The Green Bay Packers were the only team to hold the Chicago Bears under 10 points this season. Green Bay’s defense kept the Bears, who are averaging 21.2 points per game, out of the end zone at Lambeau Field in Week 18. Five different Packers players sacked Justin Fields. Green Bay held the Bears to 75 yards rushing, Fields only completed 11 passes on 16 attempts for 148 yards, and D.J. Moore had four receptions for 64 yards.
That’s an incredible improvement from the unit that allowed 30 points to the abysmal Carolina Panthers offense two weeks prior. This stark change starts with the improved communication that the defense has had. Second-year linebacker Quay Walker said it best: “I feel like we are on a better page. Everybody is buying in no matter what the call may be, just buying in and trying to get off the field.”
That was evident from the defense’s first play of the game.
In the video above, the Packers do a great job of communicating as Chicago’s motion man goes from the left side of the formation to the right. The defensive lineman and the linebackers shift over, and John Owens moves up to follow the man in motion. The entire defense is now in a better position to attack the ball.
The center makes the snap, and the Green Bay defense does an excellent job of reading and reacting while several Bears players surround the ball carrier. That’s a great progression pre-snap and an even better execution of team pursuit on the play.
The Packers blitz more than most NFL teams. At 29.3%, Green Bay blitzes more than four rushers at least once a drive. They used this tactic to put pressure on Fields early and often.
Green Bay brings Walker up the middle on this look, leaving the Bears one-on-one with each Packers rusher. Green Bay did an excellent job of containing Fields, not allowing him to escape. Here, rookie Lukas Van Ness uses his power and size to shake the tackle and put the hit on Fields for LVN’s fourth sack of the year:
Rashan Gary emphasized keeping Fields in the pocket when a reporter asked how the Packers contained Chicago’s quarterback: “Rushing together, keeping him in the pocket, making everything hard, making sure when he does see his first read, he’s not able to move and just making him uncomfortable.”
The Packers rushed with discipline and executed the game plan. “We did a good job against the run, forcing them to pass,” Kenny Clark said. “We knew we could rush the passer well if we got them in passing situations.”
The Packers combined an intelligent pass-rushing strategy with good coverage decisions on the back end to shut down Chicago’s offense. “Everybody ate today,” said Clark. “It was a total team effort.”
It could have been even better if Carrington Valentine had intercepted Fields on the play below. Still, the rookie made an incredible recovery play.
All of this and more went into an incredible defensive performance last week — and the Packers will need another one just like it against the Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas presents its own set of challenges for Green Bay’s revitalized defense. Former Packers coach Mike McCarthy calls plays for the Cowboys, and he has better personnel than the Bears.
Fields and Moore are good players, but they’re not Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. Prescott is an MVP contender, and Dallas’ offense has the fifth-most yards in the NFL. Tony Pollard is running behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, which presents a much more daunting task than slowing down Khalil Herbert and a banged-up Chicago offense. The step up in competition is massive.
That said, the Cowboys’ offense is good, but it’s not unstoppable.
Green Bay’s game plan should be to start like they did against the Bears, with good communication and a dedication to stopping the run. If the Packers can find a way to stifle the Dallas ground attack, it will give them opportunities to get after the quarterback. Prescott has been good through the air but is always prone to making mistakes when forced into uncomfortable situations.
The Packers’ defense has been good at getting after opposing QBs, and their pass rushers have produced when they’ve needed to. The Pack has no shortage of options between Gary, Clark, Van Ness, Preston Smith, Kingsley Enagbare, Devonte Wyatt, and Karl Brooks. It’s up to Joe Barry to deploy these guys effectively, and, at least very recently, he’s done it.
Green Bay’s front seven can do their part, but the back end must also hold its own. The Packers will need Jaire Alexander to have his best game of the season against Lamb. The secondary did a good job limiting D.J. Moore, but Lamb is having an incredible year, setting Cowboys receiving records. While Moore had a great season with 96 receptions and 1,364 yards, Lamb took his game to another level with 135 receptions for 1,749 yards.
The Packers can use a similar game plan to last week against the Cowboys, but the entire defense will need to raise their game once more if Green Bay will upset the two-seed in Dallas.
All stats and data via ESPN, PFF, and Football Reference unless otherwise noted.
