Packers D - How are They So Good?

[HappyViking]

Pretty impressive list of QBs they've shutdown the past three weeks.  Captain Kirk is going to have his hands full on Sunday .

https://www.forbes.com/sites/robreischel/2021/11/15/surprise-surprise-the-green-bay-packers-might-have-the-nfls-best-defense/?sh=625d715ae442
Patrick Mahomes has won an MVP, two AFC Championships and one Super Bowl.

Russell Wilson has been to eight Pro Bowls, has won two NFC titles and one Super Bowl championship.


And Kyler Murray is considered one of the NFL’s brightest young stars and is among the frontrunners for MVP.

These are the three quarterbacks the Green Bay Packers have faced the
last three weeks. And together they’ve combined for a whopping one
touchdown, four interceptions and a passer rating of 59.7.

Green Bay’s defense — long considered the unit that prevented
greatness in Titletown — is now carrying the Packers. The latest example
came Sunday when Green Bay blanked Seattle, 17-0, marking the first time since Sept. 18, 2011 the Seahawks were shutout.
“This defense has been opportunistic and been really, really stout the
last three or four weeks, so it’s fun seeing them play with so much
confidence,” Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “I’m not going to
say that we’re a defensive football team just yet, but we’ve definitely
been playing like that the last few weeks.”
Boy, have they ever.

When the schedule was released in April, this three-game stretch
against elite quarterbacks from Arizona, Kansas City and Seattle jumped
out. Not only have the Packers survived it, they’ve put the rest of the
league on notice that they have a championship-level defense for the
first time since their 2010 Super Bowl season.
In fact, Green Bay now ranks No. 3 in total defense, allowing just
309.9 yards per game. That’s their best mark since the 2010 team allowed
309.1 yards per game.
The Packers are also ranked third in scoring defense, allowing just
18.0 points per game. Again, that’s Green Bay’s best mark since 2010,
when it allowed just 15.0 points per game.


With the quarterbacking duo of Brett Favre and Rodgers leading the
Packers since 1992, Green Bay’s offense has typically drawn all of the
attention. This season, though, it’s the defense that’s stealing the
headlines.

[Guest]

“This is a week by week thing,” safety Adrian Amos said. “We have to
go out there next week and play very well against another great team.
And that’s when we can say it, at the end of the year. You can’t say
you’re the best in the middle of the season. We gotta say it at the end
of the year.”

Early on this season, the thought of Green Bay’s defense ranking with the NFL’s elite was laughable.

The Packers were dreadful in a 38-3 loss to New Orleans in Week 1.
And new defensive coordinator Joe Barry — who failed in that role in
both Washington and Detroit — was under heat.

In the nine games since, though, the Packers are allowing just 15.7
points per game. And the defense is the biggest reason Green Bay is
currently 8-2 and sitting atop the NFC.

“We got guys all over the place,” cornerback Kevin King said. “That’s
the thing about this team. We have some great personnel guys who got
some very quality, elite players on this team, starters and two deep,
three deep, all the way down. We got great players who are ready, come
in and get this job done. Really go out there and do what they’re
supposed to do.”

Green Bay’s last three games has certainly put this unit on the map. Here are the highlights:

• Arizona — The Packers intercepted Murray twice,
didn't allow a touchdown pass and held the speedy quarterback to just 21
rushing yards on six attempts (3.5).

• Kansas City — Green Bay held Mahomes to just 4.49
yards per attempt, the lowest of his career. Mahomes also threw for just
166 yards, his fewest in a game that he finished since he became the
starter in 2018.

• Seattle — Wilson completed just 50.0% of his
throws and averaged only 4.0 yards per attempt. Wilson also threw two
interceptions and no touchdowns.

“I mean, the last three games, playing against three stud
quarterbacks holding Arizona to 21 (points), Pat (Mahomes) and the
Chiefs to 13 and then shutting out Russell (Wilson) and the Seahawks,”
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “It's an amazing three-game
stretch.”

Things won’t get any easier. Five of Green Bay’s final seven games
(Minnesota twice, Baltimore, Los Angeles Rams, Cleveland) are against
offenses that rank in the top-12 in football.

But who would have thought the Packers would slow the Cardinals,
Chiefs and Seahawks to a crawl? And who would have thought Green Bay’s
defense would be discussed among the best in football?

“We’re just focused on being the best defense that the Green Bay
Packers can be,” King said. “That’s trying to be better than what we
play last week and the week before that. If we do that every week, then
I’m not too worried about what other defenses are doing. If a team is
playing better than we playing, that’s fine. We’re still getting dubs.”

[Guest]

Something has been off with Mahomes and KC this year and Seattle just sucks.  Maybe there is something about the packer D that contains the mobile QBs, but that isn't where Kirk fits.  

[Guest]

GivashitIdont

[Guest]

Overrated. They've just gotten teams at the right time.

I kinda like the timing of this game though. It seems like the Vikings have "figured something out." We haven't really (take away the Bynum sack and the ridiculous back-foot prayer Cousins threw for a TD on 4th down and the Charger game could've ended much differently), but just the fact that it seems like we did is something we can build upon. 

Packers are nowhere near as good as their record and that will show up on Sunday. Biggest worry? Below...no team gets away with the kind of shit the Packers do. Vikings got called for a lot of iffy holds and PI's in LA. You can expect that to double this Sunday. It's just part of playing the yellow team. 

Dustin Baker

@DustBaker

Least Penalized Teams in NFL,
Penalties per Game,
Thru 10 Weeks of 2021:

1. Green Bay Packers (4.30)
2. Cincinnati Bengals (4.33)
t3. Los Angeles Rams (4.80)
t3. Indianapolis Colts (4.80)
5. Denver Broncos (5.30)
6. Washington Football Team (5.36)

9:19 PM · Nov 16, 2021·Twitter Web App

[Guest]

We've played some of the best teams in the NFL to last minute missed kicks and bad "fumble" calls.

Yes, it'd be a big win...but it's very possible.

[Guest]

I thought the Packer D would suck this season.  They have a new defensive coordinator and a bunch of starters out, but yet they shutdown high powered offenses and are ranked overall at #3 in the NFL.
I'm not saying they'll stay ranked that high at the end of the season, but I'm honestly surprised.  Their offense has carried them recently, and the last thing we need to see is a dominant GB defense.
I hope you guys are right and it's just a mirage and they're not for real.  I still don't feel confident about this Viking team ending the season with a winning record, but a win on Sunday sure would change my view.
We shall see - Skol!

[Guest]

https://twitter.com/DustBaker/status/146...82370?s=20

[Guest]

@MaroonBells said:
https://twitter.com/DustBaker/status/146...82370?s=20

It is amazing that year in and year out they are the least penalized team.  And teams playing them are among the most penalized.

[Guest]

@greediron said:

@MaroonBells said:
https://twitter.com/DustBaker/status/146...82370?s=20

It is amazing that year in and year out they are the least penalized team.  And teams playing them are among the most penalized.

It's funny you mention this as in 2019 I joked about this with a buddy and we went back and added up penalty yards of their games. 10/15 games (1 game was the same amount) the Packers had less penalty yards than their opponent. The difference in penalty yards that year? 194...774 for Green Bay and 968 for their opponent. They always get calls