Packers Lack Physicality that Lions Exude

Against the Green Bay Packers, the Detroit Lions’ offensive linemen blocked better. Their defenders tackled better. Their runners ran harder. It all added up to a blowout.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Sometimes, stats are for losers. Other times, stats tell the whole story.

So it was for the Green Bay Packers in their 34-20 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thursday night. The Lions played with the physicality personified by their coach, Dan Campbell. The Packers under coach Matt LaFleur weren’t up to the physical challenge, no different than when the Lions beat the Packers at Lambeau in Week 18 last year.

Which begs this question: Are the Packers equipped on either side of the ball to handle that physical style of football?

“Yeah, I believe we are,” LaFleur said on Friday. “Now we’ve got to do it. It’s one thing to sit here and talk about. You’ve got to go do it. When you do get beat like we did – we got outcoached, we got outplayed – it just kind of comes with the territory.”

Offensively, the Packers were bullied. To be sure, that comes with the caveat that left tackle David Bakhtiari and left guard Elgton Jenkins were out due to knee injuries and right tackle Zach Tom was at far less than 100 percent because of his own knee injury.

While the Lions came out with a 50-50 mix of runs and passes, LaFleur saw the Lions crowding the line of scrimmage and decided to go with “probability” over establishing a physical presence. The Packers opened with back-to-back three-and-out series that consisted of six passes and zero runs.

“We threw a pick, and you’re on your 11th play and the score’s 24-3,” LaFleur said. “That is not very good complementary football and, quite frankly, it gets you out of your game plan before you ever give yourself an opportunity to get the game plan going.”

By the end of the night, the Packers ran the ball 12 times for 27 yards.

It’s not just this game, though, that’s troublesome. The Packers’ 3.27-yard average on running plays ranks 28th.

“We looked at everything critically, and I think there’s a lot of things that we can do a heck of a lot better,” LaFleur said. “I think there’s some things that we can do from a coaching standpoint in terms of putting our guys in better positions. But (the Lions) have a great play style, and they took it to us for the majority of the game.

“We’ve got to get back at it. The only way I know how to do that is get back out on that practice field and be competitive in all three phrases, having competitive practices.”

Lions RB David Montgomery finds a hole against the Packers :: Photo by Benny Sieu/USA Today Sports Images

The other side of the ball was just as alarming. The Lions ran the ball 43 times for 211 yards. If you eliminate the 40-yard gain by receiver Kalif Ramond on a double-reverse and quarterback Jared Goff’s two runs, the other 40 running plays averaged 4.03 yards per carry.

While that’s actually a manageable number, Campbell stuck with the run because he lives and breathes physicality. So, David Montgomery kept thundering away, his 3.8-yard average not telling the story of his effectiveness.

No different than how Green Bay’s abysmal rushing offense wasn’t a one-game blip on the radar, Green Bay’s abysmal rushing defense was just the latest troublesome chapter. League-wide, there have been six games this season in which a team allowed at least 210 rushing yards. Green Bay has been victimized in two games; it gave up 211 rushing yards against Atlanta, as well.

Again, LaFleur didn’t think his players weren’t equipped to handle a physical style.

“I think a lot of it can be solved schematically, I really do,” he said. “We’ve got enough players. You’ve got to give them credit, too. That is one of the better offensive lines in the league. When you look at a back like David Montgomery, who we’ve seen quite a bit from his time in Chicago as well, he’s a powerful guy that can break tackles. He does a really good job. He’s a very efficient runner with very good balance, can break tackles, falls forward, gets those dirty yards.

“I thought there was some displays of some really good defense and then there was some that you want to take the tape and chuck it at the wall.”

Defensive coordinator Joe Barry’s scheme revolves around playing both safeties in coverage in a shell meant to take away big passing plays. Coming out of that shell and using one of those safeties as an additional run defender might be that schematic adjustment, LaFleur said, though that obviously comes with its own set of perils.

Such as: Raiders receiver Davante Adams streaking through the secondary next Monday night because the Packers are preoccupied with reigning NFL rushing champion Josh Jacobs.

It goes beyond scheme, though. There’s a mentality and a want-to that’s required. According to Pro Football Focus, the Packers missed 13 tackles. Led by Montgomery, who forced eight missed tackles, the Lions had 120 rushing yards after contact (2.86 average).

On the other side of the ball, the Lions missed two tackles. Green Bay’s backs had 17 yards after contact (1.42 average) and didn’t break any tackles.

Montgomery forced more missed tackles against the Packers than Green Bay’s backs have as a group in four games.

“I believe in what we do here,” outside linebacker Lukas Van Ness said. “I think we have the right people, the right guys, the right defensive scheme. It’s just cleaning up some technique. When we do our jobs correctly and we’re all playing at a high level, I think we can stop anybody.”

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“It’s insane to do the same things over and over again and expect a different result.”

On another game of porous #Packers run defense.https://t.co/v3YzkoiKV9

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 29, 2023

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