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Packers' ball-hawking defense faces unique challenge against pick-free Jared Goff
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- Packers' ball-hawking defense faces unique challenge against pick-free Jared Goff
What happens when an immovable object meets an unstoppable force? Or, in this case, when a defense that has a knack for forcing turnovers meets one of the league's best quarterbacks at avoiding interceptions?
The Green Bay Packers will face another unique challenge on Sunday. The Detroit Lions are 3-2 with the fourth-best offense in yards per game, largely thanks to extremely efficient quarterback play.
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Through five games, Jared Goff ranks second in passer rating, third in passing yards per game, and tied for fourth in passing touchdowns. Goff is seventh in completion percentage and tied for 11th in average depth of target, but most impressively, he has yet to be picked off in 191 pass attempts.
"He's done an unbelievable job," Matt LaFleur said. "To not throw an interception all season long, five games in for them, is pretty impressive. He does a great job in terms of if you just give him a sliver of light, he's going to thread the needle."
Meanwhile, Green Bay's defense has made quarterbacks regret trying to thread the needle against them. They lead all teams with nine interceptions, and seven of those have come during their three-game winning streak.It's been quite the turnaround for a Packers defense that had just seven picks all of last season. Perhaps one of the biggest changes has been first-year defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon and his ability to put players in position to make game-changing plays.
Look no further than safety Evan Williams, who has taken his game to another level. In last week's win over the Dallas Cowboys, Williams picked off another typically ball-secure quarterback in Dak Prescott.
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During the second quarter, Gannon called a disguised coverage on third-and-8 after Dallas reached Green Bay's 17-yard line. Williams was showing like he was going to blitz off the edge, but just before the ball was snapped, the third-year safety quickly retreated to the middle of the field, reading Prescott's eyes to intercept a pass intended for CeeDee Lamb.
"First thing as a safety, be reliable. He's reliable," Gannon said of Williams. "His skill set allows him to make a lot of different plays and a lot of different calls. He's physical, he's extremely intelligent, and he puts time on task."Williams' two interceptions in six games are second on the team, behind Xavier McKinney.
McKinney is tied for the league lead with three interceptions. The ball-hawking safety has seen a resurgence in takeaways after picking off just two passes in 16 games last season on the heels of an eight-interception campaign in 2024.
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"The ball is what gets us paid, man," McKinney said after the defense's two-takeaway performance against the Cowboys. "At the end of the day, we're trying to go out there and get our hands on the ball, however that may look, whether it's a punch out, whether that's getting the ball out of the air, whatever it is, but we just stay consistent with our process."
Takeaways often make the difference between wins and losses, and the Packers have consistently taken the ball away during their current win streak. In Sunday's matchup with the Lions, forcing Goff to put the ball in harm's way won't be easy for Gannon and his two playmaking safeties.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers' ball-hawking defense faces unique challenge against pick-free Jared Goff
