Week 6: Dangerous Dallas game upcoming

[PackerDNA]

I'm wondering what Capers will come up with. Not to take anything from Prescott- he's been outstanding- but 5 weeks in, opponents are starting to get a book together on him.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

If Bryant and now maybe Williams don't play on Sunday, its going to be mostly about stopping the Cowboys on the ground, including Prescott. This won't be the first time Capers has had to scheme for a very mobile QB and running game and with the way our front 7 are playing, I'm pretty confident in what they will do.

 

[C-Lee]

Really, really excited for this game. Feel like it's going to be very exciting.

 

[Poppa San]

This won't be the first time Capers has had to scheme for a very mobile QB and running game

Yeah, let's dust off the defensive playbook we used against Kaeper-puke in the playoffs. That was a surefire .. oh wait .. we burned that one didn't we? Maybe the one from playing Cam Newton last year? We burned that too? Um, Russell Wilson last season (10 rushes 79 yards)? I hope Capers finally learned something about stopping mobile QBs.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Yeah, let's dust off the defensive playbook we used against Kaeper-puke in the playoffs. That was a surefire .. oh wait .. we burned that one didn't we? Maybe the one from playing Cam Newton last year? We burned that too? Um, Russell Wilson last season (10 rushes 79 yards)? I hope Capers finally learned something about stopping mobile QBs.

Point taken, but we did hold Krap-or-sit (who is starting this Sunday) and Hyde to 77 yards last year. We also held Lynch and Wilson to 119 yards last year, so that wasn't all that bad. While there have been some games where Capers and the D had some issues with a running QB, I think the Defensive personnel this year will be better at stopping Prescott and Elliott. I would be happy to keep them under a combined total of 100-125 yards with no big runs. But that Dallas O-line will be the best we have faced all year, so that might not happen.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I know we are all high on the DL and the job that they are doing, as we probably should be. My big concern is that the talent they have faced, while looking so good, hasn't really been all that great.

1. Jacksonville: Currently 30th in the league in rushing yds/game and #1 RB Ivory was a scratch.
2. Minnesota: Currently 32nd in RY/G, while they did shut down AP for 3 quarters, he hadn't been that effective the game before.
3. Detroit: Currently 23rd in RY/G. Again, Abdullah was hurt so we faced their #2.
4. Giants: Currently 27th in RY/G. Once again, their #1 back was hurt.

So yes the DL has looked impressive in all 4 games, but my optimism is guarded due to who they have looked good against, this being below average OL's and back-up RB's. Sunday will be a big test of just how legit they are. Dallas has one of the better OL's in the NFL, as well as an excellent RB in Elliott and a mobile QB in Prescott.

In 4 games, Packer opponents have gained 171 yards on the ground this year, I would be happy to hold the Cowboys to half of that.

 

[swhitset]

I know we are all high on the DL and the job that they are doing, as we probably should be. My big concern is that the talent they have faced, while looking so good, hasn't really been all that great.

1. Jacksonville: Currently 30th in the league in rushing yds/game and #1 RB Ivory was a scratch.
2. Minnesota: Currently 32nd in RY/G, while they did shut down AP for 3 quarters, he hadn't been that effective the game before.
3. Detroit: Currently 23rd in RY/G. Again, Abdullah was hurt so we faced their #2.
4. Giants: Currently 27th in RY/G. Once again, their #1 back was hurt.

So yes the DL has looked impressive in all 4 games, but my optimism is guarded due to who they have looked good against, this being below average OL's and back-up RB's. Sunday will be a big test of just how legit they are. Dallas has one of the better OL's in the NFL, as well as an excellent RB in Elliott and a mobile QB in Prescott.

In 4 games, Packer opponents have gained 171 yards on the ground this year, I would be happy to hold the Cowboys to half of that.

You make a good point, however Just to play devils advocate I'll say that 25% of those games were against the Packers so maybe their averages would look better had they played a team with a less successful run defense lol.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

You make a good point, however Just to play devils advocate I'll say that 25% of those games were against the Packers so maybe their averages would look better had they played a team with a less successful run defense lol.

Well almost 20% since all but the Jags have played 5 games. As a Packer fan I really want to believe our front seven is a top defense against the run, but as I was compiling that information, I was starting to see some reasons behind the success and that it may not just be how good we are, but possibly just how bad the teams we have faced are at running the ball. Sunday will help clear up the picture, at least in my head.

Imagine how other team defenses would look against the run, if they were facing Starks every week.

 

[Packerlifer]

http://www.packersnews.com/story/sp.../10/11/3-storylines-cowboys-packers/91892616/

 

[PikeBadger]

Absolutely. This will be a true test of our rushing defense. Are we that good....

I expect Dallas to have some success running the ball but I think if we can hold them to around 3.5 or less a carry, we'll be in good position to win by more than a TD assuming we start catching the ball more consistently. A good start offensively for us is imperative imo.

