Packers Snap Counts Vs. The Bears - Week One Of 2023
The Packers core players stepped up while the youngsters made nice contributions.
The Packers generally dominated the hapless Chicago Bears to win 38-20. This was one of the more satisfying victories in some time.
| Player | Snaps | % | STs |
| Runyan | 60 | 100 | 6-21% |
| Myers | 60 | 100 | 6-21% |
| Jenkins | 55 | 92 | 6-21% |
| Tom | 55 | 92 | |
| Bakhtiari | 55 | 92 | |
| Walker | 7 | 12 | 6-21% |
| Newman | 5 | 8 | 6-21% |
| Nijman | 5 | 8 | 7-25% |
The pass protection was very good. Love was hit 3 times and sacked just once. The sack was by Ngakoue was a coverage sack: it came at least 3.3 seconds after the snap by my stopwatch. Ngakoue initially tried Tom, then looped into the middle where he was rebuffed by Myers, and then looped over left end where he met Love who was moving up and/or starting to scramble.
The run blocking was not as good. The running backs rushed 27 times for 82 yards, a 3.04-yard average. Aaron Jones rushed 5 times for 24 yards in the first half, all of them on the first possession. He did not get another carry in the first half. Jones was targeted once during the first possession and then another time in the ensuing 3 possessions, but had no receptions in the first half. Jones had 17 yards on four carries in the second half and had 2 receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown. Dillon had a rough game. He lost 5 yards on the first possession (which ended with Doubs' 8-yard touchdown catch) and then lost 3 more yards on his next carry. He finished with 3 net yards on 4 carries in the first half, and 19 yards on 13 carries for the game. He was tackled three times for loss: twice for minus 8 yards on two carries over left end and once over right tackle for minus 2 yards. Dillon also dropped a pass.
Rasheed Walker reported as a tackle eligible twice. The second time was on the 51-yard screen pass to Aaron Jones. Walker lined up where the H-back normally lines up. He and Bakhtiari walled off the rush while Jenkins, Myers and Runyan leaked out to block. For the most part, the offensive line dominated the Bears defensive line.
| Player | Snaps | % | STs |
| Love | 55 | 92 | None |
| Clifford | 5 | 8 | None |
Jordan Love played well. He finished with 15 completions on 27 attempts (55.56%) for 245 yards (9.07 yards/attempt), with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. Love completed 7 passes on 16 attempts for 81 yards and a touchdown in the first half, good for an 80.5 passer rating. Love completed 8 of 11 attempts for 164 yards (14.91 yards/attempt) with 2 touchdowns in the second half. 86 of those yards went to Aaron Jones out of the backfield. Sean Clifford came in for mop up duty and did not throw a pass.
| Player | Snaps | % | STs |
| Dillon | 29 | 48 | 1-4% |
| Jones | 28 | 47 | |
| Taylor | 7 | 12 | 9-32% |
It was the Aaron Jones show. He gained 41 yards on 9 carries (4.56-yard average) and a touchdown, while adding 86 yards on 2 receptions with another touchdown. Jones ran a crisp arrow route to leave T.J. Edwards in the dust and then scampered 30 yards after catching the pass for a touchdown. Dillon gained 19 yards on 13 carries with a long of 7, and caught 2 of 3 passes for 17 yards, with a long of 12. Taylor came in during garbage time and gained 22 yards on 5 carries. The offense looks different when Jones is on the field.
| Player | Snaps | % | STs |
| Musgrave | 45 | 75 | 11-39% |
| Deguara | 19 | 32 | 14-50% |
| Kraft | 13 | 22 | 4-14% |
| Sims | 9 | 15 |
Luke Musgrave caught 3 passes on 4 targets for 50 yards. That included the play where Love fumbled the ball causing the Bears to run towards the fumble, leaving Musgrave about as wide open as a receiver can get. Deguara, Kraft and Sims were not targeted. Sims was asked to do the blocking when he was in. It may be that Kraft needs more time to be truly ready, but both newcomers got their respective feet wet in a real game.
