The pass-rush helped the Green Bay Packers escape an upset bid from the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at Lambeau Field.
Mike Pettine’s defense created 20 total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, including 16 from edge rushers Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith and Rashan Gary.
This was the type of disruption – especially late in the game and specifically on the final two drives – that GM Brian Gutekunst envisioned when he signed both Smiths and made Gary the 12th overall pick in 2019.
Both Smiths and Gary delivered pressures – including crucial sacks from Gary and Preston Smith – on the Jaguars’ final three plays, slamming the door shut on the upset-minded visitors and clinching Green Bay’s 24-20 win.
Gary led the team in pressures with seven. Za’Darius Smith had five. Preston Smith had four.
Jaguars rookie quarterback Jake Luton struggled mightily against pressure.
According to PFF, Luton was under pressure on 13 of his 38 dropbacks. When pressured, he took three sacks, completed just one of 10 passes and threw an interception. His passer rating? 0.0.
Gary played one of the best games of his young career. At the very least, it was the most productive. His seven pressures came on just 22 pass-rushing snaps. On the final drive, he beat right tackle Juwan Taylor twice, once for a sack and another for a pressure that directly resulted in Preston Smith’s sack.
Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith combined for nine pressures and eight stops, or tackles constituting a failure for the offense.
On the final play, Za’Darius Smith beat the right guard quickly and nearly had a game-ending sack. Instead, Luton escaped, circled around Gary as he pursued and eventually threw incomplete. The Jaguars quarterback never had a chance to look downfield or even throw downfield on 4th-and-26.
Interior defenders Kenny Clark and Kingsley Keke added three pressures, while rookie linebacker Kamal Martin blew up a passing play with a well-timed and explosive blitz in the first half.
The Packers’ pass-rush showed signs of life on the Jaguars’ second-to-last possession. After driving to near midfield, Luton threw three straight incompletions and the Jaguars punted. All three attempts were either affected or hurried by pressure. On third down, Luton had to step up to avoid Gary and Preston Smith, and Za’Darius Smith pushed the pocket from the inside against a double team, creating a quick throw well short of the sticks.
The Jaguars had an upset brewing at Lambeau Field. Late heroics from Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams erased Jacksonville’s lead, and the Packers’ pass-rush ensured no comeback was in store for Luton.
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