Packers’ speed to be tested against Rams in Week 8

The Green Bay Packers face a tough challenge from the Los Angeles Rams in Week 8.

In January 2017, the Green Bay Packers went on the road to pit their flawed defense against the NFC’s best team—complete with an MVP quarterback, a brilliant young offensive playcaller, an exceptional group of skill position players, and the league’s best overall offense.

Dom Capers’ defense was no match for the Falcons in that NFC Championship, giving up 44 points in a blowout loss.

As the 2018 Packers prepare to face the Los Angeles Rams in Week 8, they’ll be facing an opponent with striking similarities to those 2016 Falcons.

Jared Goff is an MVP candidate. Todd Gurley is a top five running back. Brandin Cooks is a devastating deep threat. And directing it all is Sean McVay, an offensive genius on par with the likes of Kyle Shanahan.

In 2016, the Falcons exposed the Packers’ both physically and schematically. It was obvious to all watching that the team just didn’t have the speed to match up with Atlanta.

That was perhaps best encapsulated by LaDarius Gunter, a currently unsigned cornerback who couldn’t crack 4.6 in the 40-yard dash, being blown away by Julio Jones in the open field.

This year, the Packers are theoretically equipped to fare better. On defense, they’ve added athleticism primarily in the form of Kevin King, Jaire Alexander, Oren Burks and Josh Jackson.

On offense (where they also came up woefully short that night), Aaron Jones and Marquez Valdes-Scantling are the meaningful upgrades.

So how will that all play out?

Alexander, back from a groin injury and presumably fully healthy following the bye week, should shadow Cooks when Mike Pettine plays man coverage. He comes closer than anyone else on defense to matching up with Cooks athletically, though he obviously has a severe disadvantage in experience.

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Cooks will beat Alexander for some intermediate receptions, but if Alexander can use his speed to prevent any backbreaking long plays, it will be a win for the Packers. This applies to not only passes, but to the jet sweeps that McVay loves to run.

Burks, meanwhile, will be key to corralling Gurley. The multipurpose threat is electric on handoffs and pitches, and Burks’ speed could be invaluable in pursuit on outside runs.

Gurley is also on pace for 57 receptions for over 600 yards. Burks will likely be responsible for covering Gurley man-to-man on a number of third downs, and he’ll also need to diagnose and make tackles on screen passes.

Kevin King, Tramon Williams and Josh Jackson will also have interesting battles against Cooper Kupp (if he returns from injury this week), Robert Woods, and the rest of the Rams’ pass catchers. The biggest liability in coverage will be Kentrell Brice, the athletically limited safety.

Pettine will need to take care to limit instances where Brice is in single-high coverage, as McVay will surely look to dial up deep passes in those situations.

The Rams have run the second most play-action in the NFL at 78 snaps and average a staggering 12.2 yards per pass attempt on those plays, according to NFL Matchup on ESPN.

The Rams defense also features plenty of explosiveness. Most notable are former Packers’ speedster Sam Shields at corner, college safety Mark Barron at linebacker, and Aaron Donald, possibly the best defensive player in the entire NFL.

They’ll hope to help stifle Aaron Rodgers‘ primary offensive weapons—Davante Adams, Randall Cobb and Jimmy Graham.

All three of these players have different types of playmaking ability, and they’ll need to log a few big gains between them. Otherwise, it will be near impossible to keep up with McVay’s offense.

As far as the offensive additions, Jones is likely to see plenty of touches following a week of self-scouting for Mike McCarthy and Joe Philbin.

And Valdes-Scantling has earned the opportunity to showcase his speed on a few snaps despite the return of Randall Cobb and Geronimo Allison.

Of course, football isn’t a track meet. The gameplans formulated by Mike McCarthy, Pettine, McVay, and Wade Phillips will be more important than any individual player on Sunday afternoon. And Aaron Rodgers’ arm can cover up many deficiencies.

But this game represents an opportunity for the Packers to prove that the hirings of Brian Gutekunst and Mike Pettine really have changed this team for the better.

If they’re able to run with the Rams, they’ll be in great position to do just that as they notch a stunning upset and assert themselves as an NFC contender.