Green Bay Packers: Allen Lazard Remains Incredibly Efficient on 3rd Downs

Allen Lazard continues to be an incredibly efficient third and fourth down target for Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

We’ve seen over the years that in order to get more targets from Aaron Rodgers, he has to trust you. That trust is earned on the practice field, in the film room, and especially during live-action when he throws your way. When it comes to Allen Lazard, who was acquired by the Green Bay Packers in December of 2018, a big reason behind his breakout season in 2019 was his reliability on third and fourth downs.

As a team in 2019, the Green Bay Packers weren’t the most efficient when it came to third-down conversions. Their success rate of 37.6 percent ranked just 19th in the NFL. However, that wasn’t the case when Rodgers targeted Lazard.

Last season, he was targeted 23 times on third or fourth down, catching 16 of them for a catch rate of nearly 70 percent. Lazard would total 217 receiving yards at 13.6 yards per catch, and of his 16 receptions, 15 went for a first down. And it’s not as if these were all simple conversions in the first half of the game; two of them were touchdown receptions — both against Detroit coincidentally — in the fourth quarter and with the Packers trailing.

During training camp this past summer, Lazard was asked specifically about how he earned Rodgers’ trust over the course of the 2019 season, and he credits two reasons in particular for their sudden success (via Packers Wire):

"“I think that connection we had throughout the (2019) season, especially towards the latter half of the season going into the playoffs came from, one, just hard work every single day in practice. And I think he saw that. And then he knew that I cared. I think that’s the biggest thing with Aaron, he needs to know that you care and he can trust you. I think I did all the right things to show him that. I think that’s the biggest reason why we had success together.”"

This season because of missed time with a core injury, Lazard isn’t going to have the same number of targets; however, he’s continued to be just as efficient. Only this time, he and Rodgers have been able to capitalize on some additional big plays as well. On eight targets, Lazard has hauled in all eight of them for an incredible 201 yards — including a 72 yarder against New Orleans — and all eight of those receptions have gone for first downs.

So in a season and a half — which includes several games that have been missed due to an injury — Lazard has caught 75 percent of his third or fourth down targets for 418 yards, along with two touchdowns. In short, when the Packers need a big third or fourth down conversion, while Lazard is no Davante Adams by any means, he’s still an incredibly reliable target that, very importantly, Rodgers trusts.

Coming into the season, the question on everyone’s mind was, who would step up as Green Bay’s No. 2 wide receiver? Well, Lazard has taken that step forward and has become a bonafide second option for Rodgers. And it all began with earning his trust and making plays when it mattered most, which he continues to do.