The Green Bay Packers run defense has been much improved over the last two games, and not coincidentally, we’ve also seen two impressive performances from TJ Slaton.
Against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, the Packers allowed only 2.6 yards per carry. The week prior, against Minnesota, they gave up just 2.0 yards per rush and, combined, have allowed only one rush of more than 10 yards.
During that two-game span, Slaton has not only been good against the run but he’s been dominant. According to PFF, Slaton ranks fourth out of 115 eligible interior defensive tackles in tackles against the run. He’s also tied for first in run-stops – or plays that result in a loss for the offense – with seven, and for what it’s worth, he has the sixth-best run defense grade as well.
”TJ’s done a great job.” said Matt LaFleur. “He’s been a force in the run game, obviously. He’s a big man that can move. He’s done a great job when he’s been in there making splash plays. Really just doing his job. That’s important for all these guys.
“You want to have a great defense; everybody has to do their job, and they have to do it at a high level, and I think he’s been able to do that.”
When the Packers are able to slow an opponent’s run game, everyone on the defensive side of the ball benefits. It makes the offense one-dimensional, allows the pass rush – the strength of this defense – to pin its ears back, and allows the defense as a whole to get into favorable matchups when the offense is playing from behind the sticks. The end result should be the opponent dealing with not just third downs but third-and-longs.
Although the Packers pass defense was unable to get off the field against Minnesota, the Vikings did have 12 third down attempts of eight or more yards–which is exactly what you want as a defense. The Rams, meanwhile, were just 5-for-16 on third and fourth down conversion attempts.
The quickest way to disrupt any play is with quick pressure up the middle, and Slaton has provided that at times. However, Slaton’s true impact may not always show up on the stat sheet either. As the nose tackle in the middle of the defense, he is often tasked with taking on double-teams and eating up space, helping to create opportunities for his teammates by keeping them free and able to make plays in the run game.
Following the Rams game, LaFleur gave credit to Isaiah McDuffie and the safety position for their role in limiting LA’s rushing offense. However, when I asked McDuffie about his performance, he was quick to deflect praise from himself and heap it onto the defensive front.
“It was good,” said McDuffie about the Packers run defense. “It starts up front and those guys definitely firing off the ball, making it clean for the linebackers. It was great.”
As the 2022 season progressed, we saw these flashes from Slaton, especially towards the end of the year, but for him – like most young players – it was about finding that consistency from game to game and even down to down.
Over the summer, when run game coordinator Jerry Montgomery was asked how not only Slaton but the run defense as a whole can find that elusive consistency, he said it all comes down to having the right mindset.
“When it clicks for them,” said Montgomery during training camp, “you go back and watch TJ Slaton against the Minnesota Vikings here (in 2022), and him pick up a 300-pound center and put him five yards back down there on the goal line and then grab the running back by the back of the neck and yank him down. That’s a mindset, he can do that every single time, but he has to make that decision.”
The Packers offense showed improvements against the Rams, but until we see a larger sample size, the assumption is that the defense is going to have to keep games low-scoring. Doing so begins with containing the run game, and for a defensive front with quite a few pass rush options but only two run-specific defenders, Slaton maintaining his current level of play and consistency will be a must when it comes to accomplishing that.
“TJ a third year guy making improvements from his second year,” said Joe Barry. “He’s getting opportunities to play more and more and he’s taking advantage of it. It’s obviously great to see, not only for him but for us.”
