All Hands on Deck Needed in Packers Secondary
As the biggest underdog of Aaron Rodgers’ career, the Packers cornerbacks need to be ready for the challenge that is waiting in Los Angeles.
By Ryan Brunner
The week seven bye for the Green Bay Packers really did come at an ideal time as the team heads into one of the toughest five-game stretches in recent memory for the team. With the first matchup back happening at the LA Memorial Coliseum against the 7-0 Rams and their potent offense, the Packers secondary desperately needed the two-week rest and recovery time to prepare for this game. The last two draft classes and free agency signings at cornerback were completed with a game of this magnitude and against an offense of this power in mind to help the Packers win football games and now is the time for the Packers cornerback group to step up to the plate.
With 2018 first round selection Jaire Alexander missing the last two games against the Lions and 49ers with a groin injury, the team erred on the side of caution to give the rookie cornerback two extra weeks of healing time prior to taking on the Rams. His athleticism and cocky swagger have shown time and time again early this season that he is the real deal at the position in the NFL and the defense needs him back badly for this game. In his interview on Monday, Alexander sounded confident and ready to go for the challenge that waits this Sunday.
The missing piece that will hopefully see action this Sunday is cornerback Bashaud Breeland. After begin signed as a free agent in late September, a hamstring injury has prevented him from seeing action on the field and mum remains the word on the status of his injury as of now. The Packers defense could sure use his veteran presence and ball skills in the coming weeks. The Rams game is the type of game that they brought Breeland in for and now is the time for him to show his worth.
With Alexander and Breeland hopefully healthy and ready to go, they’ll add to the play that Kevin King, Tramon Williams, Josh Jackson and rookie Tony Brown have brought to the table the previous weeks they were absent. When healthy, this group of cornerbacks can hang with any wide receiver corps in the NFL.
That notion will be tested against the 7-0 Rams, who remain the sole undefeated team in the NFL through seven weeks. Overall, the Rams offense is averaging 33.6 points per game and sits second overall in total yards per game as an offensive unit. Rams quarterback Jared Goff sits at fourth in total passing yards in the league this year where numbers are sky high as we approach the midway point of the season.
With the Rams propensity to run mostly out of 11 personnel with three wide receivers a vast majority of their plays, the Packers defense will most likely be in the nickel and dime packages throughout the game. Rams wide receivers Robert Woods, Brandin Cooks and Cooper Kupp are a three-headed beast with each receiver having dynamic big playmaking potential. All three receivers in the group sit in the top 30 overall in the league in receiving yards on the year.
With the Rams balanced attack between passing and running the football, running back Todd Gurley adds another dimension to the Rams offense that the Packers defense must prepare for. On top of his giant rushing numbers, Gurley has also shown the ability to make big plays catching the ball out of the backfield. Sound coverage and tackling will be a must when the Packers travel to Los Angeles if they want any shot at winning the game.
As the Packers enter their contest against the Rams as the biggest Vegas underdogs of Aaron Rodgers career, their shot at beating the Rams will rely on a full team effort in every facet of the game. If the Packers offense can find a groove and put some points on the board, it will be up to the defense to contain the high powered Rams offense and keep points off the board as much as possible. With a struggling pass rush, the need to force coverage sacks goes hand in hand with the need to prevent big splash plays from the Rams offense. If healthy and up to the task, the Packers cornerbacks group should be in prime shape to do their part this Sunday.
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Ryan Brunner is an avid Packers fan hailing from Chippewa Falls, WI. He is a firm believer that punters are NFL players too! Follow him on Twitter @brunwardo
Comments (42)
4thand1
October 23, 2018 at 06:10 pm
Lets get some pressure and pick off a couple.
jeremyjjbrown
October 23, 2018 at 07:05 pm
"Lets get some pressure"
With the Rams Outside Zone Play Action game I expect little to no pressure from the Packers.
Sean McVay is the best offensive mind in the game. What they do is almost the opposite of what the Packers do in so many ways. The plays come in on rhythm. The WRs take narrow splits forcing the DBs to defend with neutral leverage because the receiver can go anywhere. When the DBs come up they run rub and pick routes. They use the zone running game and play action in way it's hell on the LBs to diagnose.