| Player | Snaps | % | STs |
| Wicks | 37 | 62 | None |
| Reed | 32 | 53 | 5-18% |
| Heath | 29 | 48 | 4-14% |
| Doubs | 29 | 48 | None |
| Toure | 21 | 35 | None |
Reed and Heath were the starting wide receivers. Heath and Wicks combined for 3 targets but they did not have any receptions. Toure caught two of his three targets for 18 yards. Reed caught two of 5 passes for 48 yards. On 3rd and 10, Reed caught a pass good for 30 yards to set up a field goal in the first half. On a 3rd and 8 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Reed caught a short pass that he turned into 18 yards. That play was followed by the deep pass to Musgrave and a touchdown pass to Doubs. The rookies got a lot of snaps with Watson out and Doubs on a pitch count due to a sore hamstring.
Romeo Doubs was clutch. On the first possession and the first third down play of the 2023 season, Doubs caught a pass for 13 yards on third and 13. Still during the first possession of the season, on third and goal from the 8-yard line, Doubs caught a touchdown pass for the first score of the 2023 season. It was important for the Packers to get off to a good start and Doubs helped Jordan Love make that happen. Moreover, Doubs' second touchdown pass was eerily reminiscent of Rodgers to Davante Adams: a little back-shoulder fade. It showed the chemistry between Doubs and Love, which bodes very well for the future.
| Player | Snaps | % | STs |
| Slaton | 40 | 54 | 8-29% |
| Clark | 38 | 51 | None |
| Wooden | 36 | 49 | None |
| Wyatt | 30 | 41 | None |
| Brooks | 29 | 39 | 2-7% |
Slaton had one assisted tackle and a pass defensed, but he was stout. Chicago's running backs gained 63 yards on 19 carries, a 3.32-yard average. Since the Bears gained 33 yards on 3 of those carries, the other 16 runs netted just 30 yards. Not a good day for Chicago running the ball. Clark was active. He had 2 assisted tackles, 2 quarterback hits including a forced fumble and a half sack. Wooden had 1 solo tackle. This seems like a lot of snaps for Wooden. Wyatt had a big day. He had 3 tackles (2 solo), 1.5 sacks, 2 quarterback hits, and 2 tackles for loss. Brooks had a solo tackle which was a sack, a QB hit and tackle for loss. There was a consistent push. Justin Fields gained 59 yards on 9 carries (6.6 yard average) with a long of 10. That is something the Packers can probably live with.
| Player | Snaps | % | STs |
| Campbell | 55 | 74 | 2-7% |
| Q. Walker | 49 | 66 | 6-21% |
| Enagbare | 41 | 55 | 8-29% |
| Van Ness | 35 | 47 | 11-39% |
| P. Smith | 35 | 47 | None |
| Hollins | 25 | 34 | 5-18% |
| McDuffie | 19 | 26 | 19-68% |
| Gary | 12 | 16 | None |
| Wilson | 10 | 14 | 19-68% |
These snaps counts were a little surprising. Campbell and Walker normally play every snap or close to that, but Walker left the field with a possible concussion and Campbell was coming off an injury. The meant McDuffie and Wilson got to see the field. There were 1.80 ILBs on the field on average, a fairly normal number. Campbell had 7 tackles (4 solo), while Quay Walker had 4 tackles (1 solo), one TFL, and a pick six. McDuffie contributed 3 tackles (2 solo) while Wilson contributed 2 assisted tackles, and another nice tackle on special teams.
The outside linebacker numbers are interesting. Preston Smith routinely leads the Packers' OLBs in snaps. Van Ness getting so many snaps is a bit surprising. He mostly played with the twos in training camp. Enagbare had 1 solo tackle and one pass defensed. Van Ness had 2 solo tackles and a sack that ended a Chicago drive. Preston Smith had 5 tackles (4 solo). Hollins had 2 assisted tackles. Rashan Gary came in on obvious passing downs. While he had no statistics, in just 12 snaps, but I remember he had at least 3 pressures, and he hit Justin Fields' arm on a pass that ended up being an incompletion. I gather that he does not get a pass defensed for that effort, but it should not go unnoticed. The Packers only had 6 QB hits, including 4 sacks, but they got good, consistent pressure on Justin Fields.
