Packers: Pass rush key to defensive success against Bears

The Green Bay Packers’ pass rush is key to success against the Chicago Bears in Week 1.

With the addition of Khalil Mack, there has been a lot of talk about the Chicago Bears pass rush, but the Green Bay Packers‘ group of edge rushers should not be taken lightly.

They bring back some key contributors in Mike Daniels, Kenny Clark and Clay Matthews, while also adding Muhammad Wilkerson and Reggie Gilbert to this year’s roster.

The Packers’ overall defensive success is going to depend on their front seven’s ability to stop Chicago’s running game and to create pressure on Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky.

A look at Green Bay’s pass-rushers

The dynamic duo of Mike Daniels and Kenny Clark both look to improve on their strong 2017 season. Between the two, they were able to create 11 sacks, 11 hurries and 42 pressures.

I would anticipate these stats taking a jump this year for each of these players, especially for Clark. At just 23 years old, Clark will be entering his third season and for many NFL players, a huge jump comes between years two and three.

To join Daniels and Clark, the Packers signed Muhammad Wilkerson this offseason. Although 2017 would be considered a down year for Wilkerson, he will be a great addition to the line to help add depth.

In his career, Wilkerson has 243 solo tackles and 44.5 sacks, making for a very nice career thus far. The Packers are aware that he most likely won’t be in his 2015 Pro Bowl form where he accumulated 12 sacks, but they hope he can get close.

At outside linebacker Clay Matthews will look to build on his 2017 season where he had 10 sacks and was able to remain healthy for the most part. Matthews has been a big factor in past Packers-Bears matchups. Over 16 games Clay has 9.5 sacks, 64 total tackles and three interceptions.

Similar to Matthews is the return of Nick Perry, who missed some time last year with an injury. Perry played quite well against the Bears last year, accumulating three sacks and 10 total tackles over the two games. In his return from injury, expect Perry to be a big contributor during this game.

Lastly, we need to take note of the emergence of Reggie Gilbert during the end of 2017 and through this preseason. He was able to put up 3.5 sacks, seven total tackles and two forced fumbles in just two preseason games. He will be another player giving this Bears offensive line troubles.

Bears offensive line

Although the Bears offensive line has the potential to be a solid unit this season, a lot of questions still remain. The Packers pass-rushing group will need to take advantage and disrupt the Bears running game and quarterback Mitch Trubisky.

Center Cody Whitehair had a decent rookie season but will be entering 2018 off of a sophomore slump. He was unable to make a jump between year one and year two. In fact, his progression went backwards, leaving the Bears coaching staff wondering if he needs to change positions.

The Bears’ left guard will be rookie James Daniels from Iowa. He had a solid college career, but facing Mike Daniels and Kenny Clark will be a whole new challenge for the young man. At this point we do not know how he will respond.

At right guard will be Kyle Long, who is a very good player and has been a staple in this Bears offensive line for a number of years. However, an issue for Long has been his durability. He has been injured for portions of the previous two seasons and it will be interesting to see if he’s able to bounce back.

Slowing down the Bears running game

This will be an important part for the Packers pass rush in the upcoming game. With a quarterback entering his second season, the Bears will rely heavily on their running game. Chicago has two solid running backs in Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen. Howard had a breakout year in 2016 but was unable to build on that last season.

It will be important for the Packers to stop these two backs. If they are able to do so it will force Trubisky to be the guy who has to win this game. And if it comes down to Aaron Rodgers versus Trubisky, we know how that game will end.

Helping out the secondary

By being able to slow the run game, it will force Chicago to have to throw the ball more. This will give the pass rushers a chance for some sacks and to disrupt Trubisky’s rhythm. Trubisky is still a young quarterback and forcing him out of the pocket and making him run through his progressions much faster will lead to mistakes that Green Bay’s secondary can capitalize on.

In addition to potential mistakes, creating pressure on the quarterback will make Trubisky have to get rid of the ball quicker. This will lead to less time for the secondary having to cover the Bears receivers, making their jobs much easier.

There are many things that go into winning a football game, but if Green Bay’s pass rushers can make an impact, they will be a huge reason for the Packers’ defensive success.