Randall Cobb biggest threat to Seattle Seahawks?

The Seattle Seahawks defense is so dominant that it’s almost ridiculous, and their elite pass rush will surely keep the hobbled Aaron Rodgers on his toes in the pocket. Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril are certainly more than just an octave higher in caliber than the Jeremy Mincey and Demarcus Lawrence duo the Green Bay Packers faced last week, and the Seahawks secondary is even more obviously the better unit. They have a tendency to turn windows into picks, as the likes of Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas have some insane closing speed.

Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, and Davante Adams form a formidable trio, but it will most likely take another monster effort from Rodgers to propel his team to a W in Seattle.

Whenever a high-powered offense goes up against the Seahawks secondary, it’s customary to try and break down the WR-CB matchups that could be on tap. The issue is that teams regularly move receivers around, so it’s hard to generate matchups accurately without assuming that the matchups are static, rather than ever-changing during the game.

That said, I think Cobb presents the Seahawks defense with their most difficult challenge on Sunday, because his skill-set gives him a chance to win against anyone the Seahawks throw at him in coverage. Jordy Nelson could beat Byron Maxwell, but I have a hard time seeing him winning against Sherman. Nelson is one of the NFL’s best receivers, but he doesn’t have the short-area quickness that would allow him to get open quickly against a shutdown corner.

I think it’s appropriate to take a look back at what the Packers did to the New England Patriots, because they were able to thwart an elite (albeit less-imposing) secondary with a steady diet of Cobb and Adams. The rookie wideout famously went off for over 100, but Cobb consistently moved the ball for the offense with seven receptions for 85 yards. Nelson had one memorable big catch, but, aside from that, Darrelle Revis held him to just two receptions.

Against Bennett and Avril, who have been the most consistent 4-3 DE duo at getting pressure over the past two seasons, the name of the game for Rodgers will be getting the ball out quickly. Still sapped of some of his mobility, Rodgers can’t afford to be a sitting duck in the pocket, and he could also benefit greatly from the likes of Cobb and Adams making something happen after the catch after quick passes.

When playing Seattle, it’s all about finding holes in the coverage on quick passes and using those plays to set up downfield throws. There’s more than one way to generate a big play than deep throws, of course, as YAC plays from receivers like Cobb are always a threat.

It’s easy to love how the Packers utilize Cobb, because they’ve made him one of the NFL’s most versatile receivers by literally aligning him everywhere in the formation. They need to do more of that today in order to keep the Seahawks smart, well-coached defense guessing. Who picks up Cobb if he runs routes out of the backfield? Maxwell, Simon, and slot corner Jeremy Lane (or Tharold Simon) are all good players, but do they have the fluidity and quickness to keep up with Cobb’s sick route-running, which was on full display last week?

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With Maxwell returning, the Seahawks secondary is as deep as ever, as they are something like five-deep at the position. But while the likes of Simon and Lane are good, they are technically the weakest links in the Seahawks secondary, and they aren’t in the same class as Cobb, who caught 91 receptions for over 1,200 yards this past season and is one of the league’s most agile receivers. He also showed off some killer hands last week by holding onto some tough, contested passes, and that’s key against an aggressive secondary.

It’s rare for a 5’10” wide receiver to score 12 touchdowns in a season, but, season after season, Cobb has proven to be one of the biggest TD-mavens at the position. Not only is he a threat to take it to the house on any given play with his game-breaking speed and “shakes”, but he’s one of the best receivers in the game at finding openings in tight spaces and maneuvering in them. The Seahawks will give the Packers a crowded field, and Rodgers, who can’t afford to let the pass rush get to him and can’t count on his line to contain two top-notch pass rushers, has to trust that Randall Cobb will be able to come free.

The Packers need to try and work Nelson into favorable positions since he’s their best wide receiver and biggest downfield threat, but it’s unlikely that they’ll be able to rely on him consistently. If Maxwell isn’t 100%, then Nelson-Maxwell could become a mis-match, but I think the most favorable matchup for Green Bay is Cobb in the slot, backfield, and roaming all over the formation.

Because he bases his game on short-area quickness, YAC (fourth-most yards after the catch last season), and also averaged 14.1 yards per reception in 2014, he’s the danger man for Seattle. He’s also extremely consistent, since he hasn’t posted less than 50 receiving yards in a game or less than four catches since Week 5. Adams is the X-Factor for the Packers, but Cobb is the receiver who should make the ‘Hawks sweat the most.

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