The Green Bay Packers defense is coming off a sound performance against the Las Vegas Raiders. Can they build upon that momentum out of the bye week as this unit searches for some sort of consistency?
Green Bay’s defense has been up and down this season. In fact, it’s literally been up and down every week this season.
“I think you look at football and look around the league, and I think we are seeing a lot of that right now,” said Matt LaFleur on Thursday. “Just inconsistent football. I think that’s one of those deals that it’s still relatively early, but the thing is, you just got to make sure you learn from your mistakes and you’re not repeating them. I think that’s how you grow as a team.
“So hopefully, we’ve all the mistakes out of us, and we are growing. I know that, obviously, it’s an imperfect game, and that’s why I think it’s so imperative that when things aren’t perfect, how do you make up for that? And you make up for that just playing with relentless effort. Everybody playing as one.”
Against Chicago in Week 1, outside of a late score by the Bears, the Packers held them to just 14 points. The following week, there was a fourth-quarter collapse by Green Bay as a team, which included Atlanta running back Bijan Robinson rushing for over 200 yards. Then the defense held New Orleans to just 10 points but then surrendered 200-plus rushing yards a few days later to Detroit in a game that was out of reach by halftime.
Coming out of that game, Matt LaFleur said that Green Bay needed to see a philosophical change from the Packers defensively, which included them not being so rigid, as LaFleur put it, in sticking in that shell coverage that Joe Barry relies on so heavily.
Well, against the Raiders, we saw a much less passive unit that was playing with more defenders closer to the line of scrimmage, along with routine safety help over the top to assist with Davante Adams. The end result was the defense being responsible for just 14 of the 17 total points given up, while Josh Jacobs averaged barely over three yards per rush, and Adams totaled only 46 yards.
So now, looking ahead to the Packers matchup on Sunday with Denver–what version of this Green Bay defense are we going to see?
The Broncos offense has been efficient at running the ball this season. As a team, they are averaging 4.9 yards per rush, which is the fourth-best rate in the NFL. This includes running back Jaleel McLaughlin, averaging 6.5 yards per carry, Russell Wilson totaling the fourth-most rushes of 10-plus yards by a quarterback this season, and an offensive line that ranks third in ESPN’s run-block win rate metric.
“He’s always been a guy that you have to defend to the echo of the whistle,” said LaFleur about Wilson. “There was a screenplay, I want to say against the Jets, where they ran a swing screen and D-end peeled, and next thing you know, he takes off and scrambles for like 30 yards. And that’s always been his game. I think we are seeing that a little bit more this year than a year ago. Just his ability to get loose and use his legs and make those off-schedule plays. We watched a bunch of those as a team.
“That’s always been one of the things that you have to combat when you’re playing a guy of his caliber. He’s very good when the plays are not there in rhythm. He’s good when it’s there in rhythm, but you better plaster on the back end and continue to have a relentless pursuit of him. Otherwise, he can make you look silly.”
One of the issues for the Broncos, however, is that they rank 29th in rush attempts per game with just over 21 carries. This, in large part, is a product of the Denver offense frequently playing from behind and often by multiple scores. They just haven’t had the luxury to lean on this facet of their offense, which has been quite efficient.
Complimentary football is always an important element and is something that has often alluded the Packers this season, but the offense’s ability to put points on the board against what is statistically one of the worst defenses in football will provide their own defense with some support by taking away the Denver offense’s ability to lean on the run game. Any time an offense becomes one-dimensional and is regularly in obvious passing situations, the defense has the advantage, specifically from a pass rush perspective, and this is a Denver offensive line that has allowed the ninth-highest pressure rate this season, with Wilson also having a tendency to hold on to the football.
With that said, while containing McLaughlin and Wilson on the ground will be important, this isn’t a game where Barry can put all his eggs into that one basket, either. Against a Raiders offense with Jacobs and Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback, who utilizes the middle of the field and underneath routes often, it’s easier to commit to condensing the field defensively. Wilson, however, is quite willing to push the ball downfield, and he has the playmakers at the receiver position to capitalize on those opportunities.
Entering Week 7, Wilson ranks in the top 10 in downfield pass attempts by a quarterback. Receiver Marvin Mims has the fifth-most receiving yards on passes of 20-plus yards, according to PFF, while Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton have been targeted relatively frequently in that 10 to 19-yard range.
As we’ve discussed here previously, you can’t take away both the run and the pass on the same play. One over the other has to be prioritized on a given down, and for Barry, who has typically leaned on a more passive approach to prevent the big play, how he strikes that balance throughout the game and situationally will be an interesting dynamic to watch unfold.
While it’s Barry’s job to put his defenders in positions to make plays, it’s up to the players’ to execute, which is something else that has been lacking in those down performances. Missed tackles, missed assignments, not shedding blocks, or filling gaps have been common occurrences by the Green Bay defense this season.
On the offensive side of the ball, we’ve heard LaFleur preach about the importance of getting the details right, with all 11 players being on the same page, and that concept applies to the defense as well. This is where consistency begins. By doing the little things correctly and each player executing on their specific role within a given play. Hopefully, the results then follow.
“Mistakes happen,” said run game coordinator Jerry Montgomery. “Guys make mistakes. Guys strain to make a play that’s probably not there’s and all of a sudden that guys out of a gap. Then all of a sudden, it’s a domino effect. When guys are playing fast, physical and doing their job at a high level, we play really good defense.
“So it’s just, we talk about it, being consistent and doing your job. Trust the man next to you and when we do that, we play at a high level. We practice and then you go into the game with that practice prep and you got to put it into action. So now we’ve just got to put it together each week.”