The Green Bay Packers’ fourth victory of the season came on the back of Jordan Love’s best statistical game as a pro and a solid defensive effort against an electric Los Angeles Chargers offense.
The Packers were in for a long day but somehow only allowed 20 points in a critical win. Green Bay’s defense was solid against a dynamic unit that featured Justin Herbert, Keenan Allen, and Austin Ekeler. The Chargers’ receivers bailed out Green Bay’s defense with a plethora of drops in big situations that would certainly have delivered LA more points than they ended the day with. But that does not take away from Green Bay’s overall defensive effort.
The Packers’ defense has been on a bit of a hot streak recently. In the two weeks prior to the Chargers game, Green Bay’s defense only allowed 26 total points. However, 23 of those points came from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ subpar offense, and three were against a putrid Los Angeles Rams offense led by Brett Rypien.
We should expect this kind of stringent defense from a Packers unit that they have invested heavily in through the draft and free agency. The problem is, the group on the field is not full of first-round picks and high-priced veterans. The Packers are starting to delve into their depth chart, yet they are still holding their own.
Star corner Jaire Alexander has been in and out all year with a lingering injury. They traded Rasul Douglas to the Buffalo Bills at the deadline. Eric Stokes was out at the start of the year due to an injury he sustained last season and only played one game before he landed back on IR. Green Bay’s starting safeties, Rudy Ford and Darnell Savage, were out for the Chargers game: Savage was on IR, and Ford was a short-term concern. Both should return in the near future. Ford was limited in practice, and they just designated Savage to return from IR.
So, instead of their top five defensive backs, the Packers are starting:
- A pair of seventh-round rookies
- A return specialist who has been a backup his whole career
- An average safety who has bounced around the league
- A journeyman from their practice squad
The group of defensive backs that started for the Packers last Sunday would probably have been seen as a worst-case scenario at the start of the year.
Most fans expected Keisean Nixon to work as a slot corner, and he has been doing a solid job this year when the Packers have called upon him. Jonathan Owens started for the Houston Texans last year and has experience in the position. The Packers are also high on both Carrington Valentine and Anthony Johnson Jr.. Valentine has especially shown out in his time as a starter. Corey Ballentine is the corner on the other side of Valentine. He was with the Packers in training camp and was just on the cusp of making the roster. While this is not the most ideal group in the world, they got the job done.
Owens has come in and done exactly the job the Packers expected him to do: fill in for Savage or Ford when the time comes. That’s not to say he’s been terrific; he has an abysmal PFF grade of 48.5 and has been replacement-level at best. But neither Savage nor Ford are real difference-makers in their own right, so the drop-off isn’t so precipitous.
Nixon is more valuable as a return man. However, he has been solid in his slot corner role. The disciple of Packers special team coordinator Rich Bissacia has finally gotten an opportunity to play meaningful defensive minutes, and he’s been good. He has an okay 59.1 PFF rating and is a leader as the only veteran in the secondary who’s been in the system for more than a year.
Keenan Allen versus Ballentine on the boundary felt like LaDarius Gunter versus Julio Jones in the 2017 NFC Championship game. Allen caught 10 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown, but it felt like he could have done much more damage. They were not matched up all game, and Allen still got his share. However, the Packers came away with the win. Ballentine has been active for the last six weeks, and he has racked up some pretty solid stats for a guy who was on the practice squad at the start of the season. The former sixth-round pick of the New York Giants received a 73.7 grade from PFF over the last six weeks of play. Not too bad.
The two rookies, Valentin and Johnson, have shown some good things on tape when the Packers have given them snaps. Johnson has played as the free safety but filled in to play the run when needed. The former Iowa State Cyclone was primarily a special teams player who has been solid through limited playing time. Johnson recently received a 65.4 PFF grade for his defensive play.
But Valentine has shown flashes of being special. PFF does not love his game, giving him a 60.4 rating, and that is warranted as the former Kentucky Wildcat has been burned a few times. Overall, Valentine has played well for a seventh-rounder, filling in for Alexander, an All-Pro. The rookie has a swagger about him, exactly the attitude you look for in a shutdown corner.
From journeyman to rookie, this group helped propel the Packers to a win. By doing so, they have increased Green Bay’s confidence after a rough past few weeks.
“We’ve been fighting all year,” said defensive lineman Kenny Clark. “We’ve been on the other side of these games the last couple of games, and for us to come out on top of this one is huge for us, huge for our confidence, and we’ve got to keep it rolling.”
This group got lucky, though. Only giving up 20 points to the Chargers indicates that they did a good job. But Keenan Allen’s two drops in the end zone would have resulted in 14 more points. Another huge drop by rookie Quentin Johnson came at a crucial point late in the game. Also, Ekeler’s fumble from the two-yard line prevented LA from scoring on that possession. Self-inflicted wounds kept the Chargers from scoring at least two more touchdowns.
Alexander, Ford, and Savage should all be back soon. Therefore, we are unlikely to see the second-teamers all out there together again. Even so, the Packers showed they have depth that can play in a pinch. Whether their backups look good because the starters are playing poorly is a conversation for another day. The Packers have found a way to regain momentum, and their depth defensive backs played no small part in it. Time will tell if the Green and Gold can carry that momentum into a divisional tilt on Turkey Day.
All stats and data via ESPN, CBS Sports, PFF, and Football Reference unless otherwise noted.