| Player | Snaps | % | STs |
| Douglas | 74 | 100 | 10-36% |
| Ford | 69 | 93 | None |
| Savage | 60 | 81 | 12-43% |
| Nixon | 57 | 77 | 11-39% |
| Alexander | 56 | 76 | 3-11% |
| Valentine | 20 | 27 | 11-39% |
| Owens | 14 | 19 | 20-71% |
| Leavitt | 5 | 7 | 22-79% |
| Gaines | 5 | 7 | 19-68% |
This group was very impressive. The defensive backs came up quickly and made sure tackles to limit gains. They only gave only up one pass over 20 yards. Fields averaged just 5.84 yards per attempt and his Adot must have been very small. I and many others think D.J. Moore is a legitimate number one wide receiver, but other than back-to-back catches for 11 and 14 yards on the Bears' field goal drive in the first half, Moore did not even see any other targets. Keisean Nixon gave up a touchdown to Darnell Mooney when he appeared to think he had safety help, but otherwise the coverage looked good. Joe Barry is still safe.
Darnell Savage led the Packers with 10 tackles (5 solo), including a tackle for loss. Rudy Ford added 3 assisted tackles, while Alexander had 3 solo tackles and a pass defensed. Rasul Douglas had 8 tackles (6 solo), a pass break up, and a fumble recovery. Nixon had 7 tackles (6 solo) including a tackle for loss. Owens and Valentine each had 2 solo tackles.
| Player | Snaps | % | STs |
| Carlson | 12-43% | ||
| Whelan | 11-39% | ||
| Orzech | 11-39% |
Carlson drilled a 52-yard field goal that might have been good from 65 or more and he made all five of his extra points. Whelan bombed 5 punts including a 68-yarder for a 49.8-yard average. He did have two touchbacks, but the punt hit in the field of play and bounced into the endzone. He also had one punt inside the 20. He had a net of 38.6. Orzech was okay, though I thought one or two of his snaps were a trifle high.
WR: 2.47
RB: 1.07
TE: 1.43 (a little higher than normal)
OL: 5.03
DL: 2.34
LB: 3.80
DB: 4.86
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Comments (39)
Lphill
September 11, 2023 at 05:54 am
Nice D line rotation as well as outside linebackers something we have not had in the past , please if A Jones is out next week use Taylor and Wilson more not just Dillon .
Thegreatreynoldo
September 11, 2023 at 05:57 am
TJ Edwards gave credit to Aaron Jones for running a very good route on his TD reception. The Bears' players also explained in the Chicago papers that when the ball hits the ground/is fumbled, they are trained to converge on the fumble in order to recover it or tackle some lineman who might be rumbling down the field with it. They had all mostly taken a few steps towards the line of scrimmage when the ball popped right back up into Jordan Love's hands. There was a lot of guys bearing down on him so Love could only just heave it in Musgrave's general direction.
The Packers dominated the trenches. The Bears' running backs had runs of 10, 11 and 12 yard, so on there other 16 carries they only gained 30 yards. The only sack Chicago got was a coverage sack. My expectations for the safety room were so low that I was surprised and delighted by their play and really of the secondary as a whole.
I think I was clear about how impressed I was by Doubs, stepping up like a veteran when he might not have been 100%, and indeed he only played 48% of the snaps. I would like to see the OL move players a little more than they did, but the pass pro was great. The DL sure looked good. I don't know if chicago fixed their line. Joe Barry is safe for another week.
Turophile
September 11, 2023 at 06:35 am
Finally, an end to all the speculation of what might be and the arrival of WHAT IS.
I did find it interesting that after Green Bay being pretty much dismissed by much of the media earlier this year, suddenly, in the last couple of weeks, there was a big turnaround where the Packers were suddenly hyped in a positive way.
It was almost as if they wanted to overhype the Packers, so they could beat down on them more, if they failed. Build em up, knock em down, is something the media has been doing forever. Where is the news story if the Packers still look good, post Favre and post Rodgers.
