{"id":8236,"date":"2024-11-14T12:44:15","date_gmt":"2024-11-14T12:44:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=8236"},"modified":"2024-11-14T12:44:15","modified_gmt":"2024-11-14T12:44:15","slug":"green-bay-packers-pass-rushers-look-to-make-an-impact-as-they-begin-the-post-smith-era-against-a-struggling-chicago-bears-team-sports-al-dente","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=8236","title":{"rendered":"Green Bay Packers’ pass rushers look to make an impact as they begin the post-Smith era against a struggling Chicago Bears team – Sports Al Dente"},"content":{"rendered":"
Green Bay\u2019s new defensive plan under first-year coordinator Jeff Hafley has led to more turnovers, but it hasn\u2019t yet improved the team\u2019s pass rush. The Packers have a chance to change that this weekend.<\/p>\n
Green Bay showed confidence in its other pass rushers by trading veteran Preston Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2025 seventh-round pick last week.<\/p>\n
The Packers (6-3) will play their first game since that trade when they face the Chicago Bears (4-5), who fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron after a 19-3 loss to New England, where they allowed nine sacks.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur chops are going to be licking,\u201d said defensive lineman Arron Mosby. \u201cIt\u2019s an NFC North opponent, divisional game. We\u2019re 0-2 (in the division) right now, so we\u2019ve got to make a statement.\u201d The Packers\u2019 pass rush hasn\u2019t been as effective as they would like so far.<\/p>\n
Green Bay has 19 takeaways this season, one more than last year, and is tied for second in the league in that category.<\/p>\nC.J. Stroud throws a pass in the 1st half<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
However, the Packers have only 22 sacks, ranking tied for 18th in the league with 2.4 sacks per game. Last year, they had 45 sacks, which tied for 16th in the league.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we still are waiting for that big breakout game for us,\u201d said 2023 first-round pick Lukas Van Ness, who has recorded just one sack this season after having four as a rookie. \u201cBut I think we have a goal in mind of coming back from this break, and I think our best ball\u2019s ahead of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Packers\u2019 sack total is a bit misleading because 12 of those sacks came in just two games\u2014eight in a win over Tennessee on Sept. 22 and four in a win over the Houston Texans on Oct. 20. In three of their last four games, the Packers have had no more than one sack.<\/p>\n
Green Bay has pressured the quarterback on 24.5% of opposing teams\u2019 dropbacks, which ranks 13th in the league. Last year, their pressure rate was 24.3%, ranking seventh.<\/p>\n
The decision to trade Smith shows that the Packers believe their younger pass rushers can do more.<\/p>\n
Smith\u2019s playing time had decreased this season, but his 2\u00bd sacks put him in a tie for second on the team, behind Devonte Wyatt, who has three. Smith\u2019s 44 sacks since joining the Packers in 2019 rank sixth among all Packers since 1982.<\/p>\n
Rashan Gary saw the trade as a clear message to the team\u2019s other pass rushers.<\/p>\n
\u201cStep up,\u201d Gary said. \u201cStep up. Plain and simple. There\u2019s a big opportunity. Everybody prays and asks for opportunities like this, so the opportunity\u2019s out there. Let\u2019s make the most of it and finish the season how we want to finish it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith told reporters after joining the Steelers that he had requested a trade because he was worried about his role after the Packers switched from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defense this season. Statistics suggest that other Packers veterans have also needed time to adjust to the change.<\/p>\n
Gary has 2\u00bd sacks in nine games this year, after recording 24\u00bd sacks in 42 games from 2021 to 2023. Kenny Clark, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, is still looking for his first sack of the year after recording a career-high 7\u00bd sacks last season.<\/p>\nGreen Bay Packers players celebrate after a first down in the 1st half<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u201cThe numbers are going to come,\u201d Gary said. \u201cNumbers, people get misconstrued. Put on the tape, see how we\u2019re playing, see how we\u2019re setting edges, see how we\u2019re putting pressure on quarterbacks. The numbers are going to come if we keep playing our fashion of ball.\u201d<\/p>\n
This trade also gives younger players like 2022 fifth-round pick Kingsley Enagbare and 25-year-old Mosby a bigger chance. Mosby won a spot on the roster after a strong preseason and teamed up with Gary for his first career sack in a Nov. 3 loss to Detroit, just before the bye week.<\/p>\n
The Packers\u2019 pass rushers have a big chance this Sunday against the Bears, who have struggled to protect rookie quarterback Caleb Williams all season. The Bears have allowed 4.1 sacks per game, with only the Cleveland Browns (4.8) allowing more.<\/p>\n
This gives Green Bay\u2019s pass rushers a chance to show their potential. \u201cWe all can hope for one of those type of games, a repeat of Tennessee,\u201d Enagbare said. \u201cFingers crossed.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Green Bay’s new defensive plan under first-year coordinator Jeff Hafley has led to more turnovers, but it hasn\u2019t yet improved the team\u2019s pass rush. The<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":8237,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n
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