 

[gopkrs]

I hope the middle linebackers can stick around the middle (at least one of them) and help out the interior linemen because our outside guys will need to hold the edge against this QB. They can't be crashing all the time. Not at all unless they see the ball in the RBs hands.

 

[Mondio]

This will obviously be the toughest test to date. Their offensive line is the real deal and Elliot is every bit as good as I thought he'd be. He's fast, explosive, hits holes quickly and bursts right thru them. A lot of times he has a freeway lane to run thru too. I don't know who Dallas has all played and where they rank, but I don't need to know that to know they're good.

That said, our defense is different than it has been in the past, especially up front. They've been penetrating and smothering people. I don't care who was back there as a RB, they weren't going far. Their stats may be a bit inflated due to who we've played, but they way they've played as a lot more to do with those stats than anything.

This will be a good test, and they'll have to finish every play. If they don't Elliot can take one to the house from any place on the field.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I was a bit surprised when I saw the snap count for the Giants game: Joe Thomas 41, Jake Ryan 41, Blake Martinez 15

Guessing that was due to Capers favoring the nickle and dime against a passing team like the Giants. Against Dallas, I expect to see Thomas and Martinez's numbers reversed, since Blake seems to be better against the run. I'm impressed with the turnaround Thomas has had, he still needs work on finishing his tackles, but he seems to be a far better player then he was last year.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Perillo is picked on for his lack of athleticism but he gets open for someone so "slow" and has very good hands also!

It's true that Perillo has great hands and while he has been able to get open he for sure can't stretch a defense.

Did not say anything about Perillo being the man. And Cook is hurt right now And RR is not playing good. So give the other tight end a shot.

Well, Rodgers and Perillo are for sure one of the least talented duos at the position in the league.

 

[PackerDNA]

This will obviously be the toughest test to date. Their offensive line is the real deal and Elliot is every bit as good as I thought he'd be. He's fast, explosive, hits holes quickly and bursts right thru them. A lot of times he has a freeway lane to run thru too. I don't know who Dallas has all played and where they rank, but I don't need to know that to know they're good.

That said, our defense is different than it has been in the past, especially up front. They've been penetrating and smothering people. I don't care who was back there as a RB, they weren't going far. Their stats may be a bit inflated due to who we've played, but they way they've played as a lot more to do with those stats than anything.

This will be a good test, and they'll have to finish every play. If they don't Elliot can take one to the house from any place on the field.

It's a team effort , but the guys have each been winning the leverage battles and using their hands well to shed blocks while keeping their gap responsibilities. I agree in that the stats aren't because of who they've played but far more how they've played. Giving up 40 yards a game and 2 yards a carry through 4 games? In the NFL? Those are incredible numbers , the kind you'd expect to see in Pop Warner games.

 

[easyk83]

Yeah, let's dust off the defensive playbook we used against Kaeper-puke in the playoffs. That was a surefire .. oh wait .. we burned that one didn't we? Maybe the one from playing Cam Newton last year? We burned that too? Um, Russell Wilson last season (10 rushes 79 yards)? I hope Capers finally learned something about stopping mobile QBs.

Russell Wilson runs to set up the pass. Giving up 79 yards rushing but only 206 yards in the air was a solid effort. Newton and Kap did burn us in the past however. It's worth noting that Prescott isn't as fast of a runner as those two are and that our ILBs can match him speed wise.

Capers needs to take his lumps, accept some qb runs stay in man coverage and alternate between an LB spy and a safety up in the box. Force them to beat us over the top.

 

[sschind]

Didn't we go through this a few years back. I seem to recall we started out 1 year pretty stout against the run for several games and then all of a sudden one back blew us up and we just seemed to lose it from there on out.

Two things to caution fans about when being the #1 rush defense. 1 is what Poker brought up. We have not faced premium rushing talent so far this year and 2 Sometimes when teams can throw like crazy against you they have a tendency to not run so much. Teams have 21.5 rushing attempts per game against us which is 6th fewest in the league (we are 19th for pass attempts against) Its something you always need to look at when checking the rankings. You are #1 against the run and #32 against the pass (I know we weren't that bad I'm just saying) I'll just pass then. And it seems this Prescott dude is not a bad little passer.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Two things to caution fans about when being the #1 rush defense. 1 is what Poker brought up. We have not faced premium rushing talent so far this year and 2 Sometimes when teams can throw like crazy against you they have a tendency to not run so much. Teams have 21.5 rushing attempts per game against us which is 6th fewest in the league (we are 19th for pass attempts against) Its something you always need to look at when checking the rankings. You are #1 against the run and #32 against the pass (I know we weren't that bad I'm just saying) I'll just pass then. And it seems this Prescott dude is not a bad little passer.

