Green Bay Packers v. Vikings: 5 Big Questions Ahead of Matchup

Can this Green Bay Packers secondary contain Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen?

As I briefly mentioned, this Green Bay Packers’ secondary has done a very good job this season of limiting their opponent’s passing games. The Packers rank third in fewest passing yards per game allowed and rank fourth in explosive pass play rate, according to Sharp Football. They’re also coming off a performance where they completely shut down Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf.

But this week, they’ll face another very good wide receiver duo in Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. Jefferson’s 775 receiving yards are the sixth most in football, while Thielen has 542 of his own. Thielen’s seven touchdowns are the fifth most among receivers, while Jefferson has four. Meanwhile, Jefferson’s 79 targets rank 12th, and Thielen isn’t too far behind with 65 per PFF.

"“I see a six-year vet when I watch him play,” Adams said of Jefferson via NFL.com. “He reminds me of, I don’t even know how to, I haven’t seen anybody come in in a while and play like the way that he’s playing right now. He really strikes me as somebody that has it figured out, whatever that means. ‘Cause I wasn’t playing that fast in my first and second year. “Last year, he already looked like he’d been playing for four years at that point, so he’s kind of aging like a dog right now and I mean in its purest form because he’s a dog out there and I respect what he’s doing and it’s really fun to watch. I truly hope that it doesn’t look like what’s it’s been looking like the last couple weeks against us, but it’s definitely fun to watch.”"

Under Joe Barry, this Green Bay defense plays with lightboxes, which allows them to have an extra defender in the secondary to help against the pass. In part, this strategy works because the Packers have been able to contain the run, and for the most part, playing with leads. However, if that isn’t the case, Barry will need to commit another defender to the box, which could then open up the passing game for the opposing offense–again, another reason why slowing Cook is a must.

In addition to Barry’s scheme, we’ve also seen some terrific play on the back-end from Darnell Savage and Adrian Amos, as well as at the cornerback position. Not to mention that, as always, slowing the run game and pressuring Kirk Cousins are two ways that the defensive front can provide the secondary with help against two highly-productive receivers.