The Green Bay Packers defense held the Chicago Bears to 19 points in their road win in Chicago on Sunday. Still, this was hardly an outstanding performance by the players and coaches on the defensive side of the ball. Over the course of the season, the Packers defense has had issues with these three areas more than any other. If the team hopes to make the playoffs and contend once they get there, the Packers defense needs to improve in these three areas.
The Packers Defense Needs to Improve in These Three Areas, Number Three: Pass Rush
The Packers defensive linemen continue to struggle to create pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Against the Bears, the Packers registered only one sack until the Bears final drive. That came when the Bears failed to draft Brenton Cox in the first half.
The linemen do not seem to be adjusting well to the change from a three-man front last season to the four-man front installed by Jeff Hafley.
Preston Smith demanded a trade and said he did not feel comfortable changing to a four-man front after playing in a 3-4 his entire career. Rashan Gary has just 3.5 sacks through 10 games and isn’t getting many pressures, either. Lukas Van Ness has been a non-factor and has just one sack this season, while Kingsley Enagbare has 1.5 sacks through 10 games.
The failure of the team to get pressure without resorting to blitzes has been a problem for the defense all season.
Number Two: Middle Linebacker
Former first round pick Quay Walker just isn’t suited to play middle linebacker. Walker leads the team in tackles, but he isn’t suited to playing Mike linebacker. Walker doesn’t read plays well, takes poor angles to the ball carrier and misses too many tackles. He is also unable to use his speed effectively on blitzes.
The former Georgia star may be better suited to play on the weak side where he can use his speed to chase down ball carriers on the opposite side of the field.
How bad has Walker been this season? According to Pro Football Focus, he is in the bottom 10 percent of all linebackers who have played enough snaps to be ranked this season.
Unfortunately, the team doesn’t have any other players on the roster who are proven middle linebackers. In a 4-3 defense, the middle linebacker is a vitally important player. The goal is to occupy blockers and free up the middle linebacker to make tackles, especially against the run.
It would be risky to make a change in the middle now. There is no experienced alternative on the roster. However, Walker clearly isn’t the man for the job. The Packers need better middle linebacker play down the stretch if they hope to improve the play of the defense.
The Packers Defense Needs to Improve in These Three Areas, Number Three: Cornerback
Jaire Alexander started against the Bears but managed to stay on the field for just 10 plays before he had to leave the game. That is not a good sign when he had nearly two full weeks to rest the knee because of the bye week.
The Packers lack depth at cornerback. Without Alexander in the lineup, Caleb Williams, an inexperienced and struggling rookie quarterback, picked apart the Green Bay secondary.
Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine are not strong starters on the perimeter, and they were beaten badly throughout the game. The fact that the defense was designed to give a cushion to the receivers didn’t help.
Former first-round pick Eric Stokes has also struggled badly. He has started only one game in the last five. He started the first five games of the season. Through 10 games, opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 112.8 when throwing to receivers covered by Stokes.
The Packers lack of depth at cornerback is manageable when Alexander is healthy and in the lineup. But Jaire has struggled to stay healthy. That makes the team’s lack of depth at corner a much bigger issue and a problem when the team faces better receivers.
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