Revisiting 10 Bold Predictions for Green Bay Packers 2021 Season
By Paul Bretl
Green Bay Packers Bold Prediction No. 3: Rashan Gary records 10 sacks for the Green Bay Packers
A: Correct
I’m going to count this one as correct. By PFF’s metrics, Rashan Gary did record 10 sacks–at PFF, they do not count half sacks, which is how this stat should be tracked. In addition to the 10 sacks, Gary recorded the second-most quarterback pressures among edge rushers with 81, and he ranked sixth in PFF’s pass-rush productivity metric. In short, Gary has blossomed into one of the most productive edge rushers in the game.
Bold Prediction No. 4: Kenny Clark sets a career-high in sacks
A: Wrong
My reasoning behind this was that in Joe Barry’s new defense, which afforded Kenny Clark more freedom to move around, he was going to see fewer double-teams, and as a result, have more sack opportunities.
Although Clark finished with four sacks compared to his career-high of nine, he was one of the best interior defenders when it came to pressuring the quarterback. Clark finished the season with 68 pressures, one behind his career-high, and ranked third in that category overall.
Bold Prediction No. 5: 1,700 combined rushing yards for Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon
A: Ahh, so close
We saw a very even workload for Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon this season. Jones recorded 171 rushing attempts for 799 yards, while Dillon carried the ball 187 times for 803 yards. If you’re without a calculator, that totals 1,602 rushing yards between the two of them. Jones would average 4.7 yards per rush this season and Dillon 4.3, but behind an offensive line that dealt with several key injuries, the Green Bay run game wasn’t nearly as explosive as it was a season ago.