Were it not for the Patriots’ murky quarterback state of affairs this week, the highest storyline heading into Sunday’s kickoff at Green Bay would have been clear as day.
Bill Belichick versus Aaron Rodgers.
The best coach of all time towards one in all soccer’s finest quarterbacks.
A matchup for the ages probably for the final time.
Sunday’s recreation would be the rubber match between Belichick and Rodgers, who’ve every scored a victory of their prior head-to-head matchups. Rodgers edged the Patriots 26-21 in November 2014, Belichick’s final journey to Lambeau Field. Four years later, the Pats pulled away from Green Bay in a primetime 31-17 win.
The Patriots by no means trailed that evening, however at the moment are anticipated to path for nearly the whole thing of Sunday’s recreation as 10-point underdogs.
Here’s how Belichick can assist the Pats squeak previous the Pack yet one more time.
1. Back off the blitz
Calling a gradual weight loss program of blitzes towards Rodgers is an E-ZPass to defeat.
Rodgers is the NFL’s highest-graded quarterback towards the blitz at Pro Football Focus. He owns a 133.5 passer score towards it. He’s remarkably correct inside 10 yards of the road of scrimmage and carries a lightning-quick launch that ceaselessly beats incoming rushers, even those that are unblocked.
The Patriots received burned final week by Lamar Jackson, who was excellent towards the blitz and threw three landing passes. It’s time they discovered their lesson, and belief a four-man rush can do the job with a couple of well-timed stunts and twists.
Of word: defensive sort out Christian Barmore ought to have a tasty 1-on-1 matchup versus proper guard Royce Newman, the Packers’ lowest-graded move protector at PFF.
2. Wall off the run recreation
Packers working again Aaron Jones is averaging 6.2 yards per rush.
If that’s not sufficient cause to load up towards Green Bay’s floor assault, this ought to be: Jones is averaging greater than 5 damaged tackles per recreation, which means even when defenders have him of their grasp, they don’t.
Jones and Boston College product A.J. Dillon type a strong one-two punch within the Packers backfield, which follows a principally zone-heavy run scheme. The Patriots managed an analogous speeding assault in Week 1 towards the Dolphins, who additionally ran loads of outdoors zone underneath new head coach and Mike Shanahan acolyte Mike McDaniel. (Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur comes from the identical teaching tree).
The keys towards Green Bay’s outdoors zone, and due to this fact Jones and Dillon, might be forming a wall on these performs when the Packers offensive linemen will attempt to create creases for the backs to run by way of. Look for the Patriots’ defensive linemen to anchor, or maintain their floor, within the center, whereas the frontside linebackers smash speeding lanes and bottom defenders wait patiently for potential cutbacks.
After all, if Green Bay’s O-line can’t create any room, Jones received’t have wherever to go.
3. Disguise on third down
So what are probably the most tough challenges of going through Rodgers, a four-time MVP and surefire future Hall of Famer?
“Everything,” Pats security Devin McCourty stated this week. “A guy that can read every defense and make every throw.”
Assuming the Patriots don’t blitz – and once more, they shouldn’t – they’ll want to purchase time for his or her four-man move rush to achieve Rodgers. Beyond sticking tightly to Green Bay’s lackluster receiving corps in man-to-man, the Pats can power Rodgers to take a seat within the pocket by disguising their coverages. Present him with one look pre-snap after which flip to one thing else – for instance, by spinning an additional security into the field or bailing out of a blitz look – and power him to actively learn the protection.
That further break up second Rodgers hangs within the pocket might make all of the distinction between a close to miss and a game-changing strip sack. And nobody is aware of the ability of an excellent disguise and nice move rush towards elite quarterbacks fairly like Belichick.
“We certainly don’t want to give him anything more than he already has,” Belichick stated Wednesday. “He’s seen it all a million times. They don’t turn the ball over. He doesn’t make very many mistakes. He never has.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com