Packers: Offensive line must stop Jerry Hughes in Week 4

As the Green Bay Packers look to bounce back this Sunday against Buffalo, a key to the game will be slowing down Bills edge rusher Jerry Hughes.

Against the Minnesota Vikings, Hughes was a huge difference maker in that game. His relentless pressure on Kirk Cousins set the tone for the rest of the Buffalo defense and for the game.

With Cousins constantly under pressure, he was unable to get into a rhythm and made a number of poor throws as a result.

For Green Bay to be able to move the ball offensively, it will be pertinent that they slow down Hughes and keep him away from quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Hughes against the Vikings

If you look at Hughes’ stat line on paper against the Vikings it doesn’t appear to be anything special. He recorded one sack, one tackle and one forced fumble. In reality he was able to make much more of an impact than that.

Hughes was on the field for 40 snaps where he rushed the quarterback. Over those 40 plays he was able to get two quarterback hits and an additional 10 hurries, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). For his Week 3 performance, Hughes received a final grade of 93.4 from PFF and made their team of the week honors.

Hughes was lined up on Vikings left tackle Riley Reiff this past Sunday and was able to beat him predominantly with his speed and athleticism around the edge. If Hughes does engage with a blocker, he has a repertoire of moves and is able to get shed the blockers.

Last week was a standout performance for Hughes, but he has been playing at this high level all season long. He’s combined for eight total tackles and a sack in Weeks 1 and 2. PFF currently has Hughes tied for first with Bears linebacker Khalil Mack for most pressures on a quarterback with 20 up to this point in the season.

Packers offensive line

Jerry Hughes will normally rush off of the right side of the defensive line and match up against the offense’s left tackle. However, Hughes isn’t playing another Riley Reiff this week, he will be up against David Bahktiari. According to PFF, Bahktiari is ranked as the second best tackle in the NFL so far in 2018 and has the all-important job of protecting quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ blind side.

With this difficult matchup for Hughes, you have to wonder if Buffalo will move him to the opposite side of the line to go against an injured Bryan Bulaga or his replacement.

Last Sunday, Bulaga left the game with a back injury that originally had the Packers concerned that he could miss significant time. Fortunately, it was not as severe as Green Bay initially thought and Bulaga was back to practice on Wednesday but in a limited role.

Bulaga’s replacement against Washington was Jason Spriggs, who was quite unimpressive. He was beat multiple times in pass protection and gave up multiple pressures to the Redskins edge rushers. Spriggs was also flagged for a holding penalty and a false start.

If Bulaga can’t play this Sunday, Byron Bell will get the start. Bell normally plays right guard so there may be some unfamiliarity for him at the tackle position. He has more experience and is a better alternative than Spriggs, but Hughes will still give Bell issues.

Hopefully Bulaga can start against Buffalo. Even if he does and the Bills line up Hughes over him, it is going to be a difficult assignment for Bulaga. Especially if he isn’t 100 percent.

How can the Packers slow Hughes down?

Green Bay will need to give some help to the tackles, especially if Hughes is lined up over the right side of the Packers line. Tight end Marcedes Lewis is known for his run blocking and finished 2017 ranked as the top run blocking tight end by PFF.

I am hopeful that head coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Joe Philbin give Lewis more snaps as he could be a big factor in slowing down Hughes. Whether it’s Jimmy Graham lined up inside at tight end or Marcedes Lewis, both are going to have to chip Hughes as they go by to slow him down and delay the rush.

If Buffalo keeps Hughes lined up over Bahktiari for most of the game, it will make life easier for the Packers offense and Aaron Rodgers, as Bahktiari should be able to hold his own for the most part.

But the Packers coaching staff shouldn’t shy away from giving Bahktiari some help from the tight ends to keep an immobile Rodgers upright.