Jordan Love vs. Jessie Bates highlights Packers-Falcons matchups to watch
Week 1 has come and gone and while we're still in the very early stages of the 2023 season, teams have at least one game's worth of film they can study in order to get a bead on the tendencies of their Week 2 opponent. For the Green Bay Packers, they're playing a team they […]
Week 1 has come and gone and while we're still in the very early stages of the 2023 season, teams have at least one game's worth of film they can study in order to get a bead on the tendencies of their Week 2 opponent.
For the Green Bay Packers, they're playing a team they haven't played since October 2020 in the Atlanta Falcons. Head coach Arthur Smith was still the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans at the time and Matt Ryan was still quarterbacking the Falcons – that tells you how much things have changed since then.
"[They're] a team that we haven't played in, I want to say four years. So you know, there's going to be a lot of studying that goes into that," Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters Monday. "Obviously, they're coming off a big win over Carolina by two scores. And there's a lot of new pieces there. So there I'm sure there's a new excitement around that football team. And it'll be a really tough task going against them."
The NFL is all about rising to each week's newest challenge and that's exactly what the team hopes to do in Atlanta. Let's break down the three matchups to watch for.
QB Jordan Love vs. S Jessie Bates III
Bates was sensational in Week 1, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors after recording two interceptions, a forced fumble, two pass break-ups, and 10 total tackles against the Carolina Panthers.
The sixth-year safety has developed into one of the best players at his position. Love has to make sure he doesn't take the "bait" on Sunday.
"Jessie is a really good safety for them… he's a ballhawk, he's a really good player," Love told reporters Wednesday. "He's a very instinctual player and he plays on quarterbacks' eyes, and that's how he made his plays last week. So, definitely a guy we got to be looking out for and just know where he's at, at all times."
"He plays in the post and makes quick reads on quarterbacks' eyes, and where they're playing, and he triggers very hard on passes," Love added. "He has good ball skills and he goes and makes plays on it. He's played a lot of games and he knows what he's doing back there."
Eye discipline will be key for Love on Sunday. Sure, Bates is the type of guy who's going to have an idea of what's going on, regardless of how well the Packers disguise things. At the same time, however, Love can't do anything that helps Bates, so to speak.
"I think you just got to make quick decisions and not stare receivers down and then you just have to know where he's at," said Love. "You know that he's probably going to jump a lot of your passes – and just be aware of that."
This chess match will be fun to watch and it's a great challenge for Love in his third NFL start.
Packers run defense vs. Falcons' rushing attack
Here we go. This is the one matchup that will not only dictate who wins this game – it's going to show us if the improvement dating back to last year is real, since the unit has been one of the NFL's worst over the last few years.
It's really that simple. The Falcons are currently sixth among all 32 teams with 130 rushing yards after their first game and they average 5.0 yards per carry, which is the fifth-best YPC in the NFL. Their two rushing touchdowns are tied for fifth-most, as well.
Bijan Robinson, the Falcons' first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, is already making highlight-reel plays and looking like the guy most envisioned coming out of Texas. He's an all-around threat who also has the athleticism, contact balance, and vision to take over a game.
But don't count out Tyler Allgeier, either. He actually led the team with 75 rushing yards last week and scored both touchdowns while averaging five yards a pop. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, he did all of that while facing eight or more defenders in the box on 53.3% of his carries, which tied Derrick Henry for third-best in Week 1.
And just to add to their impressive game, they both were in the top-10 of rush yards over expected, which is a metric that measures how many yards a player gained compared to what they were expected to gain.
"They're extremely difficult to tackle. You can see the offense kind of runs through those two guys," LaFleur said Wendesday. "Bijan [Robinson] obviously had a very impressive day, I would say. I just kept seeing him break tackles and making plays, but I think both of those guys are very, very good backs that you've got to try to contain the best you can. And I think their offensive line does a really good job of coming off the ball, creating movement up front, [and] creating space for those guys to run."
Quay Walker returned to Packers practice on Thursday, but it's still unclear if he can play on Sunday. Losing him would be a big blow to the Packers' front seven. The unit needs to have all hands on deck for this game and Walker is a big factor – especially considering how many snaps he plays.
And then on the defensive line, it's going to be up to Devonte Wyatt to keep showing what he showed last week and T.J. Slaton needs to really be on his game in order to keep Kenny Clark from shouldering too much of the load. Rookie DLs Karl Brooks and Colby Wooden are going to need to step up, as well.
If the Falcons' run game turns out to be a problem, then it's very likely going to not only be a long day for the defense – it's going to be a losing effort for the team, as a whole.
Packers' pass rush vs. Falcons offensive line
The Falcons moved the ball well on the ground last week, but the pass protection was nowhere near as effective. Mainly on the right side, where Kaleb McGary and Chris Lindstrom had really bad days.
Even veteran left tackle Jake Matthews struggled in pass pro. Weak protection on the edges is not what you want as a quarterback, but it's especially unwanted when going against the type of pass rush the Packers have.
The Packers are loaded at EDGE with the likes of Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, Lukas Van Ness, JJ Enagbare, Justin Hollins, and Brenton Cox Jr. Even with Gary on a pitch count, he recorded seven pressures on just 12 snaps against the Bears, per LaFleur.
A lot of the pass rush success will be predicated on how well the defense plays the run, but the Falcons need to make sure they have last week's problems sewn up.
The Falcons may have picked up a win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 1 but it was far from perfect. The biggest thing that they'll need to clean up heading into Week 2 is consistency from their offensive line–more specifically at right tackle. Kaleb McGary allowed Panthers EDGE Brian Burns to sack QB Desmond Ridder 1.5 times in the first quarter, alone. The same can be said for Pro Bowl guard Chris Lindstrom, who was also way off of his game. Sure, both were able to step up in the second half, but the Falcons offensive line will need to start and finish strong against a dominant Packers defense on Sunday. – Kelsey Kramer, A to Z Sports Atlanta
If the pass rush can do its thing, then there's a great chance the Packers can force Desmond Ridder into throwing his first career interception.
There are other matchups to monitor such as the Packers receivers against the Falcons secondary, vice-versa for the Packers, and then the Packers offensive line against the Falcons front seven.
In all, this should be an interesting game, at the end of the day. It's two unique offenses facing off and on the other side of the ball, it's two defenses that have a lot to prove in 2023.
Week 2 should be a fun one. Win or lose.
Packers offense already showing off its versatility in 2023
And there will be plenty more to come.
Featured image via Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports
