The Green Bay Packers defense isn’t messing around anymore. After getting absolutely walloped in Week 3 by the Falcons, they came out in Week 5 and forced five turnovers, including three crucial interceptions. This isn’t just a good game, folks; this is a team climbing out of the NFL’s worst defenses, going from 26th in EPA per play after Week 3 all the way up to 14th after Week 5. Their run defense still sits below league average in EPA per play and success rate allowed, but their pass defense? That’s where they’re making their stand.
McKinney and Bullard Light Up the Bears
Those three interceptions in Week 5? They came against Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum. While those QBs might not be top-tier, the film shows the Packers’ pass coverage unit is sound in their assignments, not giving up easy ground or space. The first pick happened with 5:39 left in the first quarter, on a 2nd-and-10. Bagent, the Bears starter, was running a 3×1 dagger concept. The Packers were in cover-8 “trix,” playing cover-2 to the trips side with the backside safety keying on the #3 receiver. Luther Burden, running a dig route, was Bagent’s target. Bagent tried to rip the pass over Javon Bullard, but Bullard tipped it up. Safety Xavier McKinney, coming over from his deep half zone, swooped in and snagged that ball.
McKinney Strikes Again, Bagent Stumbles
McKinney wasn’t done for the day. He grabbed his second interception with only 41 seconds left in the third quarter, with the Bears already down 23-7. Bagent, starting from an empty 3×2 formation, targeted Colston Loveland on a dig route. The idea was to pull up the curl flat player and hit the dig in that sweet spot between the curl flat and weak hook defender. But the Packers were in a cover-3 strong buzz rotation, with McKinney playing that strong hook. He read Bagent’s eyes all the way, saw no one threatening his zone, and worked to the middle of the field. Bagent was late on the throw, tried to fit it over McKinney, and threw it right into the safety’s hands, who was coming all the way from the far hash. The third interception came against Case Keenum with 12:58 left in the 4th quarter.
This pass defense is the real deal for the Packers right now, keeping them in games. They are surviving on the strength of their coverage. That’s how you turn a season around, one critical pick at a time.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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