Matt LaFleur’s team is atop the NFC North but the Green Bay Packers still have some defensive issues that must be addressed sooner than later.
This offseason, the team from Titletown was very un-Packer like. And the moves made by Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst have paid off in a big way for a team that currently resides in first place in the NFC North with an 8-2 record. That’s marked improvement for a club that finished 6-9-1 a year ago, that off a 7-9 campaign in 2017.
The Packers went out and were very aggressive in the free-agent market, something the organization has shied away from for years. In the past, big money went out to Reggie White, Charles Woodson and Julius Peppers and all of those moves proved wise.
This year, the franchise sunk some cash into outside linebackers Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith and safety Adrian Amos. Early on this season, they were all making a real difference and in many aspects, continues to do so.
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Preston Smith (10) and Za’Darius Smith (8.5) have combined for more than half of the club’s 25 sacks. The club has come up with 16 takeaways, one more than all of last season. That’s the good news. And the bad news needs to change if Matt LaFleur’s club is to not only hold off the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North but for the club to make a serious run at Super Bowl LIV.
Mike Pettine’s defense has some things to work out when it comes to stopping the other team from controlling the football. The Packers’ 26-11 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers was quite the wake-up call as the Bolts were able to keep quarterback Aaron Rodgers on the sidelines for the vast majority of the game.
Through 11 weeks, Green Bay is allowing 126.9 yards per game on the ground – 25th in the league. And on Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium, Pettine’s unit will have to deal with the San Francisco 49ers and the NFL’s second-ranked ground attack.
The Green Bay Packers’ shortcomings in this issue have taken a little bit of a back seat due to the fact that the team has been winning. In victories over the Vikings, Raiders and Panthers, Dalvin Cook, Josh Jacobs and Christian McCaffrey, respectively, all had success on the ground.
There’s a rematch with Minnesota down the road and other tests as well. And if Pettine can’t fix this issue, can the defense survive on forcing turnovers? The latter is hardly a reliable formula.