Are We Giving the Packers Defense a Bit Too Much Credit?
After taking a look at some of the numbers of the teams the Green Bay Packers have played en route to their 6-0 start, it's fair to wonder if the defense is getting too much credit for their success.
There is no need for anyone to apologize for beating teams they should or for taking care of business on the defensive end. After all, you can only play the teams on your schedule and the alternative would be for the defense to play poorly against these sub-par offenses.
Therein lies some of the concern moving forward. Thus far, the defense has been squaring off against some truly ugly offensive squads and quarterbacks, with the exception of the San Diego Chargers' Philip Rivers. His 503 yards passing should be the red flag that at least raises some concern.
To see what I'm talking about in terms of the offenses Green Bay has faced, below is a graphic showing where each of their opponents rank in the NFL in four offensive categories.
You may notice that San Francisco and St. Louis are the two lowest-scoring teams in the NFL with Chicago and Kansas City in the bottom tier as well. A similar pattern emerges with the passing yards per game with only the Chargers having a pulse.
The rushing stats for the Packers' opponents are better, but Green Bay gives up the 9th-most rushing yards per game this season.
Ultimately, the defense has done the job asked of them by keeping the enemy off the scoreboard, ranking 3rd in the NFL in fewest point allowed per game (16.8). As Dom Capers noted following the Chargers' passing barrage, the Packers allowed just 20 points and had a game-winning stop at the goal line.
Bend, but don't break while forcing turnovers - that is the Capers' modus operandi.
Again, this isn't to say the defense is bad or that we'll find out they can't stop anyone in the near future. This is simply a reporting of the facts: Green Bay's defense hasn't really been challenged this year.
Winning 6 straight games to start the year is no small feat. Look around the league and you'll see quality teams fall against inferior opponents. That's not to say Packers fans shouldn't be a little worried that things may get worse on the defensive end.
Fortunately, there aren't a boatload of great quarterbacks that the Packers will need to shut down, though the talent on the offensive side of the ball can only get better. When that happens, the Packers 'D' will need to be up to the task.
Or perhaps, more realistically, Aaron Rodgers and the offense will need to start firing on all cylinders to carry the club the rest of the way...which is what we all expected anyway.