5 Key things to watch for and final thoughts on Packers vs. Falcons
By Paul Bretl
The Packers’ young receivers vs. an aggressive Falcons’ secondary
In talking with both Matt LaFleur and Adam Stenavich this week, a common word used to describe the Falcons’ defense was aggressive. That play style applies to the entire unit, but especially the secondary. This group came away with three turnovers against Carolina – all of which were created by Jessie Bates – and held the Panthers’ offense to just 3.2 yards per pass attempt.
This is a group with good length and athleticism, but the cornerbacks are also more than willing to challenge receivers at the line of scrimmage, while the safeties will utilize late movement to cause some confusion for the offense. This is something we saw New England utilize against Green Bay in joint practices, and it made moving the ball very difficult for the Packers offense, specifically during that second day of practice.
"“I think all those guys are really solid players,” said LaFleur. “They play a really aggressive scheme as well. They’ll get up in your face. They’ll challenge you. And they do a nice job. They’ve got really good length and size and can run. So it’ll be a good task for our young receiver group.”"
If Green Bay is going to find success, it all begins with the offensive line play. Moving the ball on the ground will open up opportunities in the passing game. Time in the pocket will allow Love to go through his progressions and give the pass catchers additional time to get open.
The Packers also need to continue using motion, which can limit a defense’s ability to disguise coverages by forcing them to make adjustments late. Not to mention that Green Bay’s versatility can create mismatches, get pass catchers in space, and cause some chaos, making it more difficult for defenses to decipher what’s taking place or what a specific player’s responsibilities are.
Final Thoughts
– If the Packers are without David Bakhtiari, who is listed as questionable, I would guess that they will move Zach Tom to left tackle, and Rasheed Walker will take over at right tackle. During the last few weeks of training camp, Walker was ahead of Yosh Nijman.
– It’s all about consistency for rookie Anders Carlson. After going 5-for-5 on extra points in Week 1 and making a 52-yard field goal, how does he perform in Week 2? After this summer, I’m not sure what to expect.
– It goes without saying, but not having Aaron Jones would be a massive loss for this offense. It would put even more pressure on the offensive line to create running lanes because AJ Dillon just doesn’t have the same ability as Jones to create on his own. Emanuel Wilson would also play a big role as well.
– The Packers put a ton on tape in Week 1 from a formations and run scheme standpoint. What that does is it gives the Falcons a lot to gameplan for and makes it much more difficult to key in on one or two specific things that this Green Bay offense does.
– With the Falcons wanting to run the ball but also having two downfield threats in the passing game, the safety position, in particular, will be stressed the most because Darnell Savage and Rudy Ford will have to be ready to help in both areas.
– Josh Myers going up against Grady Jarrett is a matchup to watch. Jarrett could very well make it a long day for Myers.
– I thought Luke Musgrave and Ben Sims held up fairly well as blockers against the Bears. Can they do it again and do so against a better front?