Greg Cosell’s Look Ahead: How the Broncos D got the best of Green Bay
It’s not often that we see Aaron Rodgers look uncomfortable on a football field. But the Denver Broncos made sure that Rodgers could never get into a rhythm.
Rodgers had just 77 passing yards, and once sacks are included, the Packers had just 50 net passing yards against the Broncos. It was the worst game Rodgers has had in his career, excluding games he got hurt.
How did Denver do it? They had an interesting game plan, and they executed it well with their superior personnel.
The Broncos decided to play three cornerbacks and one safety most of the game, using a base 3-4 front. Denver was comfortable with either Bradley Roby or Chris Harris on Randall Cobb in the slot, and they played a lot of “man free” coverage with that three-cornerback, one-safety look. They knew they could do that because Roby, Harris and Aqib Talib can hold up in man coverage.
Here’s the first play of the game, with the Broncos playing three corners and just one safety:
Rodgers rarely had an open receiver, because the Broncos cornerbacks consistently won in man coverage.
On third-and-17 on Green Bay’s first possession, the Broncos finally played their first snap of dime defense. And that’s when the pass rush showed up.
Both Von Miller (No. 58) and DeMarcus Ware (No. 94) used speed-to-power rushes that beat both tackles, Bryan Bulaga and David Bakhtiari. Rodgers’ helmet was never calm. He looked for the second-reaction play that’s his defining M.O., but he had nowhere to move so he made a hurried throw to avoid the sack.
The Broncos’ defense is built on speed. They’re not big across the front but have outstanding speed and quickness at all three levels. And for a defense that’s very multiple from a front, coverage and pressure standpoint, the Broncos are very disciplined and sound in their execution.
Linebacker Brandon Marshall in particular stood as an excellent piece in the Broncos’ defensive puzzle. He’s very athletic (he is their dime linebacker), but also willing to play physically. A sack that officially went to Antonio Smith in the third quarter — but Marshall was a key in — showed Marshall’s ability, his understanding of the game and the Broncos’ great execution of their scheme.
On a beautifully designed two-man stunt with defensive tackle Smith, Smith attacked the gap between the center and left guard. Marshall (No. 54) initially attacked the left guard Josh Sitton before attacking the “A” gap. That caused confusion between the center and guard, and both went to Marshall. It was Marshall’s execution of the small details that made the sack happen.
Rodgers didn’t complete a pass with any sense of rhythm and timing until hitting Randall Cobb with 4:38 left in the third quarter. You could see by the third quarter that the accumulation of pressure was causing Rodgers to speed up a bit. That’s the kind of subtle difference that creates execution issues. And the Packers’ receivers were unable to get separation on their individual routes. The offensive line across the board was handled physically throughout the game. By the fourth quarter, Rodgers was so out of rhythm he was not turning it loose on the few throws that were there.
We don’t usually see the Packers struggle on offense. But they don’t often play against a defense as good as the one they faced in Denver.
Kaepernick benched
Colin Kaepernick has been benched by the San Francisco 49ers. Watching the film from his game last week against the St. Louis Rams it was clear that at this point in his career Kaepernick cannot run an offense. He does not see things and he’s not aware. He can’t function.
The first eight plays of the game really were a snapshot of his season. The 49ers coaching staff did all the right things tactically (bootleg, read option) to play to Kaepernick’s strengths. But at some point an NFL quarterback must execute the drop back pass game, and Kaepernick cannot do that.
On third-and-3 on the first possession, there was a great example of Kaepernick pre-determining where he’s going to throw the ball. He had Vernon Davis running a crosser against safety T.J. McDonald with leverage, right in Kaepernick’s field of vision. But Kaepernick threw it right away and incomplete to Quinton Patton, even though he was well-covered on a shallow cross. It was a missed opportunity for a big play to Davis.
There’s a fine line between defining reads for the quarterback and making him a pre-determined thrower. No quarterback can function without good post-snap recognition and Kaepernick lacks that right now. That’s a reason the 49ers made the move.
And there’s a general lack of awareness by Kaepernick. This is a stark example. On the first play of the 49ers’ third possession, they lined up in a straight I formation, and Torrey Smith was the “Z” receiver to his left. Nobody was aligned over Smith, who motioned to his quarterback. Kaepernick, with no pre-snap awareness, did not see it. He showed no awareness of where cornerback Janoris Jenkins and McDonald were aligned. Unfortunately, it was a vivid example of his lack of awareness.
Cooper gets best of Revis
Oakland Raiders rookie receiver Cooper clearly got the better of the matchup with New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis last week. Cooper’s route quickness had Revis playing in a reactive way.
Cooper has outstanding route quickness and balance. He showed tremendous ability to get in and out of breaks; he had no trouble separating from Revis. On the first play of the game the Raiders called a shot play, a deep pass downfield, and Cooper ran an excellent route to get by Revis. Carr threw the pass out of bounds, but it was a great job by Cooper to get open, something that would repeat itself during the afternoon. Cooper has been very good as a rookie, and he’ll be a big part of the game plan again this Sunday at Pittsburgh.
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NFL analyst and NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell watches as much NFL game film as anyone. Throughout the season, Cosell will join Shutdown Corner to share his observations on the teams, schemes and personnel from around the league.
