The Green Bay Packers fell short in a number of areas during their Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. However, one area where they did a solid job was containing the scrambling ability of Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Hurts, who scored 15 times on the ground and rushed over 600 yards in 2023, finished with only 33 yards on 13 attempts for an average of 2.5 yards per carry. This was a much better showing than the previous meeting against the Eagles’ quarterback when he gashed the Packers to the tune of 157 rushing yards back in 2022.
Under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, Green Bay had a much better game plan this time around. After the game, defensive tackle Kenny Clark said the pass rush was not as aggressive as it usually is to prevent Hurts from leaving the pocket. The edge rushers, in particular, were much more conservative in the passing game rather than pinning their ears back.
The strategy worked well until Philadelphia’s final drive, when they ran 16 plays and ate up over seven minutes of the clock before kicking a chip shot field goal to go up 34-29 with less than 30 seconds remaining. Hurts had three impactful scrambles during the drive, including one on third down, where his escapability helped draw a defensive holding penalty against Clark, resulting in a first down.
Heading into that final drive, Matt LaFleur had been pleased with his defense’s ability to keep Hurts’ mobility in check.
“I thought last week, for three and half quarters, we did a really good job of bottling up Jalen in the pocket,” said LaFleur. “Then, in the last drive, he was able to use his legs a couple of times to move the sticks when we got a little more up the field and opened up some holes inside. There was one time when we were empty, and we stunted, and we shouldn’t have been stunting in that situation. It opened up a huge rush lane inside that he was able to scramble out.”
This week, the Packers are once again tasked with containing a quarterback known for making plays with his legs. Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson poses a significant challenge coming off a season-opening performance in which he rushed for 56 yards on six carries (9.3 avg) and totaled three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing).
Richardson ran a 4.43 at the 2023 NFL Combine, which ranks fourth in the event’s history among quarterbacks. He also possesses a big arm that can test your coverage down the field.
Green Bay will have to try to strike the right balance between getting pressure on Richardson and making sure he doesn’t run all over them.
“He’s a strong, athletic quarterback that can beat you with his arm and with his legs,” LaFleur said. “It’s going to be a great challenge.”