Oh yeah, and they have Wade Philips as Defensive Coordinator. The same Wade Philips that exposed the Packers offense to the whole NFL in 2015 and they have still not recovered.
I'm preparing myself for a clinic.
TKWorldWide
October 23, 2018 at 08:44 pm
Would the aforementioned clinic be the Mayo, perchance?
jeremyjjbrown
October 23, 2018 at 09:46 pm
Hold the Mayo. Pray for a Miracle Whip.
johngalt
October 24, 2018 at 12:36 am
That's a pretty tight jargon game you got. Everything but the spider 2 y banana laid down
dobber
October 24, 2018 at 09:03 am
The Packers can play conservative on D and let the Rams destroy them in slightly smaller chunk plays...or they can attack up front, rely on their talent at CB, and try to force mistakes and big negative plays for the Ram offense. They'll give up some chunk plays, yes, but I'd rather see the defense attack and try to make a game of it than sit back and get eaten bit by bit.
This is a game they'll likely need to play in the 40s to win. Every time they can force a Ram TO or a 3rd and very long, they're giving themselves a chance.
CAG123
October 24, 2018 at 11:40 am
The same Wade Phillips that lost his job as the Cowboys HC after that beating and still hasn’t recovered. He had Von Miller, Aquib, Harris, Trevathan etc that game any DC could have put on a defensive clinic that year with that talent. He’s not working with anything close to that in the secondary and doesn’t have that monster Von Miller as a pass rusher. I can give the Rams credit for beating the teams they are supposed to beat and doing it handily though.
Rak43
October 24, 2018 at 01:49 pm
No, but they do have Aaron Donald who insanely is leading the NFL in sacks as a defensive tackle. The guy is a beast and can wreck the Packers whole game plan by himself if McCarthy and Philbin don't double him.
CAG123
October 24, 2018 at 03:20 pm
I mentioned only the secondary and OLB for a reason I’m well aware of the d-line talent
TKWorldWide
October 24, 2018 at 03:46 pm
Respectfully, although MM has girth, I think Donald would run right over both MM and Philbin if they tried to double team him.
LeotisHarris
October 24, 2018 at 05:29 pm
Philbin is wiry, though, and could be a technique wizard for all we know. If Philbin kept his pad level low and got leverage on Donald, MM may be able to cut block him. We'd get flagged, for sure, and it would only work once.
It's exciting to think about, and once again raises the point of why coaches don't wear uniforms in football like they do in baseball.
TKWorldWide
October 25, 2018 at 07:55 am
I am picking up what you are putting down.
I’d love to see what Leotis Harris, Darrel Gofourth, and Larry McCarren could have done to Aaron Donald. Brutal manhandling, methinks.
EddieLeeIvory
October 25, 2018 at 11:28 am
Aaron Donald > Von Miller
PAPackerbacker
October 23, 2018 at 07:01 pm
The Packers could keep this game close if they play error free, penalty free,, and 60 minutes of in your face football. But they haven't been able to do that against mediocre teams, let alone an elite team like the Rams. Gurlie will have a good day against the run defense of the Packers. Special teams could be a place where the Packers make an impact in this game, provided they don'y have penalties to nullify a big gain. I don't expect any new wrinkles from MM. Just the same old same old game plan. And that won't cut it against the talented Rams team. However, if the Rams take the Packers lightly they could find themselves with their first loss of the season. But I have my doubts.
Lphill
October 23, 2018 at 07:43 pm
Teams that start out hot usually hit a bump in the road , might be the perfect time for the Packers offense to arrive , I think it's a winnable game for the Packers if they finally show up ready to play football .
dobber
October 24, 2018 at 09:16 am
I don't think anyone expects the Rams to go 16-0. They're going to trip up somewhere. I'd expect it to be in a road game, but why not Sunday?
