The Packers’ defense spent the first part of the season staring up from the NFL basement. After a lopsided Week 3 loss to the Falcons, Green Bay sat 26th in EPA per play. Two weeks later, after a five-turnover showing in Week 5, the unit had climbed all the way to 14th.
The biggest reason for the turnaround is clear enough: the pass defense is carrying the load. Green Bay’s run defense EPA per play and run defense success rate allowed are still below league average, but the coverage group has been the engine behind the recent jump. In Week 5, Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum combined to throw three interceptions into it.
The quarterbacks on the other side may not have been elite, but the Packers still had to do the job in front of them. On tape, the coverage players were where they were supposed to be, and they weren’t giving away easy windows or easy ground within the calls.
The first pick came with 5:39 left in the opening quarter on second-and-10. Bagent opened the series from shotgun in 11 personnel and attacked with a 3x1 dagger concept, the kind of look Ben Johnson has used to stress secondaries.
Green Bay answered with cover-8 “trix” after the formation motioned into the 3x1 look. In that coverage, the defense plays cover-2 to the trips side while the backside safety tracks the final #3 receiver or the deepest crossing route.
Luther Burden came in motion and ran the dig from behind bunch receivers who were crossing deeper across the field. Bagent locked onto the dig and tried to fire it over Javon Bullard, who was dropping into the vertical hook underneath.
Bullard got a hand on the ball and popped it up, and Xavier McKinney was there from his deep-half safety spot to collect it.
McKinney struck again on Bagent’s second interception, this one with 41 seconds left in the third quarter and the Bears trailing 23-7. Chicago aligned in an empty 3x2 set with trips right, and Bagent went after Colston Loveland on a dig route off a two-receiver wrap concept. The idea was to draw up the curl-flat defender with the underneath curl and then hit the dig between that player and the weak hook defender.
Green Bay countered with cover-3 strong buzz, with the safety buzzing down into the strong hook near the nickel - the kind of “Ralph” rotation to the right toward the nickel that Gannon would use. McKinney, working as the strong hook defender, stayed patient on Bagent’s eyes and drifted into the middle once nothing threatened his zone.
Bagent was late, had to force the throw over the hook defender, and pushed it too far in front of Loveland. McKinney, starting from the far hash, was in perfect position to make the grab.
The third interception came with 12:58 left in the fourth quarter, after Case Keenum had replaced Bagent. Chicago had driven into the red zone, but the possession ended on a hurried throw with pressure in Keenum’s face. On fourth-and-goal from the 9-yard line, the Bears went back to an empty 3x2 look and Keenum tried to find Rome Odunze on a double move over the middle.
Green Bay had shown pressure and a cover-0 look before dropping into red zone quarters. Ty’Ron Hopper and Zaire Franklin backed out of the blitz, but Keenum was already adjusting the protection to slide right in case of a free runner off his right edge.
That decision backfired. Lukas Van Ness came free off the offense’s left edge when the left tackle stayed inside on the interior rusher.
Van Ness forced Keenum to move and throw across his body, and Hopper read it all the way from his quarter/flat zone. Hopper stepped in at the goal line, made the interception, and returned it out to the 20-yard line.
Sunday night brings a tougher test. The Cowboys head to Green Bay trying to shake off a brutal Week 5 loss to the Buccaneers, and they bring a deep-ball attack that can put the Packers’ coverage under stress. CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott are no small assignment.
In Other News...
Packers Linebacker Shuffle Just Opened A Huge Chance For Ty'Ron Hopper
Edgerrin Coopers Achilles tear in Week 4 forced the Packers to rethink the middle of their defense almost immediately, and the early ripple effect has already been felt by Isaiah McDuffie and TyRon Hopper. Green Bay has had to redistribute linebacker snaps on the fly, and Hopper has been one of the clearest beneficiaries as the coaching staff looks for answers after losing a key piece.
Hoppers heavier workload in Week 5 came with a moment that stood out even beyond the snap count, a sign that Green Bay may be finding a useful option at a position suddenly short on certainty. Matt LaFleur has also been encouraged by Hoppers progress, and with the Packers still sorting out how they want the rotation to look, the young linebacker appears to be pushing himself into a much bigger role. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Suddenly Have More Patience With A Key O-Line Decision
Kevin Zeitlers arrival gave the Packers another veteran option on the interior of the offensive line, but it has not created an immediate timetable for a return to action. After joining Green Bay on Sept. 30, Zeitler has been working to regain game shape, giving the coaching staff a little more reason to wait before plugging him into the lineup. In the meantime, the Packers have leaned on Travis Glover at right guard while Jacob Monk remains out, and the arrangement has been steady enough to buy the team some patience.
Glovers play has not been flashy, and the grading has reflected that, but he has done enough to keep the right side from becoming a weekly problem. For a Packers front that has already dealt with enough moving parts, simply avoiding a breakdown matters, and it has changed the feel of this spot from urgent to manageable. Now Green Bay can afford to let Zeitler catch up on the back end instead of forcing a decision before he is ready. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Finally Get Josh Jacobs Back In The Mix Soon
Josh Jacobs has spent the start of the season away from the Packers while sitting on the NFL Commissioners Exempt List, part of an ongoing investigation tied to his May arrest. Even so, there is finally a path back into the teams routine, with the league set to clear the way for him to rejoin practice as the situation keeps moving forward.
For Green Bay, the news matters because Jacobs has already missed six games and his immediate status for Week 7 remains up in the air. The investigation is not over, but his return to the facility would at least give the Packers a chance to start working him back into the mix after a long stretch of uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]