Green Bay Packers edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare is in the midst of what will likely turn out to be his best NFL season so far. With three regular season games to go, he has already posted career highs for sacks and forced fumbles and is on pace for new personal bests in tackles and quarterback pressures.
Enagbare, who began the 2024 season as a rotational player, has seen his role increase significantly since Preston Smith was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 10. Enagbare has started four out of the last five games, including the most recent win against the Seattle Seahawks.
In Seattle, Enagbare had one of his best performances to date, and one series in particular really stood out when he made three consecutive stops to get the defense off the field during the final drive of the third quarter.
If it isn’t already obvious, for this week’s film room, we are diving into that very series.
Let’s begin.
1st & 10
To set the scene, the Seahawks were down 23 to 6 and relying on backup quarterback Sam Howell to lead a comeback after Geno Smith exited the game with a knee injury. Seattle had an empty backfield on the first play, and Enagbare (#55) went with pure power to beat right tackle Abraham Lucas. After getting off the block, he did a good job closing the distance to secure the sack. It was about as quick and clean of a pass rush as you could ask for.
2nd & 15
Now behind the sticks, the Seahawks dropped back to pass again to try to pick up the first down or get into a manageable third down. Howell’s initial read isn’t there, so he decides to scramble. Enagbare is running a stunt with defensive tackle Kenny Clark to try to free up Clark. However, he quickly notices that Howell has broken out of the pocket in his direction and disengages from his block to chase him down for a minimal gain.
3rd & 13
Now in a tough down and distance, Seattle needed a big play to keep the drive alive. Unfortunately, this played right into the hands of Green Bay’s pass rush, which had wreaked havoc for most of the game. Enagbare is on the right edge this time, running a stunt with defensive tackle Karl Brooks. Enagbare does a nice job as the penetrator, eating up two blockers to get Brooks a clear path to the quarterback. After recognizing he’s in trouble, Howell again tried to scramble but is noticed by corner Keisean Nixon. Although Nixon whiffed on his tackle attempt, it gave Enagbare enough time to get back into the play and make the sack. Overall, great effort and awareness by Enagbare.
One player single-handedly forcing a three-and-out doesn’t happen very often, and it didn’t hit Enagbare until he got to the sideline.
“It really didn’t hit me until I got to the sideline like, ‘Okay, yeah, I just had a good little series.'” Enagbare said during a one-on-one sit down with Larry McCarren of Packers.com.
The third-year edge rusher stepped up in a big way in Sunday’s win, recording five tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks. Hopefully, it’s a sign of things to come, as the Packers will need more standout contributions from the defense to secure a playoff spot and make a deep postseason run.