Colin_C
October 23, 2018 at 07:55 pm
I expect the Rams to move the ball effectively between the 20's. What I'm hoping is the defense can force a lot of FG's and a couple of turnovers at some point. If we hold them to more FG's than TD's, I think there's a very good chance we come away with the W. Also, our offense needs long sustained drives to keep the D fresh. Call me crazy, but I have a feeling we pull off the upset this week.
LeotisHarris
October 23, 2018 at 09:24 pm
Okay. You're crazy, Colin. Batshit crazy.
I expect the Packers to win the toss, and defer. The Rams will score in 3 or 4 plays. Extra point good; 7-0 Rams. Kickoff then sails through the end zone, and Packers take over at the 25.
Coming off the bye week, MM will open with Aaron rolling right to throw a 3 yard pass at the feet of a covered Jimmy Graham. On 2nd and 10 we'll run left for a 2 yard gain. On 3rd and 8, Aaron will extend the play with his feet before throwing out of bounds, unbuckling his chinstrap, and walking disgustedly to the sidelines with that "the batteries in this offense don't work" look on his face. Rams offense will lather, rinse, and repeat. Once we're down, we're down for good. A respectable loss is our best hope.
Colin_C
October 24, 2018 at 01:44 am
Maybe I am, but consider this. A Denver team with Case Keenum at the helm lost by 3 points a weeks ago. As did a Seattle team with not much talent left. If those teams can hang with LA, then we most certainly CAN. Not saying we will. My prediction is we hold on for a 34 to 26 victory.
LeotisHarris
October 24, 2018 at 05:32 pm
Solid points for a crazy man, Colin. Very solid. I hope you're right.
LambeauPlain
October 24, 2018 at 09:42 am
Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln...how was the play?
Blizzard
October 23, 2018 at 08:00 pm
I dont see any way the pack doesnt lose by more than 20 points
Since'61
October 23, 2018 at 08:10 pm
Big challenge for the CB corps this week. Our defense needs to force 3rd and long. That will help our CBs and our pass rush. The Rams have too many weapons to stop in 2nd or 3rd and short.
Playing with a lead and sustaining time consuming drives will help our defense as well. Hopefully our punter can win the field position game and keep the Rams offense with a long field for much of the game.
Bottom line is that we're going to need a nearly perfect game from all phases of our team. This week would be the prefect time for the Packers to have their first complete game of 2018. Thanks, Since '61
Bear
October 23, 2018 at 08:20 pm
Sorry guys, didn’t know where to post this.
Is Adams a bust? We need a physical run stopper and I thought he might be that guy. Obviously he hasn’t been.
Your thoughts.
TKWorldWide
October 23, 2018 at 08:45 pm
I think he’s a heckuva receiver, myself.
Oppy
October 23, 2018 at 09:29 pm
I've always been fond of his brewing skills, too.
BradHTX
October 24, 2018 at 10:49 am
Don’t forget his statesmanship!
TKWorldWide
October 24, 2018 at 03:47 pm
Clearly, dude’s got a lot to offer.
stockholder
October 23, 2018 at 09:00 pm
Run stopper? Daniels and Clark have that covered, don't They? I thought Adams played better in pre-season. My feeling is he should be given every chance. But it looks like Daniels will keep him on the bench. And I can't see him playing NT. So I have to say he plays out his contract and leaves. If I was doing the drafting, TT would have drafted a 2nd Nt. Seriously we had Raji outside. I'm not sold on Lowrey either. He played over the RT in college. The packers could play 3 NTs up front. And two DE. But that won't happen unless they straighten out the secondary first.
LeotisHarris
October 23, 2018 at 09:31 pm
At this point he's bringing as much juice as Justin Herrell, Khyri Thornton, and Jerel Worthy combined. Takes up a lot of space on the sidelines, though. Who knows?
stockholder
October 24, 2018 at 09:20 am
harrel bad back. Thornton major reach, And Worthy was considered a legit pick but blew out his knee. Harrel and Thornton should never have been picked!! Were any a NT? NO! They were DTs. And when you have a grave digger that came in and did better, well Adams will bust out.
Chuck Farley
October 23, 2018 at 10:15 pm
I`m looking at it solely from the packers perspective.
