Photo credit: Evan Siegle/Green Bay Packers
Davante Adams
In their last game against the Lions, Aaron Rodgers was 3 for 17, including an interception, when throwing deep, yet the Packers kept calling deep passes. It seemed like a strange decision that nearly cost them that game—and a first-round bye—but looking back on that performance, it seems more and more like a dry run for the playoffs and an opportunity to get Aaron Rodgers right. It also seems to have worked, as Aaron Rodgers had his best deep passing performance of the season at just the right time.
Rodgers was able to take advantage of a Seattle defense focused on limiting the Aaron Jones and ground game. Whereas almost all modern defenses play some form of nickel as their base, the Seahawks stuck with a traditional defense, daring Aaron Rodgers and the passing game to beat them. While Aaron Jones had a rough day as a result, Rodgers and Davante Adams were able to take advantage, hitting big play after big play as no Seattle corner was a match for Adams.
As good as Rodgers was, Adams was incredible, and for the first time since he returned from injury, he was the focus of the medium-to-deep passing game. He found space early and often, hauling in 8 targets for 160 yards (and a pass interference penalty) and two scores. His last truly healthy performance came in week four against the Eagles, which was a similar performance across the board, and it seems likely he has now finally returned to 100% with the help of the bye. This is especially welcome news with the 49ers on the horizon.
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San Francisco shut Adams down completely during their last meeting, holding him to seven catches for 43 yards. San Francisco’s defense is structured to keep plays in front of them where their sure tacklers prevent big gains. If you try to throw deep on them, their fearsome pass rush led by Nick Bosa comes into play. That said, while the 49ers have a better overall defense than Seattle by a wide margin, but they are not that much better against number one wide receivers where they rank just 10th, and they’re actually worse than Seattle against secondary receivers on the season. Allen Lazard is suddenly key, as San Francisco will likely play nickel unlike Seattle, and double Adams for more frequently. A secondary receiver is going to have to put some pressure on their defense, and Lazard is the most likely candidate.
The unsung hero of the night was backup offensive lineman Jared Veldheer. Veldheer was signed out of retirement just a few weeks ago, but with Bryan Bulaga out with an illness he was outstanding in relief. Veldheer did not allow a sack or pressure, and it’s hard to imagine such a clean performance from any other Packer backup. The offensive line struggled a bit with some of Seattle’s pressure packages, but the backup right tackle was surprisingly the best of the bunch. If Bulaga’s issues linger, or if any other piece of the line falters, Veldheer is a great insurance policy to have.
Photo credit: Evan Siegle/Green Bay Packers
Packers vs. Seahawks
Jared Veldheer
Defense
Jaire Alexander set the tone early when he flipped tight end Jacob Hollister on his head, forcing a fumble. While the Packers were on the short end of a bad call - the officials blew the play dead before any team made a clear recovery of the ball - Alexander continued to be everywhere. He was primarily assigned to rookie DK Metcalf, who led the Seahawks to victory in the Wild Card round against Philadelphia. Alexander effectively took the much larger Metcalf out of the game, while Kevin King did an adequate job on Tyler Lockett. Alexander’s biggest play came on a late Seattle 2-point attempt, where he came on a corner blitz untouched, and took Russell Wilson down instantly.
Alexander’s play was the key to slowing down a very good Seattle offense, and allowing the Smiths and Kenny Clark to provide consistent pressure on Wilson. Alexander will also be key against San Francisco as the best hope for the Packers is to force Jimmy Garoppolo into a few turnovers. Scoring against the San Francisco defense is very difficult as we saw last time these teams played, but if the defense can provide some good field position or easy points, the upset is possible.
The key to stopping the 49ers offense is to stop George Kittle. The best tight end in football, Kittle is as good a blocker as a receiver which is where the Packers “big nickel” package comes into play. The 49ers love to force teams to bring on an extra linebacker to limit their run game, and then force a linebacker to guard Kittle. Ideally the Packers will be stout enough against the run with Chandon Sullivan or Ibraheim Campbell in that linebacker spot and can avoid the nightmare scenario of Blake Martinez having to defend Kittle down the field.
Beating the 49ers is a tall order, but if Rodgers continues to air it out with vintage accuracy, and if the defense can dictate personnel, they have a shot. With Baltimore no longer in the playoffs, the Super Bowl is anyone’s for the taking.