Several earlier 2024 mock drafts had the Packers drafting in the 3rd to 8th position, suggesting a terrible season..............so I guess there will be a big turnaround soon, in where the mock drafts have the Packers picking.
Game one could hardly have gone better, unless you were seeking perfection from a very young team (and more fool you if you were). Yes it was the Bears and yes, they did not play well and with (it seemed to me) with a very poor gameplan...........but you have to beat whoever is put in front of you and first game of the season with a divisional win away from home, well, it is a big deal. With such a young team, there was no certainty this would happen.
Thanks TGR for your usual breakdown. It's almost the ultimate insult to another team to be putting your backups in late-game, when your starting QB is just starting his career as 'the man'. Great day to be a Packer fan.
PS Good rotation on the defensive line. That will help keep the studs healthy and all the guys rotating in had something to offer.
Johnblood27
September 11, 2023 at 08:04 am
The 3rd to 8th 2024 draft pick will be the J-E-T-S first rounder that the Pack gets...
Turophile
September 11, 2023 at 02:15 pm
If that were the case while Rodgers still had 65%+ of the snaps, that would be sweet.
Turophile
September 12, 2023 at 08:14 am
Oh ! Achilles gone. Shame for Rodgers and Jets fans.
For the Packers - a sigh of relief it didn't happen to them - and a resignation to having the Jets 2nd rounder, rather than their first.
greengold
September 11, 2023 at 06:34 am
Great, great stuff, TGR. Thank you for this stellar breakdown.
I love seeing those DL snaps spread around, with no “70” next to Clark’s name! That, and LVN having played nearly 50% of the D snaps!!! He showed well too.
Those rotations were HUGE. Very nice to see those pukes on their own sidelines, down by just 2 scores at 17-6 with 8:05 remaining in the 3rd Quarter, dominated to the point of sulking on the entire Bears sideline.
Sulking.
This was immediately following Wyatt’s crushing sack of Fields, and Clark’s sniffing out of that screen…
Total domination.
Less than 1 minute 30 seconds later, Love torches CHI on 4th & 3 on the Bears 35 with a TD pass to Aaron Jones. 24-6… but the ass kicking was so bad Chicago was already beat.
Eric Wilson, the first man down on the ensuing KO takes the CHI returner’s feet out from under him at their own 11. Wyatt then strips Fields for the FF and the Rasul Douglas recovery.
Domination. Deluxe.
PackBacker
September 11, 2023 at 06:37 am
I try to be positive for everyone whenever I can. So, on the plus side for Da Bears, it looks like they've already locked up the #1 draft pick in 2024. That will be helpful. Plus, Love should only be around for about 15 years.
Make lemonade from lemons, Chicago.
GregC
September 11, 2023 at 06:55 am
In terms of snap counts, the biggest surprise for me was Lukas Van Ness. I did not expect him to be in there so much. He seemed to be getting a push on the edge most of the time, and the sack was great. Fields is not easy to catch! I was surprised to see Wooden and Brooks with such high snap counts, although I wonder if a lot of those were in the fourth quarter when the outcome was no longer in doubt.
I'm surprised to see that Rashan Gary only played 12 snaps. It looked like more. He had an awesome sack that was wiped out by a penalty.
Great observation about the back-shoulder TD pass from Love to Doubs looking like Rodgers to Adams. I hadn't thought of it like that, but you are absolutely right.
The long snapper makes me nervous. His snap on the field goal attempt was very high, and he had another one that was off the mark as well. Maybe that's why the Rams let him go even though he was on their Super Bowl winning team. Kudos to Daniel Whelan for handling those bad snaps, and Whelan also punted the ball well, although his net average does not show it due to a couple of long punts bouncing into the end zone.
A.J Dillon looked terrible. Maybe part of it was that the interior O-line was not opening holes for him. He also got some handoffs where he was running sideways, which is a play design that seldom works for Dillon. Patrick Taylor actually looked better in his limited action, and with Emmanuel Wilson on the roster, I'm beginning to wonder if Dillon's job security could (or at least should) be in danger. One thing is clear: When the Packers need to gain a yard, I would much rather see Aaron Jones carry the ball than A.J. Dillon.
greengold
September 11, 2023 at 07:39 am
Greg, that was my only hang up with yesterday’s coaching. Dillon was getting way to much work with Love in shotgun. FfS. Add in all the sideways stuff they tried with him?
What the hell? MLF? Where is that considered a good idea?
The Packers have got to put AJ Dillon in a place for success. That’s with Love under Center and Dillon getting the ball working downhill.
That, and we played without our best Center yesterday. Without putting him under the microscope, Myers had what appeared to be about 4 or 5 really poor plays.
Coldworld
September 11, 2023 at 07:58 am
Not only out of the shotgun, but he seems to be running the same patterns as Jones. Why? If that’s the plan, Dillon isn’t the obvious back to fulfill it. LaFleur needs to rethink that. Almost all the net success was outside (including Taylor).
To compound issues, Dillon was getting stoned for a loss almost at the moment of handoff, particularly early. No RB is going to succeed when that is happening. It’s churlish to be negative, but the run blocking was sub par outside of the tackles. Early on they repeatedly and very rapidly got in the back field between Jenkins and Myers. Perhaps that’s a reason LaFleur protected Jones? Overall, the only plus run blocking I recall was from a T. That’s got to improve.
If Jones is out next week, I hope they go with Wilson. He seems to have the speed to get outside, and, absent a better interior run blocking showing, that’s going to be needed.
T7Steve
September 11, 2023 at 06:57 am
Thanks, TGR. Always look forward to your snap counts. I'm a little slow this morning so I don't understand your last numbers below STs.
WR: 2.47
RB: 1.07
TE: 1.43 (a little higher than normal)
OL: 5.03
DL: 2.34
LB: 3.80
DB: 4.86
I was worried after Jones was stuffed on the first running play that showed Myers whiffing. Replays showed he was in position to help on several other plays but just watched the guys go by him. Wouldn't want to be him in the film room today. I guess it's good that the snaps were all pretty well exchanged.
Thegreatreynoldo
September 11, 2023 at 07:41 am
They mean that the packers averaged playing with 2 and a half (2.47) wide receivers per play. Mike McCarthy played a ton of 11 personnel, meaning 3 WRs when he had Jordy, Jennings and Jones or Cobb. 1.43 means they had more than one TE on the field more often than usual, so they must have run some two tight end looks.
Though they play a 3 - 4 meaning 3 true defensive linemen, 4 LBs and 4 DBs, instead they used 5 DBs on most plays, pulling a DL and/or a LB.
RCPackerFan
September 11, 2023 at 07:04 am
These are a few surprises to me coming out of week 1.
Wicks - He had 37 snaps which was 5 more then Reed.
Sims - He had 9 snaps and was in the offense before Kraft. Considering he just joined the team it was a bit surprising he got as much action as early as he did.
OLB's - I thought it was surprising the amount of snaps each guy got. Enagbare had more snaps then anyone. Van Ness had the same amount as Smith. Gary had 12 snaps which was to be expected. Funny stat I saw about that last night on twitter. He had 12 snaps and he had 6 pressures. (not sure if that is accurate, but I saw it on twitter).
GregC
September 11, 2023 at 07:20 am
"Wicks - He had 37 snaps which was 5 more then Reed."
Good catch. What was Wicks doing in there so much--other than committing a couple of penalties and looking like he did not belong on the field?
Still, it was good to see so many rookies getting their feet wet with serious playing time--especially Van Ness.
LLCHESTY
September 11, 2023 at 05:47 pm
Wicks is more of an X than anybody else in Packers WR room. Reed was mostly a slot WR this preseason and most likely wouldn't handle NFL press well. Doubs was pretty poor against press last year. The X is at the LOS and has to deal with a DB right away. You can defeat press with explosion or great footwork. Wicks doesn't have a great 40 but his 10 yard split is outstanding and he supposedly has some nifty moves off the line.
I thought in TC he made the most sense as the backup X but with his missed time I didn't expect this early. He should have had one nice catch yesterday that Love was off on.
greengold
September 11, 2023 at 06:42 pm
LL, you’re absolutely right. I’ve felt much the same since he was selected. He’s a volume receiver with insane, ver much Davante Adams-like release ability off the LOS.
It’s a kind of multi-step set of separation tools, because he has deep acceleration to take the top off defenses, which he’s was known to do regularly at Virginia.
Not making direct comparisons, but Jerry Rice had a different game speed and effectiveness as an X receiver from his 4.71…
40…
Coldworld
September 11, 2023 at 08:08 am
Wicks played the X almost exclusively and was out there in more obvious passing situations with Reed and Doubs or both. Heath and Toure were often out there in heavier/more run conducive formations and asked to block more than catch.
That surprised me (I expected more use of Heath), but it may be just managing complexity with young players and Watson out and Heath limited. If so, I think that might be something worth applauding. Wicks wasn’t very impressive, but missing most of camp and just coming back from injury too, that was a big ask.
Guam
September 11, 2023 at 08:01 am
Generally surprised at the amount of playing time the rookies got. Reed, Wicks and Heath got more snaps than Toure (and Doubs who was on a pitch count due to his hammy). Van Ness got as many snaps as Smith and more than Hollins. Wooden got more snaps than Wyatt and Brooks got more than I expected. This certainly bodes well for the future.
Gute has done well the last two years!
HawkPacker
September 11, 2023 at 11:51 am
I agree Guam. Gute's draft the last two years were exceptional.
dobber
September 11, 2023 at 08:25 am
Given the comments about "unusual numbers of snaps" I read that to mean that we mostly mis-guessed either on how even some players sat on the depth chart, or that the coaches have been planning to rotate liberally from the start. It could be that since they played with at least two score lead for almost the entire second half, they felt encouraged to do that kind of rotation, too.
T7Steve
September 11, 2023 at 11:20 am
What were you thinking when the Bears lined up for 3rd and short, got stuffed, then tried to go for it on 4th? Can't believe we finally have the D-line to stop some of those. Used to be a gimmie and was so frustrating.
LambeauPlain
September 11, 2023 at 11:50 am
I cannot recall the last time I felt Pack can be so potentially dominating on both front lines.
The OL was sublime in pass pro. Run blocking needs work, especially inside. Always seemed to be clogged. Outside runs were better...that screen to Jonesy had 3 Abrams Tanks in front of him plowing the road.
The D front line had abundant rotation with the DL and Edge guys keeping them fresh. They just wore down the Bears mediocre OL and hurried Fields for most of the game. Forced him to throw. Something he doesn't do well.
dobber
September 11, 2023 at 07:26 pm
I'll be honest: after watching other teams run that short yardage scrum play so effectively last season, I couldn't see how anyone could stop it, much less twice in a row.
That said, I'm surprised Eberflus didn't challenge the spot on that second attempt. I thought one of the camera angles showed the spot might've been too short. Giving the Packers the ball on a short field that early in the game was not smart. I think he had to try...and he didn't. Allowing the Packers to score first and play with a lead all afternoon was exactly what the Packers needed.
TxFred
September 11, 2023 at 09:25 am
Overall well done,Pack! I was a little concerned MLF play calling, the first half. Da bears DL worse in the league and why didn't MLF run the ball down their throats til they gag, then air it out. Bears DL couldn't stop a fat lady falling down stairs. What's with 1st down passing? 1st & 10, 2nd &9, 3& 7 then punt. I thought AR was hero balling.
It was good to see many rookies staying & getting plenty of playtime, that is going to pay off big time. Everybody had a part in winning the oldest rivalry in the NFL. Great start for Love. The offense was tuned in to his leadership!!! GPG!!
Coldworld
September 11, 2023 at 09:40 am
What we could learn from that game was nearly all positive. The fact remains that the Bears on the day were astoundingly bad. We are going to get far more difficult tests almost every week. Chicago could easily get a top 3 pick next spring.
Myers is either going to get very much better or he surely can’t be our C by year end. Ford should just give way to AJJ. I will take missed tackles and bad angles from a rookie.
Too many penalties and mostly not from the rookies. I like the fire, but it needs to be channeled more wisely.
T7Steve
September 11, 2023 at 12:19 pm
Can you believe the non-call when Douglass had the pass breakup in the endzone? They were both pushing each other, but that usually goes to the receiver, doesn't it? Make up call for something else?
SicSemperTyrannis
September 11, 2023 at 09:42 am
TGR, thanks for doing this! It really helps me to see this. I hope Dusty Everly comes back with his film analysis. I found one he did that he didn't post here ...
I love the rotation of players, and especially JL10's willingness to throw to the open target instead of forcing it to his favorite.
I don't love the reply button not working, can we contact admin about that?
Coldworld
September 11, 2023 at 09:46 am
I thought the use of Toure and Heath on potential run downs and Wicks with Reed or Doubs and Reed in passing formations deserves praise. Taking young guys and not overwhelming them when Watson is out and Doubs limited was smart. That’s something we would not have seen last year I think.
DoubleJ
September 11, 2023 at 10:10 am
Gary had a would be sack in which is destroyed the RT off the snap negated by the 12 men on the field/offsides call on Enagbare. Overall Gary was very active when he was on the field.
Leatherhead
September 11, 2023 at 10:20 am
""The run blocking was not as good. The running backs rushed 27 times for 82 yards, a 3.04-yard average. """
The Bears stuffed the run. I have no idea how we managed to score 38 points when they were stuffing the run.
greengold
September 11, 2023 at 10:36 am
Um... running the ball in a dedicated, balanced attack keeps opposing defenses on their heels, playing more honest, unable to pin their ears back in pass rush. Also, the clock keeps spinning.
27 passing attempts. 27 dedicated rushing attempts for GB RBs. It doesn't get more balanced than that. AND, the clock keeps spinning.
Running the rock has its positive effects. Stop ignoring them, my friend. We're not all a bunch of idiots. We've all watched some freaking football over many decades. The principles of running the football successfully have always been present, and will continue to be a positive factor.
I get what you're always saying, LH, but you also have to admit you conveniently leave these considerations out of ALL of your arguments. I know because I read them all, and have to fight back my intents to respond. Yes, I LOVE the air assault. ALWAYS!!! That will never go away for me, just like it won't for you. However, even the masters, the innovators of the air assaults in NFL history, Don Coryell and Bill Walsh, ran the football in just such a dedicated manner.
That had to have helped Jordan Love in his first game starting as the Packers QB1. He remarked post game about the long duration of time he had in the pocket. The OL benefits from running the rock too... less stress, fewer injuries, more effective pass blocking.
C'mon, my brother. Enough already. It's OK. We all love & share your passion for the big passing games. All of us. Running the football always helps to make those happen. Even more so with a young QB1 beginning his first season at the helm.
What I really like about this, is we won, decisively. No one was out to get "their" stats. That ball was really spread around well by LaFleur, Stenovich & Jordan Love. I'll never forget how much Mike Holmgren leaned on Edgar Bennett and Dorsey Levens to win football games. And, sometimes the broke for explosive runs.
Jones began the game chewing up pretty big chunks of yardage, which the CHI D was forced to honor.
LambeauPlain
September 11, 2023 at 11:58 am
I agree G&G. I was hoping for a more balanced attack this year with the IOC resurrection. Looks to be on the menu. More balance in run, pass, and passing to the middle of the field.
And on the other side, out front lines stopped the run (outside of one dimensional Fields doing his Houdini tricks) and forced Fields do do what he does not do well. Pass.
More please!
Leatherhead
September 11, 2023 at 12:03 pm
GG....the point I'm making isn't that running the ball is a bad thing. The point I'm making is that this unreasoning focus on lambasting the defense when they gave up 5.0 yards/rush is just so misplaced.
On offense, haven't I always been the "run more, pass less" guy? It takes pressure off the QB and promotes attitude, etc. It just doesn't score points like passing does. And when we're on defense, I'd rather have the opponent run for 5.0 than pass for 7.0, because 5 < 7. So I think the angst expressed over our run defense numbers is kind of ludicrous.
Chicago stuffed our run. How much good did it do them.? It's points. Points, points,points. Not rushing yards, attempts, or average. And that's what Barry should be judged on, which would make him......AVERAGE.
