Green Bay Packers v. Seahawks: 5 Big Questions Revisited

Before each Green Bay Packers game, I ask my 5 Big Questions facing the team ahead of their upcoming matchup. Now that the game between the Packers and Seahawks has been played, and we know the outcome, I go back and answer those 5 Big Questions as part of my weekly recap.

Here is what we learned from Sunday’s performance.

Q: Will we see the Green Bay Packers blitzed more often?

A: No

We saw the Kansas City Chiefs really blitz the heck out of Jordan Love. Now, of course, it wasn’t my expectation that Aaron Rodgers was going to see similar treatment, but I did wonder if Seattle would blitz Rodgers more frequently.

The Green Bay offensive line really struggled with handling those extra pass-rushers as we saw confusion and a number of blown blocking assignments. On top of that, in terms of completion rate, yards per attempt, and passer rating, Rodgers ranks as one of the worst quarterbacks this season when under pressure.

However, that was not the case. According to PFF ($$), Seattle would blitz Rodgers just five times, which is actually below the season average. And this offensive line unit that struggled a week ago played exceptionally well in pass protection, allowing just three total pressures. When blitzed, Rodgers was 1/5 for 41 yards.

Q: Can the special teams unit hold up even a little?

A: I guess so

Mason Crosby would miss yet another field goal attempt, and although it did look like it was his fault, on Monday, Matt LaFleur would point out that the timing of the kick was off and Crosby was caught leaning forward — which threw everything off — because he anticipated the snap to come sooner than what it did.

With that said, he would make his other field goal attempt, along with two extra points, and LaFleur would say that the field protection unit had their best game of the season. There were no explosive kick or punt returns allowed; Malik Taylor even had a nice kick return, while Amari Rodgers handled each punt well–although he could still get north and south quicker.

Overall, and given what we’ve seen this season, I would say that the special teams unit did hold it together.

Q: Can the Green Bay Packers defense contain Russell Wilson?

A: Oh yeah

Going up against an offense that loves to look for the big play downfield — not to mention that they’re very good at connecting as well — keeping Russell Wilson in the pocket so that he didn’t extend plays and so that Green Bay corners didn’t have to cover for 5+ seconds was going to be crucial. Not only did the Packers keep Wilson in the pocket, but their defensive front absolutely dominated the trenches.

The Packers would blitz just three times as they played with lightboxes and sold out on stopping the Seattle passing game, yet Wilson was still pressured on 22 of his 48 dropbacks. When it was all said and done, Green Bay recorded 32 pressures — a huge amount — and the most that they’ve had in a single game this season.

Wilson would complete just 20 of his 40 pass attempts for 160 yards, along with two interceptions and no touchdowns.

Q: Can the Green Bay Packers secondary hold up against explosive Seattle offense?

A: They sure did

As I discussed prior to this game, this is a Seattle offense that loves to air it out, and they were ranked fourth in explosive pass rate, according to Sharp Football. Wilson entered the game with the second-highest deep-ball rate in football, while Tyler Lockett has been one of the most productive deep-ball receivers in football this season. And DK Metcalf is certainly a downfield threat as well.

But this is a Green Bay Packers defense that has been very good against the deep-ball this season, ranking sixth in explosive pass rate allowed. We saw the Packers utilize a heavy dose of cover-2 to provide safety help over the top, and they were able to shut this Seattle passing attack down.

Lockett and Metcalf would combine for just five receptions and average only 9.8 yards per catch with longs of 16 and 18, respectively. Meanwhile, Wilson averaged just 4.0 yards per pass attempt. Seattle’s longest completion was to Will Dissly for 28 yards, but that came on a shallow crosser on a well-designed play call.

Q: Aaron Rodgers will play, right?

A: He sure did

Overall, Aaron Rodgers’ final numbers were fine as he finished 23/37 for 292 yards and 7.9 yards per attempt. But there was very clearly some rust to shake off with him not having played or practiced since October 28th when Green Bay took on Arizona.

Rodgers struggled with his accuracy at times; he looked rushed — even when there wasn’t pressure — he missed a wide-open Josiah Deguara in the end zone, and the decision-making on that interception he threw was highly uncharacteristic of him.

After the game, Rodgers would credit LaFleur’s play-calling, which did a nice job of mixing in RPOs, play-action, boots, screens, and in general, the quick passing game to help him and the offense find a rhythm.