A closer look at the dominant pass rushing performance against the Titans

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur summed up his thoughts on the team’s pass rush during training camp: “The pass rush is real,” he said on July 28.

The Green Bay Packers’ defensive line showed some brilliance over the summer, but new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley was unable to get them going in the first two games of the regular season, facing two quarterbacks who took advantage of their mobility: Jalen Hurts and Anthony Richardson.

That changed in Week 3, when the Packers faced a favorable matchup against a Tennessee Titans offense hampered by a struggling Will Levis at quarterback and a porous offensive line.

On Sunday, Green Bay took advantage of the opportunity, sacking Levis eight times, the second-most since sacks were introduced in 1982. The defensive line’s ability to consistently create chaos made life easy for safety Xavier McKinney, who took Levis’ third interception of the season.

“The pass rush has been incredible,” McKinney said. “Sometimes we don’t even really rush. We just push back. They still get back there, so it’s nice for us.”

In the first two weeks, the Packers had no choice but to play more cautiously against Hurts and Richardson. Fortunately, they were able to hold back on the pass rush, knowing that the Titans had serious problems with their pass defense.

Most of the offseason talk revolved around how Green Bay would implement a new, aggressive defense. Against the Titans, all of that talk turned into actual dominance on the field.

With four former first-round picks on the defensive line, the Packers have the potential to be one of the NFL’s best pass-rushing teams, and they certainly looked like it on Sunday.

For this week’s film, we take a closer look at what happened on the Green Bay Packers’ turbulent day in Tennessee when they attacked the quarterback.

Let’s begin.

Lukas Van Ness made the first sack of the day, and it was a very effective one on third down. While Van Ness’s hand work still needs some work, his speed and gusto are clear on this play. He and Rashan Gary are able to turn the corner and collapse the pocket around Levis. When Levis tries to break out to the right, Van Ness comes back in to punish him. Van Ness was far from a finished product when Green Bay took him 13th overall in 2023. Instead, the team made the selection knowing they were getting a high-caliber prospect with outstanding size and athleticism that they can develop. This play highlights those traits.

After some initial uncertainty, Kingsley Enagbare was fortunate to avoid a serious injury during last year’s playoffs. The 2022 fifth-round pick looked as healthy and explosive as ever on this play where he embarrassed right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere. Enagbare is lined up at the nine technique to use his speed to get forward. He gives Petit-Frere a little crossover move and then finishes the play with a club swim. Enagbare gets a free shot on the quarterback, forcing a fumble in the process. This play occurred in the third quarter when the Packers led 27-14. The Titans were on the field at the time, but the takeaway prevented any points. Van Ness also did an excellent job of jumping on the ball.

It’s been years since Green Bay has played its NASCAR package (four defensive ends on the field instead of two with two defensive tackles). Basically every player in the frame has an impact on this play. Enagbare uses a nasty double-swipe move to get clear of the center. Meanwhile, Gary does a nice job of outplaying the right tackle and getting around a tight corner to force Levis to help him. You also have to like how Edgerrin Cooper (#56) blitzes from deep despite being picked off. Hopefully we’ll see more of this from Cooper in the future. Overall, this sack shows how creative the Packers can be with their arsenal of pass rushers.

This is one of the cleanest reps you’ll see from a defensive end. Smith makes light work of the right tackle and destroys him with a double swipe into a swim move. The quarterback had no chance when the ball was snapped. Even at 31, Smith is still an effective player.

Diploma

Green Bay’s pass rush was a lot of fun to watch this week. It was one of the deciding factors in earning their second win of the season, limiting Tennessee to just 14 points while forcing three turnovers. Of course, it’s not fair to expect that kind of performance from the defensive line every week, but it shows what they’re capable of when everything goes right.