Entering Week 4, Sam Darnold had been blitzed the third-fewest times among qualified quarterbacks in the NFL. The defenses that faced the Minnesota Vikings seemed to have a game plan built around not getting beat deep by the array of talent on the outside.
The Green Bay Packers knew this going into their meeting with the Vikings, yet defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley took a similar approach, at least in the first half, and it doomed the Packers from the start.
Through three weeks, there have been plenty of times when Darnold could’ve laid out a blanket and had a picnic in his pocket as the Houston Texans, New York Giants, and San Francisco 49ers tried and failed to get home with four pass rushers.
On the opening drive on Sunday, Minnesota was faced with a third-and-14 from their own 40-yard line. Green Bay opted to rush four. Darnold had all day to throw and flung a dart to wide receiver Jalen Nailor for 31 yards.
It set the tone for the entire afternoon.
One possession after another, Darnold would drop back and have as much time to throw as he needed, and he capitalized.
Ghosts of Joe Barry’s defenses of years past appeared to be coming back to haunt Packers fans yet again.
Yes, Green Bay was down its top two cornerbacks, Jaire Alexander and Carrington Valentine. Yes, you do not want to get beat deep by Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson, who can both take the lid off a defense. Why, though, would you not go down swinging instead of getting picked apart?
Hafley didn’t build Green Bay’s defense to blitz a ton. After four weeks, Green Bay is 30th in blitz percentage at 12.4%. Despite that, certain matchups should call for a changeup. This was one of those matchups.
The 49ers, Giants, and Texans largely displayed what not blitzing looked like for Darnold, and the results were fruitful for Minnesota’s offense.
Green Bay had a chance to set the tone on the opening drive. Instead, they rolled out the red carpet for Darnold, who’s been slicing and dicing all year.
The Packers finished Sunday with three quarterback hits and two sacks. They didn’t start to dial up any pressure until the second half when they were in desperation mode for much of the final two quarters.
Darnold has been great with a clean pocket this year, as most quarterbacks are. However, he hasn’t faced much adversity.
Minnesota has trailed for less than four minutes this entire season. Four weeks in, in the NFL, that’s incredible.
Sunday was a chance for Green Bay to flip that script and try to put Darnold in uncomfortable spots. They opted to play more laid back, and it was costly.
Nobody is suggesting Hafley should’ve brought the house on that first third-and-long for Minnesota. Nobody is suggesting he should’ve gone off the path of the norm and blitzed all day. However, it would’ve been nice to see an extra rusher on that first real test. It would’ve been nice to see more aggressiveness early. Why not switch the look for Darnold?
Green Bay was already playing behind the eight ball without their top two corners. They put themselves further behind by thinking they could get away with a conservative approach.
Had Green Bay been torched on big chunk plays but brought consistent pressure, most would have looked back and said, Hey, at least we took a big swing at it. Instead, Green Bay still gave up big chunk plays and did so while playing pretty laissez-faire defense.
But the defense wasn’t the only issue in Sunday’s slop fest.
Quarterback Jordan Love looked rusty. The penalties that have plagued the Packers all year were no less numerous or consequential, and kicker Brayden Narveson continues to refuse to make the chip-shot field goals.
However, the defense had a chance to put their imprint on the contest early.
Perhaps Hafley thought he could consistently get home with four. The name recognition is there with Kenny Clark, Rashan Gary, and Preston Smith. But a deeper dive would reveal a reality that shows Gary has just one sack in his last 11 games, and Clark has immediately struggled this year.
At some point this season, Darnold and the Vikings offense will have to play without a lead for an extended period of time. At some point this season, Darnold and the Vikings offense will face a team that goes blitz happy to force the issue.
Green Bay had the opportunity to be that team on Sunday. Instead they veered off the tracks of aggressiveness and ran towards a scheme that would make Joe Barry blush.
