In Week 1, the mostly strong performance of Jonathan Gannon’s defense was undermined by the fact the Green Bay Packers ended up allowing 39 points, mostly due to the offense and special teams units backing them up near their own end zone several times in the fourth quarter.
Against the New York Jets in Week 2, it was a different story, as they were able to finish the game just as strong as they started it, arguably winning the game for a Packers team whose offense trudged through the contest.
After the game, Matt LaFleur paid tribute to Gannon and the job his group did to help them pull out an ugly win.
LaFleur said: “I can’t say enough credit to our defense, our defensive staff, Jonathan Gannon, just calling a very aggressive game. I’m sure glad
we got him because I think he’s an elite defensive coordinator, football coach and just a great leader."
It’s early, but it looks like LaFleur may have hit on his second consecutive defensive coordinator, and Gannon may even be an upgrade on Jeff Hafley.
While Green Bay is not leading the league in a bunch of defensive metrics, Gannon is getting the most of what he has and is managing to defend both the run and the pass effectively.
The Packers are fifth in run stuff rate through two games and 14th in pressure rate. Only six teams can boast a better combination.
Crucially, he is managing to generate enough pressure even without Micah Parsons. In fact, their pressure rate through two games (40.5%) is better than the Packers managed in the 14 games Parsons finished last year (39.1%).
Gannon is achieving this by getting creative.
He is only using a four-man rush at the 23rd highest rate in the NFL, is sending six or more rushers at the seventh highest rate (this represents a change for Gannon, as his Arizona defenses ranked 23rd) and five rushers at the 15th highest rate.
It is not all blitzing though, as he is also using a three-man rush at the fifth highest rate. Gannon’s defense has been unpredictable and so far, successful.
Seven Packers have sacks in the first two games. No other team has more players with a sack and only the Bengals and Texans can match that number.
Gannon is fond of saying he does not have a scheme, and early on, he is showing a willingness to adapt to his personnel as well as the opponent.
After playing single-high at the lowest rate in the NFL last week (20%), Gannon upped it to 43.8% against the Jets. The Packers defense was in base at a 49.8% clip versus Minnesota, then dropped to 25% against the Jets, and their heavy-box rate fell from 27.9% to 19.4%.
Despite going lighter, they ranked fourth in EPA per rush allowed and fifth in success rate in Week 2, which was probably helped by more single-high and having an extra safety closer to the action at the line of scrimmage.
Bigger tests than Carson Wentz and the Vikings and Geno Smith and the Jets are to come, and it remains to be seen whether Gannon’s defense can stand up against high-powered offenses.
However, he has ticked the necessary boxes so far, and his early success bodes well for when Parsons does return to potentially take the defense to another level.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Jonathan Gannon’s Packers defense having success without Micah Parsons
