Paul Bretl | 9/23/2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers haven’t just won the last two games without Jordan Love, they’ve also shown that they have the ability to do so in a variety of ways depending on what each specific game calls for. This is a skill that could pay dividends down the road.
“It’s huge,” said Christian Watson about the last two weeks. “Honestly, I think in Week 1 and even leading up, execution was a big emphasis for us. We know we got the guys to accomplish what we need to accomplish. We just have to go out there and execute. Obviously, we didn’t have it like that Week 1 and I think these past two weeks we’ve been executing really well. We just gotta keep on doing that. If we keep on doing what we’re doing, we’re gonna be in a good spot.”
Against the Colts, with Malik Willis at quarterback having just arrived in Green Bay three weeks earlier, and facing a porous Indianapolis run defense, the Packers ran their way to victory, rushing the ball 53 times. Then this past Sunday against Tennessee, who had one of the more stingy run defenses in football through two games, the passing game had to shoulder a heavier workload, generating four explosive plays of at least 30 yards.
But beyond the number of running plays versus passing plays, schematically, Matt LaFleur has thrown a lot at opposing defenses, and the players have executed it nearly flawlessly. This includes both outside zone runs and gap scheme, a hefty amount of pre-snap motion, receivers utilized in the running game, designed quarterback runs, deep shots, and short area throws with YAC potential.
“Man, ain’t nothing changed,” said Dontayvion Wicks after the Colts’ game. “Everybody wants to win. It’s just circumstances where we had to step up and we did. But yeah, ain’t nothing changed. We all have a winning mindset. We want to win, do whatever we can to help the team out.”
The Packers’ defense hasn’t had to adjust to the extent that the offense has, but we’ve seen a group under Jeff Hafley that doesn’t necessarily have a set game-plan either. They have their core defensive principles but ultimately it is the game flow that dictates how they approach each series.
A prime example of this was the pass rush on Sunday that, as the game went on, took a more aggressive approach with the Titans trailing and becoming more pass-heavy, whereas early on, the front was more controlled, being mindful of the Tennessee run game and Will Levis’ ability to extend plays.
At the second and third levels, we’ve seen the linebackers blitz and we’ve seen them drop in coverage. We’ve seen single high looks from the defensive backs and cover-2. There’s been man coverage and there’s been zone. If I were to use one word to describe the Packers’ defensive game plans through three games, I would choose ‘flexible.’
In addition to all of that, you have a Packers team with a lot of talent, resulting in a number of players seeing regular playing time. This includes the rotation at right guard between Sean Rhyan and Jordan Morgan prior to his injury, six wide receivers who all see snaps, Emanuel Wilson having nearly a 50-50 snap count split with Josh Jacobs on Sunday, four linebackers who see snaps, a rotation at cornerback between Eric Stokes and Carrington Valentine, along with Evan Williams being worked in with Javon Bullard at safety.
“I think you’ve got to have the people that you trust in order to put in there and I think we have probably a deeper roster than we’ve had,” said LaFleur last week. “And so, most of these guys aren’t first year players, so they’ve gotten more experience and they’ve earned those opportunities. So I think the more you can do that, you talk about player development. That’s the best way to develop players is to get them out there and play.”
Having a variety of players that can be relied upon brings a variety of skill sets for the coaches to implement into the game plan. This then opens up the playbook for both LaFleur and Hafley and, from the opposition’s standpoint, makes it really difficult to get a beat on how the Packers might attack them because they have so many different directions they can go.
The Colts knew the Packers would want to run the ball with Willis, but the first quarter production in that game shows a defense that was stunned by how Green Bay went about doing so.
“It says a lot,” said Emanuel Wilson about the offense’s production. “We can hurt you in many different ways. We just go out there and prepare for the week.”
Particularly during the playoffs, when the intensity is kicked up several notches, the margin between winning and losing becomes even smaller. At that stage, the successful teams have a counter for whatever the opposition throws at them and tries to take away. Through three games, the Packers have shown that they don’t have just one or two things they can hang their hat on, but multiple ways they can find success.
Adversity is going to hit every team throughout the course of a long NFL season, for the Packers, with the injury to Love, they’re being tested right away. These current circumstances forced the Packers to have to adapt and adjust on the fly–a task that they’ve aced and a lesson that will benefit down the road, and could make them more dangerous when you add Love back into the mix.
“I think that can galvanize our team,” said LaFleur after the Packers’ win in Tennessee. “We needed everybody. I’m a firm believer that you don’t rise to the level of the competition; you sink to the level of your preparation. These guys prepare the right way, they come to work the right way each and every day with a great attitude.”