Green Bay Packers: Poor pass rush isn’t all on front seven

The Green Bay Packers only have 12 sacks through their first seven contests. This low number isn’t completely on the front seven of the defense though.

The Green Bay Packers don’t have the most exciting defense in football. I don’t think anyone would try to sell you on any different idea. Nevertheless, the lack of playmaking (especially when it comes to sacks) has been puzzling.

Through the first seven games of the season, the Green Bay defense has recorded just 12 sacks. Only three teams have less under their belt (Tennessee Titans and New York Jets with 11, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers with seven).

While the Packers defense isn’t exactly star-studded, they have some names that would lead you to believe a good pass rush is there. Names such as Mike Daniels and Nick Perry, and even veteran Clay Matthews.

Of course, a good pass rush doesn’t always produce sacks. There are QB hits and hurries, tipped passes, and more. Still though, 12 is a disappointing number at this point in the year, and the rest of the “pass rush” disruptions don’t make up for it.

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You could look at the fact that only seven people have picked up even a half-sack this year and say that’s a problem. Green Bay’s leader (Perry) boasting only 3.5 sacks isn’t great news either. For comparison, the Jacksonville Jaguars lead the league with 33 sacks. Their third leading sack-man is Dante Fowler Jr., he has 5.5 on the year.

It’s not all on the pass rush though. While the front seven gets the majority of the sacks, that doesn’t always mean they did all the work. Let me put it this way. Every year, I make a Madden Franchise with my brothers. We’re all on the same team, and we win Super Bowls and drink Mountain Dew.

There are a lot of plays when the quarterback we play holds onto the ball for what seems like an eternity before he gets sacked. When that happens, someone inevitably yells “coverage sack!” They do this because they want whoever got the sack to know they should thank them for their great coverage.

The Packers pass rush probably isn’t thanking much great coverage this year though. It’s hard to rack up the sack totals when the quarterback doesn’t see all his targets blanketed. Of course, you can’t expect any secondary to completely engulf receivers for a full game. Green Bay’s secondary might even get some extra leeway due to their youth and inexperience. With that being said, they aren’t doing the Front Seven any favors.

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This late in the season, it’s hard to imagine the Packers becoming a top-15 defense when it comes to pass rush. They have the tools to be better than they’ve shown though. A little help from the secondary can go a long way.