While the total number of rushing yards allowed is a little misleading because of facing a limited amount of runs opponents only gaining two yards a carry is impressive. In addition teams have most likely abandoned the run after struggling mightily in that area against the Packers defense.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

No doubt in my mind that our defense has been fortuitous each week on their opponents rushing capabilities on that particular game day that we faced them. Yes, some of that is an improved front 7 as well how good they have looked tackling and filling the running lanes, but I'm going to feel a lot more comfortable with just how good that front 7 is, if they can come close to repeating those performances against Dallas this Sunday.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

While the total number of rushing yards allowed is a little misleading because of facing a limited amount of runs opponents only gaining two yards a carry is impressive. In addition teams have most likely abandoned the run after struggling mightily in that area against the Packers defense.

Again, I agree our numbers look great, but add to what you said the fact that besides AP, who didn't look that impressive the week before, we have only faced back-up running backs in putting up those numbers. As I posted, imagine our offensive run production if Lacy didn't suit up for those 4 games.

Dallas and Elliott will be a legitimate measuring stick of our run defense.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Again, I agree our numbers look great, but add to what you said the fact that besides AP, who didn't look that impressive the week before, we have only faced back-up running backs in putting up those numbers. As I posted, imagine our offensive run production if Lacy didn't suit up for those 4 games.

Dallas and Elliott will be a legitimate measuring stick of our run defense.

There's no doubt the Packers haven't faced a good rushing team so far this season but allowing only two yards a carry is impressive nevertheless.

I agree that the Cowboys will present a huge test for the team's run defense.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

I know we are all high on the DL and the job that they are doing, as we probably should be. My big concern is that the talent they have faced, while looking so good, hasn't really been all that great.

1. Jacksonville: Currently 30th in the league in rushing yds/game and #1 RB Ivory was a scratch.
2. Minnesota: Currently 32nd in RY/G, while they did shut down AP for 3 quarters, he hadn't been that effective the game before.
3. Detroit: Currently 23rd in RY/G. Again, Abdullah was hurt so we faced their #2.
4. Giants: Currently 27th in RY/G. Once again, their #1 back was hurt.

So yes the DL has looked impressive in all 4 games, but my optimism is guarded due to who they have looked good against, this being below average OL's and back-up RB's. Sunday will be a big test of just how legit they are. Dallas has one of the better OL's in the NFL, as well as an excellent RB in Elliott and a mobile QB in Prescott.

In 4 games, Packer opponents have gained 171 yards on the ground this year, I would be happy to hold the Cowboys to half of that.

Good points but this really only helps if you can go through and adjust every other teams's run defense by their opponents. Luckily, that's what Football Outsiders does. They currently have the Packers with the second best run defense in the NFL (19th against the pass). Now for the scary part, the Dallas rushing offense is the best in the NFL by a massive margin according to Football Outsiders. The difference between Dallas and the second best rushing offense (Atlanta) is equal to the difference between Atlanta and the 15th rush offense.

Not sure there's a lot of "scheme" that Capers is going to be able to rely on in this game. The Cowboys offense is fairly simple (for Prescott's sake) and basically relies on a terrific oline just demolishing people. Ezekiel Elliott, prior to last week, had broken a total of three tackles and yet he was still rushing for a ton of yards, that should tell you how big the holes that dline is creating really are. At some point all Capers can really do is ask his guys to not get absolutely destroyed by the Dallas oline. Granted, he can certainly bring safeties up to help since the Dallas receivers aren't very scary but that Dallas oline doesn't really have weaknesses. It's gonna be interesting to see how well the Packers' front seven can do against those guys.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Good points but this really only helps if you can go through and adjust every other teams's run defense by their opponents. Luckily, that's what Football Outsiders does. They currently have the Packers with the second best run defense in the NFL (19th against the pass).

While I won't argue with some of the rankings on the Packers run defense being #1 or #2 in the NFL, I'm not so sure how they got there is convincing enough for me to feel comfortable until i see it repeated this Sunday against Dallas.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

"McCarthy said running back Eddie Lacy would not take part in practice, but he did not rule him out this week and said he wasn't concerned about depth in the backfield despite James Starks being the only other healthy running back. If Lacy's status remains in question, the Packers could bring up rookie Don Jackson from the practice squad."

How could MM not be worried about depth at RB, even with Lacy healthy?

 

[Deleted member 6794]

"McCarthy said running back Eddie Lacy would not take part in practice, but he did not rule him out this week and said he wasn't concerned about depth in the backfield despite James Starks being the only other healthy running back. If Lacy's status remains in question, the Packers could bring up rookie Don Jackson from the practice squad."

How could MM not be worried about depth at RB, even with Lacy healthy?

If Lacy can't play on Sunday vs. the Cowboys the Packers have to absolutely add another running back to the roster for the game.