Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett admitted Thursday that the Washington Redskins surprised the Packers offense by playing more eight-man coverages than they were expecting during last Sunday’s 20-15 win at Lambeau Field.
The admission could help explain why Aaron Rodgers and the Packers struggled to throw to the football for much of the game.
“They did a lot more drop-eight than we anticipated,” Hackett said Thursday. “We didn’t know it was going to be so consistent, even in the certain downs and distances they were going to do it.”
The Redskins held Rodgers to 195 passing yards on 28 completions. He marched the Packers down the field for touchdowns on two of the team’s three possessions but the offense managed only two field goals the rest of the way.
Unlike most teams, Washington played heavy coverage, choosing to sacrifice personnel in the pass-rush to flood passing lanes with defenders in an effort to get Rodgers to hold the football. And it worked: Rodgers held the ball longer on average on Sunday than in any other game this season, and he rarely found big plays even with extra time.
Hackett said Sunday wasn’t the first time a defense has broken away from tendencies and thrown the Packers a curveball. Last month, the San Francisco 49ers broke away from being a majority zone coverage defense and played mostly man coverage against the Packers.
The Redskins talked all week about stopping Aaron Jones but then played heavy coverage looks.
The goal for opponents is to “confuse” Rodgers and “do whatever they can to do something different” in an effort to keep the Packers veteran quarterback guessing before the snap.
Hackett said the Packers eventually adjusted, converted a few third downs and leaned on running the ball at times. But for several series, especially in the second and third quarters, the Packers were unable to take advantage of opportunities to put the Redskins away due to struggles throwing the ball.
The unexpected coverage looks clearly had an effect on the passing game. Rodgers was inefficient passing and missed several open receivers.
“We just have to continue to be ready for that and not be surprised by it,” Hackett said.
One solution the next time the Packers face a team committed to playing eight-man coverages is to consistently run the ball. Aaron Jones ran 16 times for a season-high 134 yards, and even Matt LaFleur admitted this season the Packers probably should have stuck with the run more on Sunday. Any defense that wants to get smaller players on the field and coverage has to be punished on the ground.
Lesson learned. Teams are going to break tendencies and throw unexpected things at Rodgers and the Packers offense. It’s happened several times this season, and it will happen again over the final three games and into the postseason. The Packers must be ready, both for tendency-breaking looks and the necessary adjustments to the unexpected.