In fact, yesterday, he was better than average. I'm kind of surprised that I missed all the people giving credit to Barry for choking out the Bears yesterday (of course, we didn't stuff the run).
greengold
September 12, 2023 at 04:04 am
Maybe it’s the blanket nature of your theory which throws me off as it leaves open hundreds of possibilities, factors & situations.
“5.0 vs. 7.0” What? I feel like I’ve seen this posed hundreds of times. The numbers are arbitrary examples you’ve chosen and they ignore efficiency & situational causation.
Teams who are winning games usually pile up rushing yards. Teams who are losing games usually pile up passing yards.
“Angst expressed over our run defense?” - I can’t make heads or tails on who you are actually addressing with this one.
???
These are arbitrary, blanket-type remarks that ignore a wide range of factors & root causes.
The keys are how your players play the game in terms of efficiency & in scoring the most points. The ultimate goal is to score as much as possible on O, and prevent opponent scoring on D.
All I know is our run stop added and pass rush added this offseason prevented scores and shut down drives, giving the ball back to our O, which showed improvement in efficiency and scoring Sunday vs. much of 2022.
Good.
I agree with you, NO ONE has credited Joe Barry, anywhere! Kudos to you on that LH. I’ll take it a step further. NO ONE is crediting Brian Gutekunst and his staff either… Credit where credit’s due. How many rookies/Year 2 players made significant contributions to Sunday’s WIN over the Bears?
It’s just Week 1, but a solid display of football in all 3 phases by GB.
Leatherhead
September 12, 2023 at 02:20 pm
No on several counts. First, 5 and 7 are not arbitrary numbers. 5.0 is a good run, 7.0 is an average pass attempt, an average completion is over 10.. So I'm saying better to give up a good run than an average pass. 40 good runs would be 200 yards, 40 average passes is 280. More points are scored on passes. So why are we encouraging teams to pass instead of run?
Angst over our run defense? Seriously, you haven't seen 6 months of "Barry Sucks" because of our average yards/rush defense? Where have you been, amigo?
This defense is built to stop the pass, first. Coverage and Pressure. More important than plugging the run. Every time I see the first down run stuffed, and then they complete a pass on 2nd down, I laugh. It accomplished nothing.
T7Steve
September 11, 2023 at 10:43 am
You don't think there's room for improvement? You're right though, they opened up the passing game eventually by being concerned about the running. Still would like to be able to shove it down their throats and nothing they can do about it.
I would rather nit-pick a win any day and look for ways to improve than try to figure out a loss.
Don't remember too many 30 + outings (even with pick sixes included) for last season.
T7Steve
September 11, 2023 at 10:33 am
Thanks for answering above TGR. I remember now.
Tried to reply up there, but something is wrong either with my unit or the page so I can't reply to anyone's comments.
I'm glad I wasn't the only one to be worried about Myers. Where do you think Parsens would line up if we played the Cowboys next week?
Luckily the Bears didn't learn from how other teams played against us last season. Stunts and overloads to the right side seem too much for him to handle. Even when he pulled and was down field, he was whiffing a lot of times. Have to look at the PFF grades, I guess. People are blaming Dillon and the play calls, but I think we haven't put the best 5 out there yet.
LLCHESTY
September 11, 2023 at 05:37 pm
Thanks on e again for these TGR. I was a little down on Wyatt vs the run in the 1st half, as I thought he got stood up quick a couple times, but when he got to pin his ears back in the 2nd half he was pretty active. I was a bit down on him watching the preseason as his hand usage reminded me of Slaton as a rookie sometimes. I'll be very happy to admit I was wrong.
I did notice Slaton a couple times on 2 man fronts. What I'm seeing from him so far this year is what I hoped for last year, better anchor against double teams and much better at stacking and shedding. His hand fighting is night and day compared to his rookie year and a big jump up even from last year.
Obviously early days but I'm pretty excited about the DTs. Actually shocked at the snaps the rookies got but if they can stay productive and put Wyatt mainly in pass rushing situations that's a big win for the Packers IMO.