Paul Bretl | 9/19/2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Is this the week we see the Packers’ pass rush take the governor off and really get after the quarterback?
Throughout training camp, we heard from both coaches and players about this new attacking defensive front we were going to see under defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. And it wasn’t just talk, in the practices I watched daily, you could see the disruptive ability that this group has.
However, through the first two games, that element has been a bit under wraps, given the Packers’ opponents in Week 1 and 2, that’s what the game-plans called for. While there were still instances where the Packers took their chances and tried to drum up some quick pressures, overall, it was a different approach from the summer.
“We were trying to get pressure,” said Hafley, “it just wasn’t your–maybe you guys saw in camp where just going 100 miles an hour, getting up field and ripping and running because that guy is going to step up and make you pay. So there were times we took shots and there were times we were calculated. When you are playing a guy who is capable of doing that stuff you’ve got to stick and move a little bit there.”
Facing Jalen Hurts and Anthony Richardson, two quarterbacks who can hurt defenses with their legs, the Packers took a more controlled pass rush approach, where the emphasis was on keeping both players in the pocket and limiting their opportunities to extend plays.
For the most part, the Packers were able to accomplish this. Between Hurts and Richardson, the two combined for 17 carries–13 of which Hurts had–but totaled just 50 rushing yards.
“That’s two weeks in a row where we’re playing a really athletic quarterback and I know our guys up front, they wanna get those sacks,” said Matt LaFleur after the win on Sunday, “but I can’t tell you how proud I am of just being disciplined up front with our rush. I know there was a couple plays he got out late, but I thought for the most part, they did a really good job of just being disciplined, trying to collapse the pocket, get in front of him and force him to make some bad decisions.”
The trickle-down effect of that approach, however, is that there were fewer opportunities to really get after the quarterback. We saw a lot more power rushes than speed and fewer stunts and twists in an effort to maintain lane integrity and not open up rush lanes for the quarterbacks.
As a result, Hurts ended up with an average time to throw of 3.96-seconds–the 10th longest of any quarterback in Week 1, according to PFF. Richardson, meanwhile, was under pressure on fewer than 30 percent of his 37 dropbacks.
Admittedly, at times it wasn’t easy to be this patient. After all, players like Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, and Kenny Clark are expected to generate sacks and pressures. Those outside of the organization don’t pay attention to how well Gary set the edge on a run or how Clark took on a double team which helped keep a linebacker clean to make a play. However, in these first two games, this selfless approach is what the game-plan called for, so that’s what the players executed on.
“It’s kind of tempting,” said Gary about wanting to rush the quarterback, “especially when you get into the rhythm of rushing an offensive lineman, him understanding, OK, outside move, outside move, yeah, it gets tempting but that’s the main thing of keeping the main thing, and that’s staying to part of the game plan. So, it don’t matter if it gets frustrating. You execute the game plan and do it the right way, we come out with the win, and that’s what we did today.”
This week, the Packers will face Tennessee’s Will Levis, and the opportunity for the defensive front to pin its ears back is likely more prevalent. In large part, the matchup dictates a more aggressive approach. While Philadelphia and Indianapolis each boast two of the better offensive line units in football in the early going, the Tennessee offensive line has been one of the worst pass-blocking units through two games.
Pick a pass-blocking metric, and the Titans are near the bottom. In pass-blocking efficiency from PFF, the Titans’ collective offensive line unit ranks 32nd. In pass-block win rate from ESPN, the Titans ranks 29th.
To take this a step further, out of 71 eligible tackles, Nicholas Petit-Frere’s 11 pressures are the most through two games. Rookie JC Latham has given up six pressures, which is tied for the 14th-most. Among guards, Peter Skoronski has surrendered the sixth-most pressures and Dillon Radunz the ninth-most.
That ability to create steady pressure will not only lead to sack opportunities, putting the Titans’ offense in long down-and-distance situations, but it will disrupt the timing and rhythm of their passing game, and potentially creating some turnover chances with Levis already having thrown three interceptions and two fumbles in two games.
In this attacking Hafley defense, a one-gap scheme, there should be a much more proactive play-style instead of reactive, with the front asked to get off the ball and north or south as quickly as possible, penetrating their way into the backfield rather than reacting to what the offense is doing.
However, having said that, don’t mistake aggressive for reckless either. Levis has the ability to hurt defenses with his legs, totaling 74 rushing yards in two games on just eight carries. There still has to be order and a coordinated effort to how the front rushes, even if there may be more opportunities to let it rip. Game flow and the in-game situations will still dictate how the Packers want to attack.
“If you look at him,” said Hafley of Levis, “he’s a guy who can run. He’s had a bunch of yards and a bunchg of carries and a bunch of big scrambles. Regardless of who you play, you gotta be aware of who’s back there. Do we want to cut it loose more? Absolutely.
“I want to cut it loose every play if we can. I’d love to do that. It’s just you can’t be reckless either. You gotta play sound defense. You gotta have a plan. You gotta have rush lanes. You gotta have rules where he does keep the ball you have an answer for it. So all of a sudden, he doesn’t pull one and pop it for 60 yards because you’re just go-go-go. But yeah, we have to be aggressive and there’s time where we need to be more aggressive.”