guy in that group and then to have Emanuel and Chris be able to come in and they had some big-time runs tonight too, breaking tackles and just those second-effort plays which goes unnoticed. But yeah, it’s a really good group that we’re going to need to lean on.”

In addition to the running backs, Jordan Love would also scramble for two yards on a play and Malik Willis had three carries–including two kneel downs–as well once he entered the game. We again saw Tucker Kraft initially go in motion while Love was in shotgun before quickly stopping under center to get the snap on a 3rd-and-1 play to pick up the first down. Kraft is now 3-for-3 in picking up first downs on such plays this season.

So right there, six different Packers players touched the ball in the run game. But where did the rest of the carries come from?

Well, it was the receiver position. Between Christian Watson, Bo Melton, and Jayden Reed, the three would carry the ball four times, totaling 42 yards. With nine different players recording a carry in this game, it was the first time since 1953 that this many players have had a rush attempt for the Packers, according to ESPN.

“We knew (they) weren’t traveling as much with the motions, so we started handing the ball off,” said Bo Melton. “Saw a lot of guys get around the edge on them, so we just started running out of the outside-zone things. It was fun.”

After multiple weeks of Green Bay frequently giving the ball to Jacobs between the tackles, the Packers utilized that previous tape to their advantage with misdirections, play-fakes, and getting the ball in their receivers’ hands as they stretched the defense horizontally by running towards the boundary.

In general, this element, running outside the tackle box, was a big part of the gameplan on the ground and went a bit against the grain in regards to what they had done in recent weeks. According to PFF’s initial metrics, six of Jacobs’ 13 carries went outside the tackles. For Wilson, eight of his 11 rushes were outside and Brooks had three of his six attempts head towards the boundary.

This ability that the Packers have shown to run between the tackles with a gap-blocking scheme and on the perimeter with an outside zone scheme adds a layer of unpredictability to their running game. Sure, defenses know Green Bay wants to run the ball, but they can attack opponents in a variety of ways with that, particularly when the receivers begin to get involved as well.

“We wanted to run a little bit outside zone tonight and we did,” said Sean Rhyan. “That’s kind of our base, core O-line thing is we’re an outside zone team and we’ve been going to a little bit gap scheme these past few weeks. Tonight was really good because it lets teams know that we still got outside. You can’t let those edges get soft now. It was real good.”

When it was all said and done on Monday night, the Packers finished the game rushing for 188 yards, three touchdowns, and averaging 4.8 yards per rush as a team.

“They’re playing good,” said Love of the offensive line. “I mean, anytime you can run the ball the way we’re running the ball, it’s obviously a testament to the Oline. And then in the pass game, another game no sacks so they’re playing really well as a unit and they’re going out there and handling business.

“There’s a lot that’s put on their plate with protections and different things that we do, and they’re doing a great job. We’re going to need to keep leaning on them obviously like I said with the run game but the pass game they’ve been great.”

The Packers’ reliance on other ball carriers and not running between the tackles as often was clearly a big part of the gameplan and is something they thought they could exploit against this Saints’ defense. The trickle-down effect of that, along with jumping out to a big lead, is that it also resulted in the Packers being able to take some of the workload and impact off of Jacobs’ shoulders with him on the sidelines for much of the second half.

Jacobs entered Monday night’s game having carried the ball 265 times this season, which was the third-highest mark in football through 14 games. If we add in his 31 receptions, Jacobs had touched the ball nearly 300 times this season and has been on the field for 589 snaps and that doesn’t include his workload from the Saints’ matchup.

This heavy involvement in the offense isn’t anything new for Jacobs. During his All-Pro 2022 season was Las Vegas, Jacobs was on the field for over 800 offensive snaps and carried the ball 340 times that year, on his way to rushing for 1,653 yards.

Although the path that Jacobs is currently on with Green Bay may not be uncharted territory, he is on pace for this 2024 season to be the second most carries he’s had over his six-year playing career. Through regular communication during the week with the coaching staff, his weekly preparation, and running style meant to mitigate the force of the impact, Jacobs has remained fresh this season, even with all those touches.

What the Packers put on Jacobs’ plate is always going to be front of mind in an effort to make sure he is fresh as possible come the postseason. With that said, if Jacobs is feeling good and until the Packers’ playoff position is set in stone, they will continue to rely on him as needed.

“I think that’s all the time,” said LaFleur when asked about being aware of Jacobs’ workload. “I think we got to be mindful of his workload 100% and he does a great job communicating with us in terms of where he’s at, and he’s been pretty healthy. So and certainly the production speaks for itself. I mean, he’s an animal out there.”

The Green Bay running game nearly outperformed the passing game. Love would complete 16-of-28 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown. He averaged a modest 6.5 yards per attempt. In total, the Packers threw for 216 yards, with a 34-yard completion from Willis to Reed capping things off.

Overall, the Packers’ passing game couldn’t quite find its groove in this game, appearing disjointed at times throughout the night. While now at 5-10, the Saints have had their issues this season, where they’ve regularly made things difficult for opponents is through the air. New Orleans entered the game ranked eighth in interceptions, second in pass deflections, and had the fourth-lowest opponent passer rating.

“If you look at how they’ve been playing defensively, especially over the last five weeks, that’s a stingy group and they’re tough to go against,” LaFleur said of the Saints. “So I thought we came out of the gates the way we needed to and we weren’t getting a ton of explosive plays – they make you earn it, they can challenge you.

“I thought they did a good job of playing off of some tendencies they may have had on tape. Joe Woods, I’ve got a lot of respect for him. I think he’s one of the better coaches in this league and he was keeping us off balance quite a bit.”

Sparked by the running game, the Packers’ offense is rolling right now. After their performance against the Saints, the Packers have now scored at least 30 points in five straight games. Obviously, in order for that to happen, there has to be a lot of good. However, while true, the Packers also believe that there is still some meat left on that bone.

“There was a lot of good things,” said LaFleur of the offensive performance. “Certainly some things that were frustrating in the second half. I didn’t love that pseudo two-minute drive at the end of the first half, didn’t capitalize on that, had a three and out and had to punt. And then there were a couple missed opps I think in the second half.

“I thought they did a good job of getting to Jordan when we decided to throw the ball. Like I said, they played a little bit more man coverage in the second half and made it a little bit more difficult just to get explosive plays. But ultimately it was one of those where you felt pretty comfortable with a lead and you weren’t going to get too crazy, and kinda, we did what we had to do running the football.”