Packers' Defense Earned the Playoff Win...As Usual
With all due respect to the suddenly rejuvenated Green Bay Packers' offense, we should all take a moment to appreciate what the defense has done all season to put this team into the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Even on Sunday afternoon, it was the 'D' that set the tone for another victory.
For much of the season, Green Bay's defense hovered around the top 5 in points allowed, though they finished 12th by the end of the year - in large part due to the offense giving up 3 TDs in the final 2 weeks.
Since the NFL doesn't differentiate the points allowed, those 3 fumbles returned for TDs against the Packers raised their points allowed from 18.9 points/game (5th) to 20.2 per contest. While they weren't perfect and didn't stand out in any category, the defense was consistently opportunistic.
A few insights into the 2015 defensive performance...
Though they were only 19th in total takeaways, the defense had a takeaway in every game except one this season. They also had a knack for coming up with the pick or fumble in big moments.
They also finished the year 7th in sacks, averaging 2.7 per game. Though a bit inconsistent in the middle of the year, Green Bay was effective pressuring the QB.
The Packers' offense started 13.54% of its drives in their opponents' territory, the 5th-best percentage. This is a testament to Green Bay's defense as turnovers, sacks and forcing the opposition to punt from deep in their own territory led to great field position. All 3 of these aspects were on display against the Washington Redskins Sunday, and they directly led to a 35-18 road playoff victory.
Though the score ended with a 17-point gap, the mood and direction of the game could've been a whole lot different had the defense not taken advantage of some mistakes and made plays when they needed it most.
Go all the way back to the 1st quarter with Washington leading 2-0 on a safety. On that ensuing drive, DeSean Jackson had a sure touchdown, but inexplicably failed to place the ball across the goal line. Instead of 7 points, the Redskins sat 1st and goal at the Packers' 1-yard line.
That's when the defense did some heavy lifting, turning a break into statement.
Green Bay stuffed a pair of runs on the first two plays. Then after a false start penalty, they turned away the Redskins when Ha Ha Clinton-Dix knocked the ball down in the end zone. Washington would settle for a 5-0 lead instead of going up 9 in the 1st quarter.
While Washington would score a TD in the 2nd quarter to take an 11-0 edge (they missed the extra point), the earlier goal line stand made sure the game wasn't getting away from the still-struggling offense, which had run 13 plays for 7 yards, 3 punts and a safety.
In holding the NFC East champs to only 1 touchdown, the defense gave Aaron Rodgers the chance to fight back as he threw with the wind at his back. As #12 would find his groove once again, the defense's impact continued to build.
The Packers pulled within 4 points mid-way through the 2nd quarter on a Rodgers to Randall Cobb TD pass, but the Redskins were driving once again to answer that score. But once again, the defense was simply bending before coming up with a big play.
With a first down at the Packers' 39-yard line, Kirk Cousins was sacked by Mike Neal and coughed up the football. Neal himself recovered the fumble for a turning-point takeaway, something the defense had been doing all season.
It was the only Packers' takeaway of the game (as usual), but it was the most opportunistic time to do it - again - typical. Mason Crosby would hit a field goal to cut the deficit to 11-10, and the defense would step up once more.
They'd force a 3-and-out this time, and Micah Hyde returned the punt to the Packers' 40-yard line with over 2 minutes to go. Excellent field position set up by the stout defense.
Before you knew it, Rodgers had hit Davante Adams with a 10-yard TD pass, giving the Packers a 17-11 halftime lead. As much as the offense woke up and stormed back, it was the defense that allowed it to happen to begin with.
The defense gave up one more TD, but clamped down after that. They would finish the game with 6 sacks, 5 punts and 3 turnovers on downs.
In the end, the pressure Green Bay applied to Cousins was the main ingredient to success. Cousins owned a 117 passer rating at home this season, including a 74.7 completion percentage. On Sunday, Cousins completed 63% with a 91.7 rating.
That was Cousins' lowest passer rating since week 10 (vs. Carolina) and his worst at home since the first game of the season.
Watching the offense find another gear was splendid and a pulse on that side of the ball is necessary to move on. However, you're fooling yourself if you don't think the defense deserves a vast majority of the credit - for their regular season success and postseason win number one.
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