The Packers’ protection gave a press release efficiency of their Week 7 win over the Houston Texans. Coming into the week, Inexperienced Bay had been up and down on that facet of the ball, typically trying nice and typically trying just like the unit that struggled final 12 months. Nevertheless, what they did to QB CJ Stroud and the Texans must be damaged down, as a result of they poked holes in all of Houston’s safety plans en path to a 24-22 victory.
The Packers held Stroud to 81 yards passing, a -0.14 EPA/play and sacked Stroud 4 occasions. How they went about it was actually cool to see, and answered lots of questions I had for first-year defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
Houston does lots of full slide protections. What does that imply? Effectively, which means whichever facet the Texans name their safety to, the complete offensive line slides that manner. You find yourself with one man being unblocked deliberately, however what Houston does is chip block him with the tight finish to purchase Stroud time to evade the strain. Inexperienced Bay knew this, and strained their guidelines for the complete recreation.
This one was a mix of the Texans getting gamed up and only a failure on Houston’s half to type by this strain. Inexperienced Bay is in a 5 man entrance, however have three quick speeding threats to the fitting facet of the offensive line, our left on the display screen. Houston slides everybody to that facet, however what Inexperienced Bay does is that they find yourself looping EDGE Rashan Gary round to the center of the pocket. On the opposite facet, LB Eric Wilson attracts the eyes of LT Laremy Tunsil, holding him unaware of EDGE Kingsley Enagbare, who beats the chip and has a beeline in direction of the QB. Stroud beats Enagbare, however Gary looping round creates an excessive amount of strain and Stroud dirts the ball.
This sack by Packers S Xavier McKinney (who has performed at a very excessive degree this season) was one other instance of gaming up the Texans’ full slide protections. Inexperienced Bay begins with seven quick threats lined up on the line of scrimmage. Houston goes to full slide to the fitting, with TE Dalton Schultz staying within the safety to dam the previous unblocked man off the sting. On the snap, the Packers find yourself dropping EDGE Preston Smith and each linebackers to the left of your display screen. On the fitting facet, Gary loops once more, however watch what it does to Schultz. His eyes are so locked in on Gary, whereas Tunsil and LG Kenyon Inexperienced are adjusting to Kenny Clark, that no one picks up McKinney flying in off the sting. A simple sack, unblocked strain. The Packers did this to the tune of a 44.8% strain charge on Sunday, by FAR their highest of the season.
The Texans tried to regulate, going to half slide protections. Because of this as an alternative of the complete line sliding to the fitting or left, solely half the road will slide, and the opposite half will defend the person in entrance of them. Inexperienced Bay poked at this by utilizing a collection of picks to unlock their defenders. This can be a good one by Eric Wilson, who’s on the facet the Texans find yourself sliding to. He collides with Inexperienced, forcing the Texans’ middle to tackle Kenny Clark. Inexperienced can’t recuperate, and Wilson is credited along with his exhausting work with a sack.
Wilson once more will get credited with a sack, however this time he’s on the receiving finish of a decide between two linebackers. Mugged fronts (2 LBs walked up in each A-gaps) are all the trend relating to constructing strain packages, and the Packers dialed it as much as confuse Houston once more. In the event you seen within the above clip, the RB for Houston steps up within the pocket towards these mugged fronts to dam whoever the middle doesn’t find yourself blocking once they slide. What Inexperienced Bay does is use LB Edgerrin Cooper to collide with the middle, which frees up Wilson. The again has eyes on Cooper, and doesn’t readjust rapidly sufficient to provide any resistance.
This was occurring all day for Inexperienced Bay, discovering their weak point and attacking it.
This one was from the start of the sport, however I believed it was fairly superior, and reveals how Inexperienced Bay was simply poking and prodding at Houston all recreation. Inexperienced Bay comes out in a 5 man entrance, however LB Quay Walker is on the sting. Houston sees this, and factors out Walker for the again. Houston goes to try to half slide to their proper, with the RB coming throughout and blocking the LB if he comes.
Effectively, the LB by no means comes. Walker drops into protection, and the 5 man entrance turns into 4. What actually units this off is the motion of Rashan Gary. Pre-snap, he’s lined up on the left facet, which is what prompted the pointing to the left facet (you’ll be able to see the RB look to his left earlier than going into the route). Nevertheless, he strikes off the ball proper earlier than the snap, throwing a wrench in all of the plans. Cooper runs on the middle, however particularly runs to his proper, into the slide. After the middle declares, Gary has a free run at Stroud and it leads to an incompletion. Simply impeccable work.
Inexperienced Bay takes on a revived Jacksonville Jaguars workforce on Sunday, however a workforce that has struggled with totally different blitz appears to be like this 12 months. If the Inexperienced Bay defensive position can proceed to play like this and Hafley can coach it up this manner, the Packers grow to be much more harmful than they have been earlier than.
