Five games into the season, a lot of talk among the Green Bay Packers has focused on what Jordan Love needs to do to improve, which makes sense for a first-year starter. But the focus for this week should be on how the Packers use their ground game to exploit mismatches against the Denver Broncos.
Denver’s defense has been historically bad this year. Through their first six games, the Broncos have given up 200 points, averaging over 33 points per game. They gave up 70 points to the Miami Dolphins in Week 3.
The Denver game is a test for Green Bay’s offense. Can they put up 30 points again, or was the Chicago Bears game an outlier? The Broncos are dead last in total defense, so if Green Bay struggles to move the ball or put points on the board, there is reason for concern.
Schematically, Matt LaFleur can open up the running game by throwing the ball early. Many offensive coaches like to run the ball immediately to open up the passing game. But in Green Bay’s situation, LaFleur should use medium-distance throws early to spread the defense out, then introduce the ground game afterward.
But Green Bay’s young offensive players may make that difficult. The Packers have a young quarterback and receiving corps. Youth and inexperience in these skill positions can lead to wrong routes, miscommunication, and self-inflicted mistakes. We’ve seen that the last few weeks.
Even if the Packers throw the ball effectively early on, it doesn’t guarantee execution along the offensive line. The O-line has underperformed this year. That’s part of the reason why the offense has struggled. The offensive line took a hit when David Bakhtiari went on injured reserve on September 28.
If the offensive line cannot run-block effectively, then all of the pressure will be on Jordan Love to make plays.
The Broncos have the 30th-ranked passing defense in the NFL, allowing 268 passing yards per game. Justin Simmons, Patrick Surtain II, and Kareem Jackson are the only players in Denver’s secondary who have an interception.
Alex Singleton, D.J. Jones, Frank Clark, and Drew Sanders are big name-players. However, the Broncos are dead-last in the NFL in rush defense, allowing over 172 rushing yards per game.
In their lone win, the Broncos surrendered 335 passing yards and 28 points to Justin Fields and the Bears. In the game where they gave up the least amount of points (17) to the Las Vegas Raiders, Denver allowed 261 total yards, but Jakobi Meyers and Davante Adams had nine receptions.
Green Bay’s best bet is to have Love get the ball to Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson early. Patrick Surtain II will be covering one of them. But if Love can avoid his side and move the ball through the air, the defense will eventually spread out and create more room around the line of scrimmage.
Once the defense spreads out, the Packers must introduce the Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon one-two punch. Dillon has shown that he can’t carry the backfield this season. Still, he’s highly effective when there are other threats around him.
Using a two-running back technique should be really effective in Denver’s high altitude. Players have less stamina at 8,000 feet of elevation, so using multiple backs should allow them to wear down the defense.
