Photo Credit: Grace Hollars via USA TODAY Sports
When the Green Bay Packers faced the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022, their rushing defense had an almost historically bad day.
The Eagles racked up 363 total rushing yards in that game, the 16th most in a single game all-time. Jalen Hurts led the team with 157 rush yards (an Eagles QB record), while Miles Sanders added 143. It was a dismal performance and baffling that defensive coordinator Joe Barry was allowed on the plane home.
However, that game was in the past. The Packers have a new defensive coordinator and scheme. Surely history wouldn’t repeat itself?
Well, it wasn’t a historically bad loss this year. Still, the Packers fell short last week due to their inability to stop Philadelphia’s newly acquired star running back Saquon Barkley, who had a hat trick against Green Bay’s new defense. A defense that’s still a work in progress.
But while Barkley totaled 109 rushing yards, the Packers limited Hurts, who had just 33 yards on 13 rushing attempts. The Packers have struggled to limit dual-threat quarterbacks in the past, so this was a massive showing by Jeff Hafley’s group. They need to improve against the run, but this is one step in the right direction.
They must build upon that performance with a strong game against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2. Anthony Richardson is a dynamic threat with his legs but is boom-or-bust as a passer. They’ll need to limit Richardson and the Indianapolis run game to leave the home opener with a win.
Richardson is one of the most athletically gifted quarterbacks of all time. His perfect 10 Relative Athletic Score made him the No. 1-ranked quarterback since 1987. At this point in his career, he’s still raw. Richardson only played in five games in his rookie season before missing the rest of the year with a shoulder injury. He completed 50 of his 84 pass attempts for 577 yards and three TDs during that stretch. Richardson only threw one interception and added 136 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 25 attempts.
He showed his highs and lows in Week 1 against the Houston Texans. Richardson completed just nine of his 19 pass attempts for 212 yards and two touchdowns to one interception and added 56 yards and a TD on six rushing attempts.
Three of those completed passes were things of beauty, going for 60, 57, and 54 yards. The other six passes only added up to 41 yards.
Anthony Richardson had an ADOT yesterday of 16.4 He had an attempt – an off-balance attempt – that can't even be properly charted. He absolutely needs to be more consistent but the highs are HIGH. pic.twitter.com/hYWpVaPPtT
— Dusty (@DustyEvely) September 9, 2024
The Packers must limit Richardson’s legs and big plays in Week 2. While they did a good job slowing down the speedy Hurts, big plays were a major issue against the Eagles.
Richardson won’t be the only obstacle in the run game. Like the Eagles, the Colts have a quarterback who is deadly with his legs, paired with a star running back. Jonathan Taylor is a well-decorated former Badger. However, the Texans limited him well in Week 1, holding him to 48 yards and a touchdown.
On a play-by-play basis, Green Bay’s run defense wasn’t bad against Philly. Despite Barkley’s big day, he only averaged 4.5 yards per carry. But the defense allowed multiple big plays, especially in the red zone.
“In the run game, we had some blown gaps where Saquon was barreling through there and getting chunk gains,” Matt LaFleur said after Friday’s loss. “You can’t do that against a good football team.”
I keep working through this game and I'm not saying it's not on scheme because I like the new coordinator hire, it's not on scheme because the linebackers and the nickel were not very good.
In positions to make plays and didn't. https://t.co/rDZA9uMR8l
— Ross Uglem (@RossUglem) September 9, 2024
The pass rush wasn’t as impactful as it needed to be against the Eagles. Still, disrupting the run is one area where it showed some promise. Via Next Gen Stats, Philadelphia had contact behind the line of scrimmage on 18 of 31 designed runs.
If the Packers can contain Richardson’s legs like they did with Hurts, and their pass rush can make an impact, they’ll force Richardson to make mistakes. Despite his dynamic talent, he’s still a developing player. Take away his best skill and force him to gamble with his arm. He might still make some big plays, but that disruption will prevent him from getting into a rhythm.
They still have to deal with Taylor, but limiting the quarterback will be the key to victory. The Packers need their biggest stars to show up in Week 2.
With Jordan Love more likely than not to miss the home opener, the Packers will need to lean on the defense more than usual. Suppose Green Bay can limit Richardson’s legs the way they did to Hurts, get more from their proven defensive linemen, and find ways to get the impressive rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper more involved. Then, they’ll have a chance to bottle up Indy and walk away with a needed win.
