Green Bay Packers defense: Is there a better time to kickstart it than now?
The Green Bay Packers have started the 2014 season with a pedestrian 2-2 record and head into Thursday night’s NFC North Division showdown with the surprising Minnesota Vikings, a team that sports the same record.
Last week, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers told fans to relax; that things would be OK and that fans needed to show some patience.
That they did and it was the Packers’ offense led by Rodgers that paved the way for a 38-17 win over the Chicago Bears.
…While the offense exploded for a near-perfect game last Sunday at Soldier Field in Chicago, the defense seemingly missed the bus to the stadium.
However, while the offense exploded for a near-perfect game last Sunday at Soldier Field in Chicago, the defense seemingly missed the bus to the stadium. The unit that was on the field seemed to be a shadow of itself, especially when it came to stopping the run – once again.
By game’s end the Packers had yielded more than 250 yards on the ground to the Bears.
Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte killed the Packers last Sunday in the run game. Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports photograph
Had it not been for the red-hot passing offense, the defense could have easily lost this game for Green Bay.
Though turnovers helped save face for the Green Bay defense, the fact of the statistics that glaringly showed the Packers well behind the Bears in just about every category, didn’t have a calming effect for Packers fans. We all know that there are plenty of teams out there who can run the ball well and pass it better than Jay Cutler.
Also by game’s end, Green Bay was buried deep at the bottom of the NFL’s rankings for defense against the run. That’s right … the Packers now sit at #32 for rushing defense.
On the other side of the ball, the concern about the Packers’ lack of a run game is also rising toward panic mode.
Eddie Lacy is a shell of what he showed his first season when he earned Rookie of the Year honors. While the Packers try to feed Lacy the ball, his short runs into a wall of blockers and defenders is getting old.
On top of that fact is the need to spread the ball around more. Last week James Starks played one offensive down and didn’t touch the ball at all – something that head coach Mike McCarthy said would never happen again.
But to get back to the crux of this article – the defense.
The Packers have struggled against the likes of teams led by quarterbacks Russell Wilson, Matthew Stafford and even Cutler, not to mention the run games led by Marshawn Lynch, Reggie Bush and Matt Forte. The only team the Packers had some success against were the New York Jets and that was only because – well, because it’s the New York Jets.
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Now that the Minnesota Vikings are ready to invade Lambeau Field Thursday night, the Packers will face a team that isn’t very familiar. With a new coach, a new defense, and a new quarterback, the Vikings are somewhat of an unknown to the Packers.
On the flip side, the Vikings newest additions, especially on the offensive side of the ball, are also unfamiliar with the defense put on the field by the Packers.
With a rookie quarterback under center and a backfield sans Adrian Peterson, this is an opportunity for the Packers’ defense to shine. Can the Packers, for once, hit home on rushing the quarterback and not just get close?
Can the defensive backfield, led by the likes of Sam Shields, Tramon Williams, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Micah Hyde, pick off a pass or two from the right hand of the gloved one – Teddy Bridgewater?
If none of this occurs, it might be a long night for the Packers’ defense – and another game when Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense will be called on to save the day.
If the Packers defense
can awake from this season-long slumber, then it will be a route in favor of the Packers.
Stay tuned …