By now, everyone's well aware of the Green Bay Packers' pass rushing issues. Per ESPN, heading into Week 7, they ranked 30th in team Pass Rush Win Rate (31% success) but somehow have the seventh-most sacks in football? It's confusing. (I know sacks aren't always a pass rushing stat please stop yelling.)
That's why, for the last couple of weeks, the Packers have been brought up a whole bunch in trade rumors around pass rushers. Whether it's sending a guy like Preston Smith elsewhere, or pulling off a the headliner of all headliners for Maxx Crosby, it seems like everyone's in agreement that something has to change.
But what if nothing had to change? Change is scary! What if the Packers were back, and their pass rushing was elite?
RELATED: Matt LaFleur shares emotional postgame moment with Jeff Hafley after beating Texans
How convenient would that be?! Thanks to one single Tweet, all that (and more!) can be true.
Packers' pass rush finally delivered in Week 7 win over Texans
A wild stat:
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) October 21, 2024
The Packers sent five or more pass rushers on only 17.2% of C.J. Stroud's dropbacks. The lowest team blitz % in the NFL is 17.1
Yet the Packers pressured Stroud on 51.7% of his dropbacks. The highest team pressure % in the NFL is 42.6.
Scheming & winning 1-on-1s.
Like I always say, there's nothing more wild than pressure rates on dropback passes. Scheming and winning one-on-ones is right!
It is a testament to Jeff Hafley's gameplan, which is probably why Matt LaFleur gave him the first of three game balls after the win. It's also a testament to the Packers' secondary, really – it's not like the Packers were really sending heat all that often. The pass rush vs. pass coverage debate is overdone and not worth diving into in a 400-word blog but, to me at least, it reads a lot like the Packers' corners and safeties got it done.
Not having to worry about Nico Collins certainly helps, but it's not like the Texans ran a bunch of Guys out there – they still had to deal with C.J. Stroud, Stefon Diggs, and Tank Dell.
It should also probably be noted that the Texans' offensive line is kinda garbage (25th in Pass Block Win Rate and fourth in sacks allowed). Their next three games are against teams that rank 14th, 9th, and 5th in Pass Block Win Rate, so we'll get a real look at whether or not Hafley and the defense have figured something out, or whether they were just inspired by one game of weird alternate helmets.