No Za’Darius Smith, no Preston Smith, no problem. Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Rashan Gary produced game-changing plays as the defense’s top edge rusher during a 24-10 win over Taylor Heinicke and the Washington Football Team on Sunday.
Gary created two sacks, four quarterback hits and a momentum-turning strip sack to open the second half, helping the Packers give up just three points over the final three quarters of action and cruise to a sixth consecutive victory.
It’s possible Sunday was the most impressive game of Gary’s young career.
Through six games, Gary led the Packers with 25 total pressures and 11 quarterback hits, but he had just 1.5 sacks. Finally, the consistency of his pressure led to actual takedowns of the quarterback.
On Washington’s first possession of the second half, Gary won around the edge and stripped the ball out of Heinicke’s hands. The fumble was recovered by Dean Lowry at the 27-yard line, and the Packers scored three plays later to go up 21-7.
Later, with the Packers up 24-7, Gary won immediately on an inside move and sacked Heinicke in the pocket, eventually forcing Washington to kick a field goal.
“He was an impact player on this game,” coach Matt LaFleur said.
An unofficial tally of Gary’s performance counted at least eight pressures, including the two sacks. He was consistently pushing the pocket from the edge with power or chasing down Heinicke with effort as he attempted to extend plays.
LaFleur was especially happy with the defense’s pass-rush during the second half of the contest.
Without Za’Darius and Preston Smith available, the Packers needed Gary to make plays and affect the game as a rusher. The 2019 first-round pick answered the call in a big way.
After breaking out over the second half of last season, Gary appears to have taken another step as a player, going from an efficient rotational rusher to a consistently disruptive full-time player. It was a big jump, but games like Sunday proved the path of Gary’s development. The Packers took their time with a superior talent at a premium position, and now they are receiving all the benefits of his maturation as a rusher.
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