The Packers’ protection gave an announcement 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 wanting nice and typically wanting just like the unit that struggled final yr. Nonetheless, what they did to QB CJ Stroud and the Texans needs to 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 instances. How they went about it was actually cool to see, and answered numerous questions I had for first-year defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
Houston does numerous full slide protections. What does that imply? Properly, which means whichever facet the Texans name their safety to, your complete offensive line slides that means. 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 stress. Inexperienced Bay knew this, and strained their guidelines for your complete sport.
This one was a combination of the Texans getting gamed up and only a failure on Houston’s half to type by this stress. Inexperienced Bay is in a 5 man entrance, however have three instant dashing threats to the suitable facet of the offensive line, our left on the display. 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, preserving him unaware of EDGE Kingsley Enagbare, who beats the chip and has a beeline in the direction of the QB. Stroud beats Enagbare, however Gary looping round creates an excessive amount of stress and Stroud dirts the ball.
This sack by Packers S Xavier McKinney (who has performed at a very excessive stage this season) was one other instance of gaming up the Texans’ full slide protections. Inexperienced Bay begins with seven instant threats lined up on the line of scrimmage. Houston goes to full slide to the suitable, 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. On the suitable 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 person picks up McKinney flying in off the sting. A simple sack, unblocked stress. The Packers did this to the tune of a 44.8% stress charge on Sunday, by FAR their highest of the season.
The Texans tried to regulate, going to half slide protections. Which means that as an alternative of your complete line sliding to the suitable or left, solely half the road will slide, and the opposite half will shield the person in entrance of them. Inexperienced Bay poked at this through the use of a sequence of picks to unencumber 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’ heart to tackle Kenny Clark. Inexperienced can’t recuperate, and Wilson is credited along with his laborious 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 fashion with regards to constructing stress packages, and the Packers dialed it as much as confuse Houston once more. Should you observed within the above clip, the RB for Houston steps up within the pocket in opposition to these mugged fronts to dam whoever the middle doesn’t find yourself blocking after 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 shortly sufficient to provide any resistance.
This was taking place 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 exhibits how Inexperienced Bay was simply poking and prodding at Houston all sport. 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.
Properly, 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). Nonetheless, he strikes off the ball proper earlier than the snap, throwing a wrench in all of the plans. Cooper runs on the heart, however particularly runs to his proper, into the slide. After the middle declares, Gary has a free run at Stroud and it ends in an incompletion. Simply impeccable work.
Inexperienced Bay takes on a revived Jacksonville Jaguars group on Sunday, however a group that has struggled with completely different blitz appears this yr. If the Inexperienced Bay line of defense can proceed to play like this and Hafley can coach it up this fashion, the Packers grow to be much more harmful than they had been earlier than.
