How the Vikings can slow down Jordan Love and other burning questions ahead of Week 17 vs. Packers
The Minnesota Vikings are in a great spot as they head into their week 17 matchup against the Green Bay Packers. It's an interesting game for a couple of reasons. It's a very bitter rivalryThe Vikings are the only team with something to play for Will the hatred be enough for the Packers to beat […]
The Minnesota Vikings are in a great spot as they head into their week 17 matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
It's an interesting game for a couple of reasons.
- It's a very bitter rivalry
- The Vikings are the only team with something to play for
Will the hatred be enough for the Packers to beat the Vikings? Can Kevin O'Connell's team get the win or will the pressure become too much for them?
We spoke to Wendell Ferreira our Packers writer to get the lowdown on the Vikings' matchup
Other than Jordan Love’s knee, what are the biggest differences between this Packers team than the one the Vikings saw in week four?
The defense is playing much, much better. Jeff Hafley had some vanilla concepts early on, and the unit schematically grew a lot throughout the season, with more post-snap disguise and simulated pressures. Between Weeks 1-9, the Packers were 8th in EPA/play and 28th in success rate.
After their bye, since Week 11, Green Bay improved to 4th in EPA/play and 8th in success rate. Initially, the defense was too reliant on turnovers, but it was inconsistent on a down-to-down basis. Over the last few weeks, it has been a really consistent defense, even with some significant absences. And rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper is a big part of that process.
Jaire Alexander is practicing but not playing. Is he ready to play and the Packers are benching him or is he truly injured?
He is not 100%. He suffered a PCL injury back in Week 8, and has played only one game (and only 10 snaps in that game) since. It’s weird that Green Bay didn’t place him on injured reserve at that point, but it’s too late for that now. He is not expected to play on Sunday, and I doubt he will return in the regular season since the Packers have clinched a playoff spot. There’s no reason to rush him.
The cornerback room will obviously face a tougher challenge this week against Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, but it has done fairly well even without Jaire. Carrington Valentine and Keisean Nixon have performed at an impressive level, and Eric Stokes hasn’t been the issue he was early in the season. Jeff Hafley has been creative in mixing up coverages to make life easier for them, and it has worked just fine.
What has been the biggest factor in the Packers’ defensive growth in the second half of the season?
It’s just how the unit developed schematically. I watched the Week 1 game live in Brazil, and I was slightly concerned with how vanilla it was. A lot of single-high, not many blitzes, and not many simulated pressures. But that has completely changed since.
The Packers have used the highest rate of cover 2 in the entire NFL, which is unexpected considering Hafley’s background. And that’s happened because Hafley has found creative ways to mitigate Jaire’s absence and to take advantage of what his players do well.
As aforementioned, Edgerrin Cooper’s growth has been massive, too. He has a bigger role now, and he completely changes the complexity of the defense with his coverage range, athleticism, and ability to rush the passer from the box.
Is Jordan Love beatable during Toyotathon?
The worst version of Jordan Love is when he is forced to be a superhero. He is capable of being one sometimes, and he almost pulled it off against the Vikings in Week 4 even though he was clearly limited health-wise.
If the Vikings are able to stop Josh Jacobs and put Love in unfavorable positions, or maybe if they score too much where Matt LaFleur is forced to call a pass-heavier game, that’s when Love is more prone to make mistakes.
In general, Jordan Love’s gunslinger mentality is good to face Brian Flores’ defense, but he can also make some turnover-worthy plays in these scenarios — just like Sam Darnold. Ultimately, both sides have to take advantage if the opposing quarterback makes a mistake because the upside when Love hunts the big plays is extremely high for the Packers.
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It’s a very complicated situation
