Packers offense has big opportunity and responsibility against the Chargers
The Green Bay Packers have a clear notion of the challenge they will get next Sunday, because the difference in the level of play between the Los Angeles Chargers offense and defense is obvious. More than an opportunity for the young offense to play at a high level against a bad opponent, getting enough points […]
The Green Bay Packers have a clear notion of the challenge they will get next Sunday, because the difference in the level of play between the Los Angeles Chargers offense and defense is obvious. More than an opportunity for the young offense to play at a high level against a bad opponent, getting enough points is crucial to beat a powerful offense led by Justin Herbert.
That's why Jordan Love, drafted in the same class as Herbert in 2020, wants to make sure he's focused on his side of the ball. The Packers need him, and need them to play at a high level to have a chance.
"When you're rolling as an offense, it doesn't matter what the defense is doing," Love said. "You're able to kind of do your thing, put up those points, and match whatever the other offense is able to do. It comes down to the defense just getting that one stop. We can focus on getting as many points as possible, put up points early on, and take a little bit of pressure off our defense."
Especially for a team with a defensive-minded head coach in Brandon Staley, the Chargers performance is disappointing. The defense is 20th in rush EPA, 26th in dropback EPA, 27th in DVOA, 27th in success rate, and 28th in EPA/play. Any metric you get, and the Chargers will most likely be bad.
The median for an NFL team this season is giving up 21 points per game. If the Chargers had allowed 23 per game, they would have a 7-2 record. They are 4-5, exactly three games below the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West standings.
The game against the Detroit Lions is a good example of what the Chargers have been this season. The offense scored 38 points, but that wasn't enough to win. There are some reasons for that, and the Packers have to take advantage.
Style of play
The Chargers run a similar defensive scheme to what Joe Barry calls in Green Bay. After all, Barry was the linebackers coach when Staley took the league by storm as the Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator in 2020.
That means they had success together, but the weaknesses Packers fans see on their defense every week also apply to the Chargers. The defensive front is schematically dominated with regularity. The team is 30th in pass rush win rate and 20th in run stop win rate.
Staley was clear during the week. He doesn’t intend to change the defense significantly, and he will remain as the playcaller.
"We believe in how we play, and we believe in the guys that we're playing with," Staley said on Wednesday. "You're going to make adjustments throughout the year, but nothing significant. If you feel like it gives you the best chance to win or you think they spark your team or something, people do that. But we don't feel like that's the direction we're gonna take."
And there is another aggravating factor. While the Packers have two solid linebackers in De'Vondre Campbell and Quay Walker, this is a position where the Chargers haven't invested much. Their starters are veteran Eric Kendricks and fourth-year player Kenneth Murray, who has been a disappointment since being a first-round pick in 2020.
The Lions exploited the duo, and that's one of the reasons why slot receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown finished the game with eight receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown.
"Every game, you've gotta have that mindset. You never know what they're gonna do offensively. You've always gotta be able to match them and obviously go one step above," Jordan Love added. "The defense got a stop, we gotta capitalize that, put up points. That's the kind of mindset that we are always ready for."
The Packers young offense will inevitably go through ups and downs during the season. But the Sunday game is a big opportunity for a positive moment, and the team needs that to have a real shot.
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