With important offensive players returning from injury for the Green Bay Packers, the team will need a strong performance from its defense if it is to topple the Denver Broncos at home. The keys to victory for the Green Bay Packers start with the defense and preventing broken plays from turning into big gains.
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Keys to Victory for the Green Bay Packers Defense
1) Death by a Thousand Paper Cuts
Denver’s offense, while stagnant at times, has been relatively successful while targeting its running backs out of the backfield. Samaje Perine, a proficient pass-blocker who was signed in free agency to be effective in short-yardage situations, has been one of Russell Wilson’s favorite targets when it comes to catching balls out of the backfield.
In fact, six offensive Broncos players have totaled more than 200 scrimmage yards, but none have eclipsed the 300-yard mark. So far, the Broncos offense has revolved around intermediate and short throws but has also had success when Wilson is able to take deep shots.
Marvin Mims Jr., the Broncos rookie second-round pick, has displayed the same sort of ball skills and deep-threat ability that made him dangerous in college. While his usage has been sporadic, Mims leads the team in yards per touch, with 19.9 (per pro-football-reference). Through six games, Mims has only received 12 total targets; as it stands, Perine has nearly doubled those targets through the same amount of time.
Mims lone receiving touchdown came off of a play-action pass in Denver’s tilt against Washington, so the Packers must focus on slowing down the run game to prevent Wilson and the Broncos from having opportunity on deep shots, especially off play-action.
2) Slow Down Another Speedy Rookie
Jaleel McLaughlin, despite going undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft, has been a surprise spark for the Broncos offense as a rookie. After receiving just one carry and one target in his first professional game, McLaughlin has burst onto the scene as one of Denver’s most reliable, and explosive, backs. Speedy out of the backfield, and dynamic as a receiver, McLaughlin is a player that Green Bay must key in on, especially when it comes to screens and dump-off passes. Sean Payton has steadily upped the usage for McLaughlin over the last four weeks, which indicates that he will likely be a feature of the offensive gameplay against the Packers.
Stopping the run for Green Bay has, so far, been one of the reasons for their inconsistencies on defense and ultimately contributed to their inability to keep games within reach.
3) Don’t Let Wilson Escape
Throughout his career, Wilson has been known for being able to make plays with his legs; while his rushing attempts have steadily declined over the past few years, the Broncos 2023 season has been lifted at times by Wilson’s ability to turn something into nothing as a runner.
Throughout Denver’s first six games, Wilson leads the team with 13 first downs on the ground, with much of his success coming on scrambles from a broken pocket. For Green Bay, players like Quay Walker will be instrumental in containing Wilson on such scrambles and must play disciplined to prevent Wilson from converting key first downs. The absence of De’Vondre Campbell, who missed the Packers tilt against the Raiders, could be one of the biggest factors when it comes to stifling an improvisational Broncos offense.
This means Walker, who leads the team with 19 blitz attempts, will need to step up. Given how Joe Barry has deployed Walker, it is likely that the second-year player will again be used as a blitzer against Denver; worth noting is that Wilson has been sacked on more than 9% of his pass attempts through six games (per pro-football-reference). Sacks for Green Bay, furthermore, will be instrumental in disrupting the rhythm of this Broncos passing attack, which, despite its inconsistency, has been efficient.
Coming off a bye week, the keys to a Packers victory start and end with the defense.
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