Packers pass rush faces pressure prone Giants
By Paul Bretl
The Green Bay Packers pass rush will have the opportunity to wreak some havoc on Sunday against a New York Giants offensive line that has struggled in pass protection this season.
While on the ground, the Giants rank fourth in rush attempts, and Saquon Barkley leads the NFL in rushing yards behind his impressive 5.5 yards per carry average, New York has struggled up-front in pass protection.
Through four games, the Giants have allowed a pressure rate of 35.9%, which is the highest rate in football. They also rank 25th in ESPN’s pass-block win rate metric and 26th in pass-blocking by PFF’s grading system.
However, I’ll also add that Daniel Jones’ average time to throw of 3.29-seconds isn’t helping things either. Jones is either holding on to the ball and not seeing the field well, the receivers aren’t getting open, or a combination of the two.
When under duress, Jones is completing 48% of his passes at 5.2 yards per attempt, according to PFF ($$). When blitzed, he completes 64% of his passes but at only 4.2 yards per attempt with a touchdown. For some context, Aaron Rodgers is at 8.7 yards per attempt when blitzed–although, to Jones’ credit, he has been very good at not turning the ball over in these instances.
The Packers’ pass rush, meanwhile, ranks ninth in pressure rate this season and seventh in sacks, with Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, and Kenny Clark leading the way.
Jones is mobile and the Giants will use that ability of his with RPOs and moving the pocket; however, Jones is currently dealing with an ankle sprain. The New York receivers, meanwhile, have been underwhelming this season, with the passing offense ranking 19th in DVOA.
The Giants will lean heavily on the run game, as they have done all season, ranking fourth in rush attempts per game, which could limit the Packers’ chances to rush Jones. While he had over 30 pass attempts in Weeks 2 and 3, Jones threw the ball just 13 times against Chicago.
In order for the Green Bay pass rush to have the opportunity to get after Jones or whoever is under center, it begins with early down success and putting New York in obvious passing situations, where the Packers have been really good this season, ranking among the best in third-down defense.
As I discussed recently, improved run play for the Packers begins with Joe Barry being more willing to come out of that two-high shell, as well as the players simply playing better.
However, the Green Bay Packers offense can play a role in this as well. Rodgers mentioned following the New England game that if the offense could have made it a two-score game early on, it would have helped make the Patriots one-dimensional and afforded the pass rush more opportunities.
Green Bay’s ability to pressure the quarterback begins with slowing the run game or taking away those opportunities. While that won’t be easy against Barkley, if they’re able to do so, it could be a big game for the Packers’ defensive front.