The record for the Green Bay Packers may be perfect, but through five weeks, the team is far from it.
NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers has completed only 66 percent of his passes and turned the ball over three times. Luckily though, the opportunistic Packers defense is in prime form.
“You want the offense to pick up for the rest of the team when it needs to and score as many points as possible, and you want the defense to shut them down and make plays, so the fact that you can win games in all three phases, that’s the goal,” Packers head coach Mike McCarthy said.
“As a defense, we’ve got to step up,” cornerback Sam Shields said. “As a group, we know that. If one side of the ball is not doing good, the offense or defense, we’ve got to step up, and everybody knew that. We took it in, and played the whole game, and that’s what we like.”
With 13 takeaways in five games this season, Green Bay is on pace to record 41 takeaways this season, two more than the Super Bowl-winning season in 2010-11.
That year, the Packers recorded 24 interceptions and 15 fumble recoveries before adding 12 more turnovers in their four playoff games en route to the title.
Since then, Green Bay’s defense has been a work in progress, ranging from 11th to 24th in the NFL in total defense.
That has all changed this season, as Green Bay ranks third in NFL scoring so far on the season, giving up 16.2 points per game.
“We just want to go out there and be the best defense every time we step out onto the field,” Packers defensive back Casey Hayward said.
Three of the opponents’ scores this season have come late in the fourth quarter after Rodgers and the offense had built a commanding lead.
Green Bay, with a run-stopping and takeaway-friendly defense, does not need to be perfect on offense like in the past.
Having a perfectionist at quarterback also helps, especially one that makes corrections every time he turns the ball over.
“It might make some of our other guys sleep at night, but it won’t make me sleep at night,” Rodgers said on having the defense step up in a victory. “I like to be efficient as efficient as possible, so this one will be studied pretty hard.”
During the Super Bowl run in first few months of 2011, it was the defense’s ability turn the ball over to Rodgers and the efficient offense that allowed the Packers to dominate opponents, even on the road.
If Rodgers can return to his MVP-level play sooner rather than later, and if the defense can improve against the run and continue to generate turnovers, it seems unlikely that an opponent will be able to put together a complete performance to pull off a victory.
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