PACKERS’ SPECIAL TEAMS NEED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE: Beating the Lions is Crucial to Keeping Their…
There is a lot that the Green Bay Packers need to do to beat Detroit but none more so than the three things listed below.
First of all, the Packers took care of business as they demolished the Miami Dolphins on Thanksgiving night. But they will not face Miami again. If the Green Bay Packers want to win the Super Bowl and win their fifth Lombardi trophy, they will more than likely have to face the Lions two more times this season.
This game should be a good indicator for how this Packers season will end. The Packers need to beat Detroit if they want to go to the playoffs with the knowledge, confidence, swagger of a team that knows they can beat the best of the best in the NFL. So far this season, there are three NFC teams that have a better record than the Green Bay Packers: Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings.
All three of these teams have already beaten the Packers this season. Hence, if the Packers really want to compete, if they really want to show the world that they are in the top tier of the NFC, they have to beat the Lions on Thursday. Here are three things that the Green Bay Packers need to do to beat Detroit:
Get Pressure on Goff
Ever since Jared Goff was drafted number 1 overall by the Los Angeles Rams, the jury has been out on Jared Goff: pressure him and there will be success. However, this is not the Jared Goff of old. Jared Goff has been pretty good against pressure this season. Much better than years past. For example, take a look at this stat from the Lions-Vikings matchup earlier in the season.
Goff has improved under pressure. He has gotten much better than years past. Which makes the pass rush getting home even more imperative. Despite Goff’s sudden reversion to becoming an extremely effective passer when under pressure, there is still a mountain of historical evidence that suggests he crumbles when pressured.
What portion of this sudden change towards becoming a good QB when pressured is due to the schemed looks by offensive playcaller Ben Johnson? It is well known that when Goff has the answers to the question, he will always knock the test out of the park.
However, the key is to send exotic looks, exotic pressures of a kind that are unfamiliar to Goff. Historically, Goff has not been good when he does not know the answers to the question, Hafley needs to make Goff think. Hafley needs to make Goff think for half a second more, and hope that the improved pass rush gets home. If so, the path to victory opens up even more, and the margin of error for the Packers increases greatly.
