3 Key Matchups to Watch between Green Bay Packers and Patriots
By Paul Bretl
As part of my weekly preview of the Green Bay Packers’ upcoming matchup with the New England Patriots, here are three matchups to keep your eyes on as Sunday’s game unfolds.
The Green Bay Packers Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur vs. Bill Belichick
As Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers made clear on Wednesday when speaking with the media, you never truly know what to expect from a Bill Belichick defense.
"“You just never know what you’re going to get,” said LaFleur when asked about facing Belichick. “He’s the best of the best, regardless of sports. It’s not a shocker as to why he’s won so many Super Bowls and why he’s won so many games. He just does a great job of taking away what you do best away from you, keeping you off balance; they can play a lot of different looks out of the same personnel groupings.”"
Although one of the big unknowns right now is in regards to how Belichick is going to approach this game from a schematic standpoint, the one thing we do know, as LaFleur mentioned, is that he is going to take away what the opponent does best.
This Packers offense is still trying to find consistency, but in the last two weeks, they do seem to have found an identity, which consists of making sure Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon get plenty of touches, a good run-pass mix, spreading the ball around, and the quick passing game.
When it comes to what Belichick may look to take away, I’d focus on the run and quick passing games, which have been the catalysts to Green Bay’s offensive success. In the past, we’ve seen what happens to this Packers offense when they struggle to move the ball on the ground. Eventually, they become one-dimensional and therefore pass-heavy, with the pass-rush teeing off on Aaron Rodgers.
Green Bay has also leaned very heavily on the quick passing game in order to create manageable third-down situations along with getting the ball into the hands of their pass catchers to make plays. Currently, the Packers rank first in total YAC, while Rodgers has been incredibly efficient when getting rid of the ball in under 2.5-seconds per PFF ($$).
If the Patriots are able to successfully limit the Packers in those two key areas — or even one for that matter — what counters or adjustments will Green Bay have? The answer to that question may go a long ways in dictating how effective this offense can be on Sunday.
"“You just never quite know,” LaFleur would reiterate with a later question. “You just study the tape and look back at previous years; that is the challenge when you go against a team coached by him (Belichick); you just don’t know. You can try to make the best-educated guess, but you have to be ready to adapt on gameday if they present a different look.”"