–Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, formerly head coach of the Browns, hasn’t reinvented the wheel with the Packers defense. But while he’s still employing a 3-4 scheme similar to his predecessor Dom Capers, head coach Pete Carroll sees noticeable differences in Pettine’s system.
“There are some different things that they’re doing, a little different style. Because Clay (Matthews) is out there and the way that he’s been playing and Nick Perry, who might be banged up a little bit, those guys have kind of been guys off the edge that have been really featured and they still wind up looking like that, so you see some similarities,” Carroll said. “They haven’t gone from 3-4 to 4-3 or something like that, but Mike’s got his own style and some different numbers and tendencies and things like that, that we see.”
Matthews and Perry have only combined for 4.5 sacks off the edge, but the Packers have had great success getting to the quarterback with their defensive front and as a team have generated pressure on 31.7 percent of opposing dropbacks. Third-year nose tackle Kenny Clark already has 5.0 sacks and has developed into one of the best interior pass rushers in the game. Defensive end Mike Daniels has historically been a menace for the Seahawks and sacked Russell Wilson twice in the Packers 17-9 opening week victory last season.
–Though his 2018 statistics may not reflect it in all areas, such as his 61 percent completion rate, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers remains atop the NFL’s quarterback hierarchy. Playing through a knee injury much of the season, he’s still passed for over 2,700 yards, tossed 17 touchdown passes, and thrown only one interception through nine games.
After squaring off with Matthew Stafford, Philip Rivers, and Jared Goff over the past three weeks, Carroll says playing against a gauntlet of top NFL quarterbacks has been a welcome challenge for Seattle’s youthful secondary that should pay dividends for the unit in the future.
He said, “A lot of our guys have watched Aaron (Rodgers) since they were in grade school and high school and stuff like that so to have a chance to play against him … it’s important to them and to see that they can survive it and play well, that’s a tremendous accomplishment that adds to the confidence particularly of the young guys.”
Carroll expects cornerbacks Shaquill Griffin and Tre Flowers as well as safeties Tedric Thompson and Delano Hill to approach this game like any other contest, but “they’ll also recognize who they’ve been up against when the game’s over and it will be valuable to them.”
–Traditionally, the Packers have been carried by Rodgers and a dangerous passing game, but the emergence of second-year running back Aaron Jones has added a new dimension to head coach Mike McCarthy’s offense. The former UTEP star has rushed for 494 yards this season, including a career-high 145 yards in a win over the Dolphins last weekend, making Green Bay’s offense far more difficult to game-plan for.
“He’s averaging almost seven yards a carry so that’s really a problem that we’re concerned about,” Carroll said while discussing Jones’ emergence. “That balance makes it harder to make your plan to stopping Aaron Rodgers.”
Early in the year, Jones wasn’t getting many carries stuck behind Ty Montgomery and Jamal Williams, but he’s quickly risen up the depth chart to become the Packers’ most dangerous runner. Even Rodgers himself feels the emerging runner isn’t being utilized enough offensively.
“He’s a great player,” Rodgers told reporters on Tuesday. “We just need to continue to give him more opportunities.”
BY THE NUMBERS: 0.0 – Percentage of dropped passes on third down by the Seahawks this season, tied with the Redskins for the lowest mark in the league.
