Two Great Offenses Pick Their Opponents Apart

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Photo Credit: Keith Allison

Packers at Redskins Wildcard Game 01/10/16

Andy Reid is the best offensive play caller in football, and while the Chiefs were missing some key personnel, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Reid still managed to put on a show. Fortunately, the Chiefs have an Achilles heel of their own, and Aaron Jones hit it hard. 

Mike McCarthy would be struggling right now. With his receiving corps in rough shape, he would probably be running his same old offense with inferior players and having his quarterback risk his neck buying time while they eventually saunter open. In his final years, McCarthy liked his receivers, and he liked them outside. He was unable to use the personnel he had on hand in the best way possible, and he was unable to adjust to new situations. Green Bay has had a stable of consistently good running backs for years, running behind an outstanding offensive line, but he never made much use of them. Whether it was running Eddie Lacy into the teeth of the defense or doing the same to Jamaal Williams, McCarthy’s repertoire was limited. 

Matt LaFleur, on the other hand, has proven to be supremely adaptable. In the last five seasons of Packer football, Aaron Jones now owns two of the three most impressive receiving games for a Packer running back. Both have come in October of 2019. LaFleur was once again faced with putting together an offense without his best receiver. Jones was once again the answer. LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers managed to get Jones singled up on linebackers multiple times. They started the game by doing so, 

And on the play that won the game, they went back to it once more.

Jones ran every route in the playbook, catching seven of eight targets for 159 yards and two touchdowns. He now leads the team in receptions, which would have been unthinkable just a year ago. Jones is a former fifth round pick and has always excelled on the ground in small sample sizes, but he wasn’t trusted on passing downs until this season, and he hasn’t been able to stay on the field. That said, he wasn’t a bad receiver in college, and it was always a mystery as to why they didn’t give him more of a shot earlier in his career. Part of that answer is Jamaal Williams, who is still a very good receiving back in his own right (as is fullback Danny Vitale), but Jones is ultimately the player you want out there. 

LaFleur made his own weapons, whenever and wherever he needed them. Marquez Valdes-Scantling had the two biggest plays of the game last week. This week, he caught only one ball, but Jones, Allen Lazard and Jake Kumerow picked up the slack, and the offense didn’t miss a beat. Instead of forcing the ball to his playmakers, whoever they might be, LaFleur picks on opposing weaknesses, and in this case that meant the Chiefs’ down-roster corners and coverage linebackers. According to footballoutsiders.com, the Chiefs entered the game with a top 10 defense against outside receivers but a bottom 10 defense against slot receivers and fourth receivers. 

The Packers wisely forced Kansas City to defend five receivers to put pressure on their depth, and it worked. 

On the other side of the ball, Andy Reid called a good game considering he was without Patrick Mahomes at quarterback. Matt Moore was an adequate game manager, and he successfully got the ball out to Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and the impressive Mecole Hardman, allowing them to create big plays with their speed. If not for an inexcusable fumble from LeSean McCoy the result may have been very different.

The Packers held KC to just 337 total yards, and while they were slightly lucky in recovering that fumble, they were also victimized by a questionable hands-to-the-face penalty against Tramon Williams that essentially gifted the Chiefs seven points, their only score of the second half. Pettine’s defenses have a habit of looking ugly in spurts, but down the stretch they forced two punts, recovered a fumble, and only allowed a score on the aforementioned penalty. The soft zone they played against Moore was frustrating to watch, but with second half adjustments in place, it worked—and it worked well. 

Aaron Rodgers may not be the quarterback he once was, but he can still execute a smart game plan as well as anyone, and given how well the current plans are working, he has once again ascended as a legitimate MVP candidate. When adjusting for the difficulty of the early season opponents, no one outside of Russell Wilson has had as good of a season, and if Patrick Mahomes misses enough time, the award will be there for Rodgers to win. The season is nearly half over, and LaFleur should also find himself on many Coach of the Year short lists.