Green Bay Packers: 3 Divisional Round Matchups to Watch
By Kenny Jilek
All season long, the Green Bay Packers’ stars all over the field have been tearing up opponents in one-on-one scenarios and that will have to continue against the Rams for them to make their second straight appearance in the NFC Championship Game.
Football is a game of matchups and getting favorable ones is often the driving force behind winning football games. Both Sean McVay and Matt Lafleur, students of the same offensive philosophy, are great at putting their guys in a position to succeed on offense and make moving the ball as easy as possible.
For Lafleur and the Packers, this will mean attacking the middle of the field in the passing game. One of the Rams’ big strengths on defense is at corner with Troy Hill and All-Pro Jalen Ramsey on the outsides. We could see Davante Adams in the slot and if Ramsey follows him there, Aaron Jones could motion outside to face a weaker man in coverage as he is one of the best dual-threat running backs in the league.
The Rams will likely try to lean heavily on rookie running back Cam Akers to shoulder the load offensively as he did last week. They have a few nice receivers in Cooper Cupp and Robert Woods, but they don’t have many advantages against the Green Bay secondary, especially with a slightly injured Goff throwing in the cold.
So now that we have a glimpse of what each time might do to make matchups happen, let’s look at three crucial ones, how they’ll affect the game, and what the Packers can do to win them.
Corey Linsley vs. Aaron Donald
Aaron Donald isn’t just a game wrecker, he’s a game murderer. He’s a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, has made the Pro Bowl all seven years he’s been in the league, and was on the Hall of Fame’s all 2010s team. Additionally, his Approximate Value of 22 this season was the highest in the league for any position.
On the bright side, the Green Bay Packers have Pro Football Focus’ highest-rated center, and not by a small margin. His overall grade was 89.9 and second place Frank Ragnow came in at 80.3. He allowed just one sack in 437 pass-blocking snaps and he had exactly zero penalties in 13 games this season.
Donald will also see plenty of snaps against Lucas Patrick and Elgton Jenkins, as he often plays on the outside shade of the offensive guard, but he’ll see Linsley if he tries to come inside on pass rushes or slants that way in the run game.
The entire Packers’ offense has hinged on a steady running game and keeping Aaron Rodgers upright. the stellar offensive line play all season has made that happen in almost every game. Donald has the power to destroy both of those things very quickly. He’ll likely see lots of double teams when he tries to get to Rodgers in pass rush and Green Bay will probably run the ball away from his side often. Keeping him sealed on that backside and not letting him blow up the play when they run at him will be absolutely crucial in the Packers keeping the chains moving via the run game.
The Rams depend on Donald to do superhuman things every game as they play with few guys in the box often and their linebackers aren’t particularly strong players. If this strong Packer interior line can neutralize him, a lot of things open up on offense.