The Green Bay Packers defense is climbing out of the bottom of the NFL’s worst defenses after a lopsided Week 3 loss to the Falcons, turning in a five-turnover performance in Week 5. They ranked 26th in EPA per play after Week 3 and now rank 14th after Week 5.
While their run defense EPA per play and run defense success rate allowed remain below league average, the Packers defense is surviving on the strength of their pass defense. In week five, they forced Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum into three
interceptions.
The quality of quarterbacks faced might not be anything but below average, but the pass coverage unit shows on tape that they are sound in their assignments regardless, meaning they don’t give up ground or space easily within their play calls.
First interception
The first interception came with 5:39 remaining in the first quarter on a 2nd-and-10. Tyson Bagent was the Bears starter this game until Keenum took over late in the game.
Bagent brought the offense out in an 11 personnel shotgun formation to run a 3×1 dagger concept Ben Johnson has used to carve up opposing teams in the secondary.
The Packers are playing cover-8 “trix” once the formation motions to a 3×1. In cover-8, the coverage plays cover-2 to the trips passing strength while the backside safety keys in on the final #3 receiver or the deepest crossing route.
Luther Burden is the receiver sent in motion running the dig route from behind the bunch receivers who are running deeper crossing routes across the field. Bagent is looking for the dig route and tried to rip the pass over Javon Bullard gaining depth in the vertical hook under the dig.
Bullard tipped the pass up, allowing safety Xavier McKinney to run under the tipped ball from his deep half safety zone.
Second interception
Bagent’s second interception came with 41 seconds left in the third quarter and down 23-7 on a pass intended for Colston Loveland. The pass was intercepted by McKinney again.
The Bears started in an empty 3×2 formation with trips to the right. Bagent is targeting Loveland running the dig route on a two receiver wrap concept with a short curl route under the dig. The intent is to pull up the curl flat player to the curl route and hit the dig in the window between the curl flat and weak hook defender.
The Packers are playing cover-3 strong buzz rotation with the safety buzzing down to the strong hook toward the nickel, what Gannon would “Ralph” rotation (rotation to the right to the nickel).
McKinney, as the strong hook defender, reads Bagent’s eyes the whole way and with no one threatening his zone, McKinney works to the middle of the field to play the pass to Loveland.
Bagent is late on the throw, has to try to fit the pass over the hook defender, and throws it too far in front of Loveland and right into the hands of McKinney, who started from the far hash.
Third interception
The third interception came with 12:58 left in the 4th quarter. Case Keenum was in for Bagent, who drove the offense into the red zone before turning it over on a hurried throw with pressure in his face.
The Bears were in an empty 3×2 formation again here on 4th and goal from the 9-yard line. Keenum tried to hit Rome Odunze on a double move over the middle but Ty’Ron Hopper came racing over from his quarter/flat zone to intercept the pass.
The defense is in red zone quarters where they first show pressure and a cover-0 look. Hopper and Zaire Franklin back out of the blitz but Keenum is already changing the protection to slide right in case he gets a free runner off his right edge.
The result is disastrous, though. The protection slide away from Lukas Van Ness proved to be costly. Van Ness came off the offense’s left edge untouched as the left tackle took his block inside to the inside rusher. Van Ness forced Keenum to drift away from the pocket and throw across his body to Odunze.
Hopper read his eyes the whole way and came over from his zone to make the interception at the goal line where he eventually returned it out to the 20-yard line.
The Packers coverage will be tested on Sunday night as the Cowboys come into Green Bay eager to get back on track after a brutal loss to the Buccaneers in week 5. The Cowboys like to throw deep, and the combination of CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott is nothing to scoff at.
