“We knew we had to stop the run. That didn’t happen.”
Matt LaFleur’s summation of his defense’s performance against the Minnesota Vikings was spot on. The Green Bay Packers had no answer for Dalvin Cook even though the Vikings made it clear they were going to run it down their throats. In the end, they deserved to lose.
Seven games into 2020 and it seems very possible that the run defense could lead to this team’s downfall once again. Last year it was Raheem Mostert who racked up 220 yards on the ground and four touchdowns during the NFC Championship Game. Today, Cook totaled 226 yards from scrimmage and scored all four of the Vikings’ touchdowns to secure the win. Both instances just so happen to be the last two times a player has had 200 yards and four touchdowns in a single game. And both occurred against the Packers.
If Green Bay had made Jimmy Garoppolo beat them, they would have had a better chance of playing in the Super Bowl. However, Garoppolo only needed to throw it eight times to win the game. Sunday, Cousins only needed 14. Not exactly a winning recipe. Cousins, who leads the NFL in interceptions, wasn’t forced to throw the ball. Play physical and run the ball, that’s how you beat this Green Bay team.
So, what did the Packers do to improve their run game after it weighed on them for an entire offseason?
Less than a month after seeing his defense get gashed, LaFleur announced that Mike Pettine would stay on as the defensive coordinator. LaFleur wasn’t a prisoner of the moment. He clearly thought Pettine was worthy of another chance if they could add a few more tools at his disposal.
The Packers went into the offseason knowing what they needed to strengthen the middle of their defense. They started by letting their best run-stuffing linebacker Blake Martinez walk in free agency. It wasn’t the wrong decision. Martinez was paid like a playmaking linebacker despite lacking obvious playmaking traits.
Green Bay replaced him with Christian Kirksey, who was far cheaper but also less durable. Kirksey missed a combined 23 games in 2018 and 2019 due to injury. This season, he’s missed four games, including Week 8’s train wreck. With every game he misses, the Kirksey signing looks more and more like a black eye for general manager Brian Gutekunst.
In Gutekunst’s defense, linebackers Krys Barnes and Kamal Martin look like two pretty good finds. However, games this one against Minnesota show how easy it can be to exploit two young and inexperienced starters.
Gutekunst followed up the Kirskey signing by making no impactful additions to the defensive line. Not through free agency or the draft. By standing pat, they chose to rely on collective jumps from Montravious Adams, Dean Lowry, Tyler Lancaster, and Kingsley Keke. This strategy has yet to pay off.
The Packers aren’t making it easy to defend their decisions from the offseason. Pettine is still the defensive coordinator even though the defense is still facing the same problems after almost no changes to their personnel. If it’s talent you lack, the scheme needs to be better to help offset those deficiencies. It hasn’t been, so inevitably this has to fall back on Pettine and his inability to get the most out of what he’s been dealt. It’s not like he has nothing to work with on this defense, either.
Unfortunately for Green Bay, they don’t have time to lick their wounds. They are set to face a tough 49ers team in just a few days. San Francisco is pretty banged up, which could help the Packers. However, if the defense lays an egg, Pettine might have coached his last game with Green Bay.
[lawrence-related id=52560,52546,52487]
[listicle id=52551]