The Green Bay Packers have mostly been a good team over the past 10 years. But that should be the expectation when you have a future Hall of Famer under center. Still, poor special teams and defensive play in big games often have let Aaron Rodgers down.
So hearing Matt LaFleur say, “This game was won by our defense and special teams,” following his squad’s victory over the Tom Brady-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers means they’ve come a long way.
LaFleur’s offense struggled mightily against Todd Bowles‘ vaunted defense and never really showed up in the second half. However, Green Bay’s defense and special teams kept the Bucs from returning.
There’s still most of a season to go, but the transformation of special teams under new coordinator Rich Bisaccia has been spectacular thus far. It has felt like upgrading from Yamcha to Goku. Thanks to his culture changes and hand-picked special teams contributors, the ST unit has been Green Bay’s most reliable group this season.
The offense was always going to be a work in progress thanks to a recovering offensive line, a young receiving corps, and LaFleur and Rodgers getting used to life without Davante Adams. The whole unit has shown flashes, but it’s also prone to going stagnant for long periods, especially after the uncharacteristic turnovers.
The lack of offensive consistency means the punt team has plenty of chances to get in work. Thankfully, it has looked nothing like last season, and the results have been impressive.
Bringing in Pat O’Donnell from the Chicago Bears wasn’t the most exciting free-agent acquisition, especially after trading for Corey Bojorquez just a year before. However, O’Donnell has impressed his new team right away. Living with Mason Crosby allowed the two to build chemistry, a significant issue with last year’s pairing.
O’Donnell has proved to be a blessing in Green Bay and is the most consistent punter the team has had in a long time. A savvy veteran with experience kicking in the cold, O’Donnell also proved he could do it in the heat. Under the Florida sun, O’Donnell’s five punts inside the 20 tied for the most by a Packers punter since 1976, per the team’s website.
O’Donnell kept Tampa’s offense from having good field position, allowing the defense the necessary room to succeed. He was just as effective against the Minnesota Vikings and the Bears, with an average of 48.4 yards on the season and a long of 72. While Crosby hasn’t had many field goal opportunities, his chemistry with O’Donnell is clear, and the holding operation has been solid. Punter discourse isn’t the biggest crowd pleaser, but O’Donnell has been a breath of fresh air for Green Bay. Anyone who watched the Packers play last season surely understands punter excitement.
Previously, special teams snaps mostly went to fringe players who couldn’t get reps on offense or defense. While that’s still the case to some degree, Bisaccia’s influence led to the acquisition of dedicated special teams players, and that philosophy is turning things around.
Keisean Nixon and Rudy Ford have been gems early on. Nixon was a workhorse for the Packers on defense and special teams on Sunday, playing 57 defensive snaps and 16 on special teams. With Jaire Alexander hurt early in the game, Nixon had to pull double duty, and the results were promising.
Nixon made big plays on both defense and special teams. He punched the ball out of Russell Gage‘s hands, leading to a fumble recovered by Jarran Reed. Nixon also played excellent defense in the red zone to end the game. He had another beautiful play where he downed O’Donnell’s punt on the two-yard line, giving the Bucs a deep field.
The Packers also appear to have gotten a bargain with safety Rudy Ford, who the Jacksonville Jaguars dropped during final cuts. Ford hasn’t played on defense, but he’s become a core special teamer by Week 3, using his speed and ferocity as a gunner. Ford plays with a physicality Packers fans haven’t seen in previous special teams players, and that attitude has translated to some big plays.
Bisaccia’s input has allowed the Packers to get the players they need to create a working special teams group. So far, the new additions have been a clear upgrade. Brian Gutekunst has been the master of bringing in fairly unknown talent on cheap deals, as we saw with De’Vondre Campbell and Rasul Douglas last year. Combined with Bisaccia’s eye for special teams ability, the Packers brought in game changers on cap-friendly deals. That’s a great path to success, and we’re seeing the payoff early this season.