1. Can the d get three and outs or force field goals.
2. Can out outside lb cover the end arounds and quick screeens to the backs.
3. Can our corners match speed and cover the receivers.
4. Can our safeties pressure and cover deep.
5. Can a mixture of run pass keep the rams off balance.
6. Can our lbs cover the tight ends or help out with short coverage.
7. Can we muster an effective pass rush without safety or corner help.
If the answer to these are basically no or probably not, then they should lose. By how much will be determined by how many no's get filled in.
Bearmeat
October 24, 2018 at 06:45 pm
1. Yes.
2. No.
3. Yes.
4. No.
5. Yes, but will MM do it?
6. Yes.
7. Certainly not.
fastmoving
October 24, 2018 at 04:18 am
at the end of the day this is the NFL, you can lose to a bad team any given day, but you also can always win against a better one. thats so great about the NFL.
we might lose that by a big margin on paper, but that does not mean a whole lot.
thats why they play these games and thats why we watching them.
may be closer than most people believe.
I like these kind of games a lot more than the potential trap games, where you only can lose.
in the Rams game we can only win........and there is a chance we will.
.....if anybody is sure we will lose by at least 20, you can bet it wont happen. announced dramas will be canncled wayyy more often than not.
Lare
October 24, 2018 at 05:42 am
I have no doubt that the Packers cornerbacks will play well. Too bad they don't have any decent safeties behind them.
Thegreatreynoldo
October 24, 2018 at 06:17 am
The Rams play almost exclusively 11 personnel and don't have to substitute often. If the Rams choose, they can keep GB in sub-packages and/or with some of their preferred players off the field. That means some of GB's chess piece type of players need to have good games.
I have mostly Oren Burks in mind. If we put him in to cover RBs and TEs, he needs to be able to handle the run as well.
Others have to step up, like Lowry and the OLBs for when we use 3-man lines and just rotating of course. I am not sure how Pettine will use Breeland or if there are any repercussions for the safety rotation or for the playtime of the current incumbents. I'd assume that Breeland might be limited to dime packages, but I have no way to know how much of the defensive scheme he has picked up so far.
flackcatcher
October 24, 2018 at 06:56 am
I'm with you on this tgr, not a clue how Pettine plans to use his defensive packages. But this secondary is healthy, and they have their core unit intact for Sunday. I would not be surprised to see up to 7 DB playing, giving Green Bay's CB abilities to man cover. Pettine will have something the Rams haven't seen second half, that is his pattern to date. Going to be a heck of a chess match out there.
LambeauPlain
October 24, 2018 at 09:47 am
Pack needs to control the clock and get first downs (RUN for a CHANGE!) and keep the Rams O off the field. More of a run game also takes QB hits off Aaron.
This would also be the best "defense" for the Pack on Sunday.
Then win the turnover battle and the Pack has a good shot.
pacman
October 24, 2018 at 10:06 am
Any given Sunday
I wonder if the Packers come out motivated. Personally, I haven't seen a lot of motivated talk on the Packer videos. I don't hear the hunger from AR. They say Brady is an absolutely ferocious competitor. I just don't hear that from the Packers.
The only place we are absolutely lacking is on the D edge. If we can't bring pressure somehow we simply won't be able to stop the Rams unless they have a bad day.
I'll be watching ... and hoping.
stockholder
October 24, 2018 at 10:10 am
Does it matter? The press has dug MMs grave. I believe the Packers give up. Pushing people to hard won't make a difference now. The press wants MM to fail.
Lare
October 24, 2018 at 01:59 pm
The press has nothing to do with McCarthy's performance evaluation or how the Packers perform on the football field. That is totally up to him.
If they win and play well he'll still be HC in Green Bay next season. If not, he won't.
PatrickGB
October 24, 2018 at 04:36 pm
I see no reason why we cannot win this game. Right now the Rams look like a very tough opponent. But that’s all they are, tough but not unstoppable. Also I don’t think that our offense has shown what it can do. Even if we don’t win I expect to see a better performance from the offense.