Green Bay Packers

Can the 2022 Packers' Defense Succeed Where It Failed In 2011?

Photo Credit: Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin Apc Packvsvikes 0101231341djp

The Green Bay Packers have done the improbable. After being dead in the water at 4-8 at midseason and looking destined for an early off-season, the team rallied to 8-8 and is one victory away from a trip to the playoffs.

Despite looking like a lackluster team for much of the year, the Packers are getting hot at the right time, with an excellent dismantling of the now 12-4 Minnesota Vikings. This team is similar to the 2010 Packers, who got hot late in the season and plowed through three road playoff games to make the Super Bowl. Time will tell how this season will end. But, defensively, this team may take more after the 2011 team than the 2010 one.

While the 2011 offense was dominating the league in what was arguably the best year of Aaron Rodgers‘ career, the 2011 defense was an underwhelming group that underperformed and ultimately cost the Packers a return to the Super Bowl. Will the 2022 squad fail in the same way, or will the unit learn from history and stay strong in this late-season push?

With a 15-1 regular season record, the 2011 team might not sound comparable to the 8-8 2022 edition. Rodgers was playing his best football then, while 2022 has been a down year. But Dom Capers’ unit and Joe Barry’s have a lot in common.

Coming off of a Super Bowl win with an all-star-studded cast, the 2011 defense was a massive calamity. Their 32nd-ranked defense was an NFL worst, giving up what was at the time an NFL record 4,796 passing yards. (Though, strangely, they led the league in interceptions, with 31.) Despite the regular-season dominance, the high-powered Packers passing offense stalled in the divisional round. Green Bay’s defense crumbled to the eventual Super Bowl-winning New York Giants, ending the magical season early.

What went wrong? In 2011, Zach Kruse, who is now managing editor of Packers Wire, wrote that the defense suffered from:

  • A lack of pressure up front
  • Regression from their top three cornerbacks
  • The coordinator being figured out
  • Miscommunication in the secondary
  • And struggles with tackling.

If those problems sound familiar, it’s because these same issues have been common talking points in this season. Barry’s first year in Green Bay was filled with highs and lows, but the unit played a beautifully complete game in the 2021 Divisional round and looked like a building block for the 2022 season. Expectations were high, especially after the Packers spent two more first-round picks on defense.

And yet the pass rush struggled to get home, especially after losing Rashan Gary. Regression came on strong, and players who were ascending in 2021 came crashing back to earth for most of 2022. Teams learned how to exploit Barry’s baffling adherence to soft zone coverage. Every week, a communication breakdown in the secondary would lead to big plays. Watching this team tackle has been cringeworthy. And the team has losses to some of the league’s worst quarterbacks, including a historically bad performance from Zach Wilson. And just as the Packers lost defensive leader Nick Collins in 2021, they lost Rashan Gary in 2022.

The 2022 unit has given up 5,398 total yards and has had issues with big plays all season. Like the 2011 group, the team has eased some of its yardage burdens by creating turnovers. Their 24 takeaways are tied for fifth in the league. While the offense hasn’t always capitalized on these takeaways, they’ve limited opponents’ points in crucial times.

But where the two squads differ is that for the 2011 team, their defensive issues never went away, and they were consistently bad throughout the year. The 2022 group has shown signs of life and limited some high-powered offenses in their last few weeks.

In their last four games, the Packers have given up just two second-half touchdowns, both in garbage time, with the Vikings scoring against the Green Bay backups. For all his faults, Barry and his staff have made the necessary adjustments to succeed. The defensive game plans against the Vikings in Week 1 and last Sunday could not have been more different. I still think the Packers need to evaluate their coordinator situation at the end of the season — Barry’s group has been too slow to make changes and is far too inconsistent — but he’s made crucial changes in what once seemed like a lost season.

After early regression, their best players are starting to play like stars. Kenny Clark has come out of his fall hibernation to become a winter monster. Jaire Alexander is now playing like the lockdown corner we know. Rasul Douglas is using his brilliant instincts to create turnovers. There are still baffling mistakes, and the unit isn’t living up to the preseason hype. But there have been tangible signs of improvement on this winning streak, and they put together a complete, back-breaking game against Minnesota. With that type of energy and confidence, it’s hard not to think this defense can’t be a difference-maker.

The 2022 Packers offense doesn’t hold a candle to the 2011 group, but this team is still winning. If the defense can keep up its recent hot streak and the offense keeps finding ways to win, this story could have a much different ending than 2011. It’s still a long shot, but this defense can learn from its past mistakes.

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