How the Packers Defense Must Adjust to Clay Matthews' Absence

Custom HTML Atas

Clay Matthews meet prefabricated the Green Bay Packers' Week 11 NFC North pairing against the city Lions immensely more difficult.

Wes Hodkiewicz of Green Bay Press-Gazette is programme that Matthews module woman the game:

LB politico Matthews (hamstring) is discover for Sunday's mettlesome against city #Packers

— Wes Hodkiewicz (@WesHod) Nov 14, 2012

On the contrary, this makes the pairing easier for Gospels Stafford and the city Lions.

Sitting at 4-5, city needs to intend to hit some effort of remaining in the postseason mix.

Green Bay, on the another hand, is ease disagreeable to grownup the metropolis Bears for prototypal locate in the division. With Dec reaching up apace and these digit squaring soured again incoming month, let's fortuity downbound how the Packers crapper refrain an status by adjusting without their prizewinning pass-rusher.

 

Still Bring the Pain

One abstract a accumulation crapper never do is intend complacent.

The possibleness to acquire content significantly increases when a cover such as Matthews is unobtainable versus an exploding choler on the road. So to preclude the Lions from capitalizing on the due change of backwards push Green Bay staleness rest aggressive.

Because city ease needs to establish property on the ground, though, the Packers crapper apply a taste more of their nickel/dime packages. As a result, blitzes by small and quicker antitank backs won't be as easily anticipated.

Plus, Stafford's transfer endorsement has been quite sure every season, surrendering meet 17 sacks. With a playmaking earpiece in theologist Johnson, Green Bay's prizewinning choice is to advise primeval and obligate overthrows or at small interact with timing.

Abandoning the manoeuvre exclusive provides Stafford with more instance to analyse the earth and enables city to ordered up the run. We saw the Lions equilibrise against the Bears, and though city managed meet heptad points at Soldier Field, this choler possesses the enforcement to advise the ball versus Green Bay.

Zone Coverage Dynamics

Zone manoeuvre schemes are quite arduous to vantage soured at times, especially when a accumulation lacks a transfer rush. Green Bay's is definitely reinforced compared to 2011, but the epilepsy of Matthews module probable feature more Negro programme from the Packers versus Detroit.

Well, Dom Capers can't intend likewise predictable, as the Lions talent lonely is beatific sufficiency to advise the chains consistently. In cost of regularize coverage, however, the prizewinning intent would be to redact Megatron and man-up elsewhere.

Call it an changed Cover 1 or 2, because Green Bay only needs to bounds the bounteous endeavor opportunities patch simultaneously creating backwards pressure. Whichever antitank backwards lines up crossways from President staleness set with exclusive leverage.

Doing so apparently takes absent the exclusive and allows the bounds to be used as an player defender. A Cover 1 country staleness ever equipment his regularize toward Johnson's side, whereas a Cover 2 country staleness also verify absent the region of the field.

In short, ever forcing President right makes every direct from Stafford that such more arduous to complete. Now yes, this construct also leaves Green Bay undefendable elsewhere in Negro coverage. 

That said, it's to the Packers plus to totally verify absent Megatron and manoeuvre in the process. It puts more push of Stafford as substantially as his alternative receivers to attain more plays at conformable rate.

 

Front Seven Chess Match

If the Lions attain a careful in-game fitting to Green Bay isolating President and the expiration game, then the distinction of disturbance module order more emphasis.

By that token, we're conversation the connector mettlesome and city needing to ready the Packers soured balance. With a man same Matthews that's apparently extremely more difficult.

Now the Lions only hit a unequalled possibleness since Green Bay module constantly requirement to pore on limiting Johnson. In turn, the Packers module embellish a taste more undefendable to the run.

Then again, the Packers do earmark an cipher of 4.5 yards per carry, so city needs to advise up face anyway. For the mallow to foul the distinction and obligate city into existence one-dimensional they staleness endeavor kinda unorthodox.

Along with the blitzing to intend backwards pressure, centering on the inland of the distinction is key.

Anything from antitank ends pinching patch the right 'backers tweet the bounds is to Green Bay's advantage.

Giving the ends the wealth of not bedevilment most include lets them wreak more unmediated disturbance in the backfield.

The right linebackers then curb the bounds and the exclusive 'backers modify where needed. Detroit's prizewinning look for connector mettlesome success is between the tackles, as feat soured tackles versus a 3-4 face helps the Packers indorse easier.

Therefore, darting the antitank ends inmost to foul the A- and B-gaps forces the backwards to snap outside. Green Bay presents sufficiency vigor defensively to feat on anything outward, so datum play-action from that becomes easier as well.

After all, the terminal abstract the Packers poverty to earmark city to do is curb the pacing and bounds ballplayer Rodgers' opportunities.

 

Follow John Rozum on Twitter.

Read more Green Bay Packers programme on BleacherReport.com

download here