GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay’s new defensive scheme under first-year coordinator Jeff Hafley has produced more turnovers but hasn’t yet resulted in an upgraded pass rush.
The Packers have an opportunity to change that this weekend.
Green Bay showed confidence in its other pass rushers by sending veteran Preston Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2025 seventh-round pick last week. The Packers (6-3) play their first game since that trade when they visit the Chicago Bears (4-5), who fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron after a 19-3 loss to New England in which they allowed nine sacks.
“Our chops are going to be licking,” defensive lineman Arron Mosby said. “It’s an NFC North opponent, divisional game. We’re 0-2 (in the division) right now, so we’ve got to make a statement.”
That pass rush hasn’t made enough noise so far.
Green Bay has 19 takeaways — one more than its 2023 season total — and is tied for second in the league in that category. But the Packers have produced only 22 sacks and are tied for 18th in the league with 2.4 sacks per game. Last year, the Packers collected 45 sacks to tie for 16th in the league.
“I think we still are waiting for that big breakout game for us,” said 2023 first-round pick Lukas Van Ness, who has recorded just one sack this season after getting four as a rookie. “But I think we have a goal in mind of coming back from this break, and I think our best ball’s ahead of us.”
Green Bay’s sack totals are somewhat deceptive because 12 of them came in just two games — eight in a Sept. 22 victory at Tennessee and four in an Oct. 20 triumph over the Houston Texans. The Packers have compiled no more than one sack in three of their last four games.
Green Bay is credited with a pressure on 24.5% of an opposing team’s dropbacks, which ranks 13th in the league. The Packers had a pressure rate of 24.3% last year to rank seventh.
The Packers’ willingness to trade Smith signals they believe their younger pass rushers are capable of much more.
Smith’s playing time had dipped this season, but his 2 1/2 sacks put him in a tie for second among all the Packers, behind Devonte Wyatt’s team-high three. Smith’s 44 sacks for the Packers since joining the team in 2019 ranked sixth among all Packers since 1982.
Rashan Gary considered the trade a clear message to Green Bay’s other pass rushers.
“Step up,” Gary said. “Step up. Plain and simple. There’s a big opportunity. Everybody prays and asks for opportunities like this, so the opportunity’s out there. Let’s make the most of it and finish the season how we want to finish it.”
Smith told reporters after arriving in Pittsburgh that he had requested a trade because he was concerned about his role after Green Bay switched from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defense this year. Statistics suggest that other Packers veterans also have needed some time to adapt to the move.
Gary has 2 1/2 sacks in nine games this year after getting 24 1/2 over 42 games from 2021-23. Kenny Clark, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, is still seeking his first sack of the year after getting a career-high 7 1/2 last season.
“The numbers are going to come,” Gary said. “Numbers, people get misconstrued. Put on the tape, see how we’re playing, see how we’re setting edges, see how we’re putting pressure on quarterbacks. The numbers are going to come if we keep playing our fashion of ball.”
This trade also offers opportunities for younger players such as 2022 fifth-round pick Kingsley Enagbare and the 25-year-old Mosby, who won a roster spot with an impressive preseason and combined with Gary on his first career sack in a Nov. 3 loss to Detroit just before the bye week.
They have a showcase opportunity Sunday at Chicago, as the Bears have struggled to protect rookie quarterback Caleb Williams all season. The Bears have allowed 4.1 sacks per game this season, and only the Cleveland Browns (4.8) have yielded more.
That gives Green Bay’s pass rushers a chance to live up the potential they showed earlier this season.
“We all can hope for one of those type of games, a repeat of Tennessee,” Enagbare said. “Fingers crossed.”
Notes: QB Jordan Love practiced fully Wednesday after playing through a groin strain in the loss to Detroit. … CB Jaire Alexander (knee), C Josh Myers (wrist) and S Evan Williams (hamstring) practiced on a limited basis after missing the Lions game. … RB MarShawn Lloyd (ankle/hamstring) practiced on a limited basis as well. Lloyd has been on injured reserve since Sept. 17.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Steve Megargee, The Associated Press
