Green Bay’s Pass Rush Is Coming Along At the Right Time

As Thanksgiving was coming to a close and the Green Bay Packers were about to advance to 9-3 heading into a big matchup next Thursday against the Detroit Lions, I found myself thankful. Not for my mother’s delicious turkey or my uncle reminding me who won the election at the Thanksgiving dinner table, but for the Packers suddenly finding their pass rush.

After showing signs of life last week against the San Francisco 49ers and consistently putting pressure on backup Brandon Allen, the Packers stepped it up against the visiting Miami Dolphins on Thursday. The defensive front sacked quarterback Tua Tagovailoa five times, and five players got in on the action.

Is this a sign they are finally hitting their stride after 12 games? Or is it simply the result of playing an undermanned 49ers team and the Dolphins, who struggle in the cold?

Green Bay’s pass rush has faltered for much of this season. Before the Niners game, the Packers had produced only 24 sacks and were tied for 18th in the league with 2.4 sacks per game.

Last year, the Packers amassed 45 sacks, tying for 16th in the league, so regression has set in. Things looked even bleaker when they traded veteran edge rusher Preston Smith to allow younger players to get developmental snaps, hoping it would pay off down the stretch.

It seems like Green Bay’s gamble is paying off. They just logged their second-best sack performance of the season, behind Week 3’s eight-sack showing against the Tennesee Titans’ Will Levis.

If we criticize them when they underperform, we should also give them credit when they show up. They got to Allen twice against the 49ers last week, and both were big plays by players the Packers desperately needed to step up. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), 11 defenders recorded pressure, and seven had a pass rush win rate of 11.1% or better.

Lukas Van Ness and Quay Walker are two of Green Bay’s most maligned players. However, Van Ness was PFF’s third-highest-rated player against Miami, and Walker was PFF’s highest-rated defender against the 49ers in Week 12.

Van Ness came up big when he forced a strip sack that the defense recovered. While it was only Van Ness’ second sack of the season, it came at the perfect time, stymying any chance of a 49ers comeback and showcasing the impressive strength and speed that made him the 13th-overall pick. Walker has also stepped up his game in the last two weeks. He recorded a big sack on fourth-and-goal against the Dolphins and led the team with four pressures.

Rashan Gary is another former first-round pick who many fans have been calling on to step up, and he has also slowly but surely started to make an impact. He recorded another strip sack on Brandon Allen. Although the 49ers recovered the fumble, Hafley and Co. must have been happy to see him get after the quarterback. Gary and the defensive front consistently disrupted Allen’s rhythm, preventing him from getting comfortable. He’s starting to show signs of life.

The front built on their Week 12 success against Tagovailoa, who averages the league’s lowest pocket time at 2.1 seconds, recording five sacks (a Rashan Gary offsides penalty negated a sixth). One of the biggest factors coming into this game was how Green Bay’s defense could disrupt Miami’s quick-hit passing offense.

The Dolphins are among the best in the league at the quick-passing game, which is a big reason why they rank 10th over the last season-plus in the fewest sacks allowed, giving up only 63 in 29 games. They played four of those games without Tua this season, and they have up 13 total sacks. The Packers knew that generating inside pressure would be crucial to disrupting Miami and getting Tua on the ground.

Five different players recorded a sack against the Dolphins on Thanksgiving. Kenny Clark finally got into the sack column. I specifically highlighted that he is a player the team needs to be able to rely on. Suppose he can rediscover his pass-rushing form from last season when he recorded a career-high seven sacks. Then, this defense will be difficult for opposing offenses to handle in December and January.

When general manager Brian Gutekunst traded Smith, young players like Van Ness and Brenton Cox Jr. were integral to his vision. Gutekunst wanted to get young players like Van Ness and Cox on the field to gain valuable snaps and contribute down the stretch.

In his post-trade deadline press conference, Gutekunst said of Van Ness and Cox, “I really do like our depth … allowing these two guys (Mosby and Cox) to get on the field a little bit and maybe some snaps for other guys, too, will help us.”

Since then, Cox, the 2023 undrafted free agent who spent all of this season inactive until the Smith trade, has two sacks. Arron Mosby, the former college safety who completely transformed his body once he got to Green Bay to play the edge, has one sack. The rushing ability both have demonstrated so far suggests Gutey’s decision is trending in the right direction, suggesting decision is trending in the right direction.

Undoubtedly, Green Bay’s pass rush still needs to improve. They rank 17th in pressure percentage and 27th in pass-rush win rate – both marks that should concern them. Things won’t get easier with one of the NFL’s best offensive lines coming up this Thursday in the Detroit Lions.

Detroit boasts the highest-rated tackle in the NFL, Penei Sewell, who has yet to give up a sack this year, and one of the highest-rated centers in Frank Ragnow. Sacks against that front will be tough to come by. Looking ahead to potential playoff matchups with teams like the Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles (currently the No. 2 seed in the NFC), both possess outstanding offensive lines. If the Packers can get past those teams, they will need to create pressure with the guys up front. However, the past two weeks have been an encouraging step forward for the pass rush – one they can continue to build on, one snap at a time.