Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur said a combination of factors, including both execution and effort, contributed to his defense’s issues against the run during a loss to Dalvin Cook and the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
The Packers gave up 163 rushing yards to Cook, who scored four total touchdowns and powered the Vikings’ upset win at Lambeau Field.
Asked about what he saw in the run defense on Monday, LaFleur pointed to a number of different concerns. A few included fundamental aspects of defending the run. Others were individual player issues.
He talked about gap integrity: “Certainly there were times when we weren’t gap sound and there were big running lanes. You can’t give a quality back like Dalvin Cook those opportunities.”
He talked about missed tackles: “We had too many missed tackles. We have to make sure we have 11 hats rolling to the football, playing relentlessly, with that intent, on every play.”
He talked about effort: “If a guy is tired, we got a lot of confidence in the guys on the sideline to go in there and replace one of those guys. We just got to make sure we give our best effort each and every play. That we’re doing our 1/11th.”
He talked about not doing too much: “It takes sound, fundamental (football), doing your job to the best of your ability. And when you don’t, and you try and do too much, that’s when stuff like that happens.”
Cook produced 111 yards after first contact, according to Pro Football Focus, and the Packers missed 11 total tackles, including eight against Cook.
On his first touchdown, Cook burst off the right side and through a wide-open lane – with Montravius Adams, Krys Barnes and Preston Smith all blocked at the point of attack – for a 21-yard score. On a 9-yard run in the second quarter, Barnes appeared to play the wrong gap, allowing Cook to fly untouuched into the second level. A play later, Barnes and Kamal Martin both overpursued to their right, allowing a clear cutback lane and seven easy yards. Later, Cook broke a tackle attempt of Kingsley Keke at the line of scrimmage, burst into the secondary and gained 36 yards. In the fourth, Smith, Barnes and Dean Lowry were all out-leveraged at the point of attack on a 17-yard run. Later in the quarter, Rashan Gary failed to set the edge, allowing Cook to bounce the play outside for seven yards.
The Packers played primary base defense – with three down linemen, two edge defenders and two inside linebackers – on most snaps against the Vikings’ heavy personnel on Sunday. It didn’t matter because of the consistent issues described by LaFleur above.
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