Dairyland Express
Fansided

Green Bay Packers: 5 reasons they’ll surprise the NFL

By Brian Sampson

CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 12: Head coach Mike McCarthy of the Green Bay Packers walks off the field after defeating the Chicago Bears 23-16 at Soldier Field on November 12, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 12: Head coach Mike McCarthy of the Green Bay Packers walks off the field after defeating the Chicago Bears 23-16 at Soldier Field on November 12, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
ARLINGTON, TX – OCTOBER 08: Blake Martinez #50 of the Green Bay Packers tries to stop Jason Witten #82 of the Dallas Cowboys in the first quarter of a football game at AT&T Stadium on October 8, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – OCTOBER 08: Blake Martinez #50 of the Green Bay Packers tries to stop Jason Witten #82 of the Dallas Cowboys in the first quarter of a football game at AT&T Stadium on October 8, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

3. Great run defense

The run defense sort of goes hand-in-hand with the dominant defensive line. The front three certainly sets the tone by taking on blockers and creating holes for the guys behind them, but it goes so much deeper than that.

On the outside, linebackers like Clay Matthews and Nick Perry are good run defenders. They do a nice job of setting the edge and giving support when needed. Josh Jones also proved he could play up near the line of scrimmage and will likely do a bit of that again in 2018.

Blake Martinez is the other X-factor in this equation. He certainly benefits from the guys in front of him, but he’s one of the best tacklers in the NFL. He is very assignment sure and knows where he’s supposed to be to wrap up the ball-carrier. If this defense can make teams one dimensional, it will be a lot easier for their secondary.

Home/Green Bay Packers