The Pass Rush Will Have No Excuses Against the Rams
The pass rush will have plenty of opportunities to get home in Los Angeles.
The Green Bay Packers pressured Sam Darnold 14 times on Sunday, their second-lowest total of the season. Only against the Indianapolis Colts did they record fewer pressures.
According to Pro Football Focus, Devonte Wyatt and Kenny Clark lead the Packers with 9 total pressures each. Rashan Gary and Preston Smith follow with 6, while J.J. Enagbare, Karl Brooks, and T.J. Slaton each have 5. No other Packer has recorded more than five pressures this season.
Green Bay heads to Los Angeles to face the Rams next Sunday. With the Rams' offense decimated by injuries, the Packers have a prime opportunity to capitalize in all three phases of their defense.
The Rams enter Week 5 with the third-worst offensive line in pass-blocking efficiency, according to PFF. They've allowed 51 pressures on 144 pass-blocking snaps. Matthew Stafford is tied as the most sacked quarterback in the NFL.
Los Angeles has used 11 different offensive linemen so far this season. Warren McClendon Jr. has allowed nine pressures, three sacks, and four hits on Matthew Stafford, with a PFF pass-blocking grade of 31.2 on true pass sets. Beaux Limmer has given up eight pressures and six hurries on 126 pass-blocking snaps. Kevin Dotson has allowed seven pressures, five hurries, and two sacks on 153 pass-blocking snaps. Rob Havenstein is the Rams' highest-graded offensive lineman in pass blocking, but he still has a lower grade than Zach Tom, Elgton Jenkins, and Rasheed Walker.
For the third straight week, the Packers will face a bottom-ten offensive line in pass-blocking efficiency. They pressured Will Levis 20 times and sacked him eight times in Week 3. However, against the Vikings, Sam Darnold often had too much time to throw, and the Packers' defense was shredded in the first half.
The pass rush as a unit has yet to meet expectations. They are only four games into Jeff Hafley’s system, so some adjustment time was expected. However, it's concerning that key players like Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark, both earning top-tier salaries at their positions, have been underperforming.
Rashan Gary had zero pressures against both the Colts and Vikings. His pass rush win rate is just 3%, ranking 104th out of 110 edge rushers. To put it in perspective, Nick Bosa had more pressures in one game against the Patriots than Gary has managed in all four games this season. Furthermore, Kenny Clark is off to the worst start of his career in both overall defensive grade and pass rush grade.
Green Bay is nearly paying $50 million for Preston Smith and Rashan Gary combined. They also drafted Lukas Van Ness with the 13th overall pick in 2023. However, the best pass rush grade on the team belongs to Kingsley Enagbare.
Matt LaFleur revealed that the edges have been "sacrificed" on certain plays to contain and eliminate potential rushing lanes. However, with the current approach not fully working, the Packers will likely make some adjustments, which could lead to improvement in the pass rush soon.
The Rams' offensive line is not performing well, and with both Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua out due to injuries, it will be more challenging for Matthew Stafford to move the ball downfield. As a purely pocket passer, Stafford's mobility should not be a concern for the Packers. If Green Bay's pass rush plays disciplined football and is able to get early into a rhythm, Sean McVay's offense could face a long day on Sunday.
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE.
__________________________
Felipe is a Brazilian Packers writer covering the #GoPackGo for CheeseheadTV, Zone Coverage, and Packers Talk. Additionally, he contributes to Cheeseheads Brazil. Follow him on twitter at @Aceti_Felipe.
__________________________




Comments (6)
Leatherhead
October 02, 2024 at 06:25 pm
After 4 Weeks, the Defense is ranked 20th in points, and below that in quite a few measures, but it is #1 in takeaways. It is also rarely penalized. The overall picture so far is a low-average Defense that looks better because of the takeaways. We're giving up points at a faster rate than last year, but we are doing a better job of stuffing the run. I'm sure we can all see the difference.
The Packers , over the next 4 weeks, play on the road against the #23 offense, then at home against #13 and #17, and then on the road against #30. This is a very good test for the defense. Can they hold average/below average offenses to something below 30?
In 4 weeks, the season will be halfway done. The defense will be what it's going to be by then. This is as good as it's going to get for them. We have some dates with some high scoring offenses .....Detroit, SF, Saints...coming up in the second half of the season and if the defense doesn't have it figured out by then, it's going to be too late, IMO.
If the Packers are the playoff team I think they are, they'll reduce the mistakes and get solid wins for the next 4 weeks.
legitimatedrain
October 03, 2024 at 05:07 am
It's concerning to see top-tier players like Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark underperform, particularly given their contracts. https://planet-clicker.com
Coldworld
October 03, 2024 at 07:10 am
I’m not sure what the pass rush will tell us against the Rams other than that we’ve got real problems if it’s invisible. If we get a lot of pressure/sacks it’s against a team that appears to have real O line woes.
They are also not the kind of challenge to Hafley that the Vikings posed offensively of the Lions will. So letting loose won’t show that he’s learned just that he’s not intimidated this week.
We saw what the D did and achieved against a similarly challenged Titans. We saw that totally absent, both in terms of result and ambition a week later, despite the Vikings having some questions on their interior going in to the game.
Guam
October 03, 2024 at 08:23 am
Gary and Smith were flat out invisible against the Vikings last week. Yes, the Vikings have good tackles but shouldn't our "good" edge rushers win sometimes against good opponents? And Kenny Clark who has normally feasted on the weak Viking interior O-line was equally invisible.
Hafley's defense is predicated on pressure from the front four and the Packer D-line has not delivered in two losses against good offensive lines. If the three big contract players continue to be invisible against better O-lines this is going to be a long season for the Packers defense.
PatrickGB
October 03, 2024 at 01:36 pm
I wonder if the players are still adjusting to the new scheme? In any case, Gary is a one trick pony (A good one) and good lines can probably predict and prepare for him. Clark has been on the injury report each week and he has had a lot of wear and tear over his many seasons.
jont
October 03, 2024 at 02:41 pm
It seems to me it's more than Rashan and Preston.
The shift from a 3-4 to a 4-3 means a totally different approach to getting pressure.
Is the current weakness a learning curve, a mismatch of personnel and scheme, or fall-off for individuals?