The Green Bay Packers young group of receivers is going to have to contend with a very aggressive Chiefs secondary that is going to challenge them every step of the way.
“They do a really good job of challenging you,” said Matt LaFleur, “specifically on the back end. They’re very, very aggressive, especially when they play man coverage. They’re going to try to choke you out at the line of scrimmage.”
In addition to this Kansas City defense being willing to blitz from really any part of the secondary, their cornerbacks are going to get up on the line of scrimmage and attempt to disrupt the timing and the route itself with their physical play style.
Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed ranks 12th amongst his position group in total forced incompletions. Joshua Williams ranks 31st in forced incompletion rate out of 128 eligible cornerbacks. Sneed, along with slot cornerback Trent McDuffie, both rank in the top 20 in total man coverage snaps this season.
“I think he’s a guy that competes every snap,” said LaFleur of Sneed. “You have to earn versus this guy. He’s going to contest everything. He plays sticky coverage, and he’s going to challenge you at the line of scrimmage. He does a really good job of getting up in your face, and he’ll quick jam you. He makes it very difficult on all the receivers he’s played, and he’s gone against some pretty damn good receivers this year.”
It was this type of physical play, along with disguised coverages that gave the Packers young receivers fits early in the season. These elements, in part, contributed to the timing of the route or the entire route itself being thrown off, which led to a disconnect between Jordan Love and his receiver, and it looking like the two weren’t anywhere close to being on the same page.
At this stage of the season, the Packers receivers are better equipped to handle this style of play, in large part due to the added experience they’ve gotten and the variety of different coverage looks they’ve now seen.
A prime example of the growth they’ve experienced came in the Chargers game on the touchdown pass to Christian Watson. That play design was not something the offense had worked on at all, but rather was drawn up on the fly by tight ends coach John Dunn, based on a look the Chargers gave Green Bay earlier in the drive. The play was executed flawlessly, and later in the week, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said that was not something this offense would have been able to do – adjust on the fly like that – just a few weeks prior.
“I would just say you be the hammer, not the nail,” said Jayden Reed when asked about competing against aggressive cornerbacks. “Just be in attack mode. You deliver the first attack mode, like I said. We talked about that a lot. Don’t let them hit you first before you hit them.”
As a group, the Chiefs defense is allowing just 16.5 points per game, they’ve been one of the best at limiting explosive pass plays, and the secondary is giving up only 5.6 yards per pass attempt this season to opposing quarterbacks, which is the third-fewest in football. However, while their aggressive and physical nature presents a challenge, there is also the opportunity for the Packers to exploit that.
Over the course of the season, Love and the Packers receivers have been at their best when facing man coverage instead of zone. Between the speed and route running abilities that this unit as a whole possesses, they’re difficult to stick with in one-on-one situations, and able to create separation. If the receivers can get off the line of scrimmage cleanly, the opportunity to win their matchup will be there.
Also, when you blitz as often as the Chiefs have, that means there is one less defender in coverage, leaving a defense susceptible on the back end to explosive pass plays, as long as the offensive line is able to give the quarterback time.
“There’s a lot of problems they can create,” said Adam Stenavich, “but it also creates opportunities on the back end. A lot of man-to-man coverage and things like that. So if you block it up and you’re on the right page upfront and give the quarterback time, and the receives some time to get open, there’s a lot of great things that can happen on the back end.”
The quick passing game and the ability for the Packers pass catchers to win quickly in this game is likely going to be paramount, going up against a defense that blitzes at the sixth-highest rate in football and has generated pressures at the second-highest rate. The inability to win those matchups on the boundary will likely spell disaster for the Green Bay offense.
While going against a physical group of corners certainly has its challenges, the Packers receivers are now also better equipped to handle that style of play as well.
“I think it’s part of the process though,” said Love after the Detroit win on the progress the passing game has made. “We are just taking it week-by-week. Focusing on what we can do throughout the week to get better. Focusing on the areas we can improve on and we are going out there and practicing really hard throughout the week, then obviously, you see the growth that’s starting to show every week.
“It’s just a testament to everybody showing up working, staying committed to the process, not comparing that things aren’t perfect so far. But just showing up with that mindset that we are going to work, get better, find ways to improve, and just keep stacking days.”