The Packers' defense thrived behind the illusion of the blitz

GREEN BAY – Jeff Hafley threw the kitchen sink at CJ Stroud on Sunday – or at least he made it look that way.

The Packers' defensive coordinator used a plethora of backup fire zone looks to make Houston's star quarterback and offensive line uncomfortable, and it worked perfectly in Green Bay's 24-22 win at Lambeau Field.

Stroud, the NFL's reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, completed 10 of 21 passes for a career-low 86 yards, the fewest yards Green Bay has allowed through the air to a QB with more than 20 pass attempts since 2008 The Packers' four sacks also statistically limited the Texans to just 55 net passing yards.

According to NFL Next Gen stats, Stroud was pressured on 13 of 29 dropbacks (45%), although Green Bay only blitzed on 17% of those plays. Stroud was 2 of 8 for 13 yards while under pressure.

While many defensive players contributed to the stingy performance, head coach Matt LaFleur Hafley presented a game ball to his first-year defensive coordinator in recognition of his unit's dominant day against one of the NFL's top teams.

“I just thought he did a great job, I really do,” LaFleur said Monday. “It's not just about him, it's about everyone, our entire defensive team, but ultimately someone has to come up with the plan and execute it. I thought, considering all the circumstances…”

The game started with a lot of adversity. Green Bay's defense was pushed to its own 11-yard line twice on giveaways in the first 17 minutes and 19 seconds. Quay Walker, the Packers' defensive communicator, also suffered a concussion injury early in the second quarter and did not return.

Eighth-year veteran Eric Wilson filled in for Walker as the “Mike” linebacker and took over the former first-round pick's blitzing duties, playing an integral role in the Double-A gap pressure that Hafley provided in several passing situations in the on third down.

The Packers routinely positioned seven or eight defenders at the line of scrimmage, only to have three or four retreat into coverage. In fact, on the first of Wilson's two sacks, Green Bay threatened eight at the line of scrimmage but only rushed four.

On his second sack, Wilson and Edgerrin Cooper slowly crept toward the A's gaps before both fended off a six-man pressure. Later in the third quarter, Wilson deflected a pass into coverage after threatening a blitz on third-and-5.

“He came in and did a really good job,” LaFleur said of Wilson. “That's a big loss when you lose your middle linebacker who commands the defense. Eric did a great job casting this role, and that's even more remarkable considering he didn't get any representation at all in the 'Mike' position.” To step in and do that for a week is a great honor for Eric Wilson.

Perhaps no one on the defensive side of the ball played a bigger role in the game plan than defensive end Rashan Gary – as a traditional pass rusher, a mobile third-down player and even a decoy.

As a prime example of the latter, Gary was involved in Green Bay's first sack of the day when he pulled a stunt from the outside edge to an inside rush on third-and-6 in the first quarter.

Gary's presence caused Texas tight end Dalton Schultz to lose sight of safety Xavier McKinney, who was launching a blitz from the same side Gary had left. McKinney, who had just one full sack in his first four NFL seasons, continually dropped Stroud for a loss of eight yards and pushed the Texans out of field goal position.

“We have smart guys, we have instinctive guys, we have guys that can play in different spots, and that's not a mistake,” said McKinney, who leads the NFL with five interceptions this season. “When you're able to move all those pieces, you can get creative with the calls and do different things, and that's helped us.”

Gary also did it as a rusher. While his sack came in the first quarter when right tackle Tytus Howard fell to the ground in his backstep, Gary caused a lot of disruption with three quarterback hits midway through the game.

Moving Gary around and positioning Wilson and rookie second-round pick Edgerrin Cooper on the outside shoulder of center Juice Scruggs led to a long afternoon for the Texans' offensive line.

According to Gary, the Packers wanted to “keep chasing” regardless of the drop and the distance. Overall, Green Bay finished the season with eleven tackles and one loss.

“Little splash here, little splash there, it adds variety,” Gary said of Green Bay’s pass-rush plan. “We understand our staff, understand how people block our staff and just want to keep increasing the packages.”

Coincidentally, Sunday was the first game of the season. Green Bay's defense didn't manage a takeaway, but held its own in sudden change situations and third downs where the Texans finished 4 of 13.

There's still a lot of work to be done – Texas running back Joe Mixon ran for 115 yards and two touchdowns – but the Packers' defense continues to improve each week.

Perhaps another indicator of Green Bay's balanced approach is that the Packers are tied for second-most in the NFL with 11 players with at least one sack this season. This versatility allows Hafley to cook with any ingredient in the cupboard.

“We’re getting closer to the halfway point of the season, so we understand how we want to play,” Gary said. “Understanding how teams want to attack us, understanding how we want to attack teams and just being the No. 1 guy that comes out with confidence and executes the game plan.”