The Green Bay Packers are 4-1, one win behind the Chicago Bears for the NFC North lead, and the remainder of their regular-season schedule looks very manageable.
Even after a brutal 38-10 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6, plenty of reasons for optimism remain going forward this season. With that being said, there are a few worrisome trends cropping up on defense.
Last year, the Packers’ defense was the epitome of “bend, but don’t break” under defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. The unit surrendered many explosive plays against the run and pass, tied for the seventh-highest average of rushing yards per attempt allowed at 4.7, were 11th-highest in yards per play allowed at 5.7 and 10th-highest in rushing yards allowed at 1,921 in 2019. At the same time, they also ranked seventh in takeaways (25) and turnover percentage (14 percent), as well as top-5 in pressure rate. Previously, the Packers’ defense was able to get by because they were so effective at rushing the passer and creating turnovers. This year, however, it’s been a different story.
Through five games, the Packers have managed three takeaways, a figure that ties them for worst in the NFL. Their pressure rate has also taken a nosedive as they’re currently ranked 31st in the league with a rate of 17 percent.
Part of the Packers’ struggles with rushing the passer this season can be attributed to the absence of defensive tackle Kenny Clark, who missed three games with a groin injury. Even when Clark returned to the lineup vs. Tampa Bay last week, though, they still couldn’t generate much pressure.
Veteran outside linebacker Preston Smith is probably the biggest culprit at the moment, as he has regressed dramatically as a pass rusher during the early part of the 2020 NFL season. Through five games, Smith has registered half a sack and totaled a mere four pressures. Second-year outside linebacker Rashan Gary looked like he might be ready to take a significant step forward in the first few weeks of the season, but he’s been fairly quiet the last few weeks. Veteran outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith has still been the team’s top pass rusher with five sacks and 11 pressures, but he hasn’t been getting after the quarterback at nearly the same rate as he did last year. All of these factors have contributed to the Packers’ pass-rushing struggles.
Missed tackles have emerged as a major issue this year, too. Currently, the Packers have 49 missed tackles this season, a figure that ties them for the fifth-worst mark in the NFL. It was especially egregious in the Week 3 game vs. the New Orleans Saints when running back Alvin Kamara rushed for 58 yards on six carries and caught 13 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns.
Stopping the run has still been a struggle for the Packers’ defense as well. Their linebackers and safeties have been missing too many tackles and their defensive linemen have been moved out of gaps far too often. Currently, they’ve allowed the 10th-highest rush yards per attempt average at 4.7, and their overall numbers as a run defense would probably be much worse if they weren’t playing with leads throughout many of their early-season games.
The Packers still have time to clean up a lot of their issues on defense but the scheme needs to start putting individual players in better positions to succeed and several players need to step up as well.